This simple, crowd-pleasing plum cake has a moist and fluffy texture, is light on butter, and is made with Greek yogurt! Only 20 minutes of prep; and the rest is idle time (60 minutes)! It’s a perfect Summer or Autumn treat to share with family and friends for breakfast, brunch, or dessert! Serve it warm, with a scoop of ice cream, topped with powdered sugar, or drizzled with caramel sauce!
Plum cake
This easy plum cake is my go-to recipe when I want to whip up a quick dessert with fresh fruit on a bright Summer day or a cozy Autumn night. It comes together quickly using basic ingredients and pantry staples. There is no artificial coloring, no glaze, no frosting. All the flavor comes from fresh plums. The cake makes an effortless, stunning presentation just dusted with confectioners’ sugar. You don’t even need to pull out a mixer to make it! Simplicity at its best, what’s not to like? Impress your guests, family, and friends with this vibrant Summer plum cake. It keeps well for about 4 days and can be frozen for up to 1 month! If you enjoy light, uncomplicated cake recipes made with fresh fruit, you’ll also love this Summer Blueberry Peach Cake and Autumn Pear Almond Cake.
Why you’ll love it
- Packed with fresh fruit. This cake is made with fresh plums. You will taste juicy plums with every bite!
- Only 20 minutes of your time. That’s how long it takes to get this cake oven-ready. Then, you just bake it for 60 minutes which is essentially idle time.
- Versatile and flexible recipe. You can use other stonefruit, such as peaches, nectarines, fresh cherries, or apricots. You can bake it in a variety of baking pans. Use Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, or sour cream. I provide more detailed info on variations and substitutions below.
- Easily adjust it to your dietary preferences. You can make plum cake gluten-free or dairy-free – I provide more details below. It’s a forgiving, easy-to-make recipe that doesn’t require complicated adjustments!
Main ingredients
- Flour. Use regular all-purpose flour or cake flour. You can easily make this recipe gluten-free: it’s been tested with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. You can also use King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure flour.
- Baking powder. Make sure it’s fresh so that the cake rises.
- Salted Butter. I used melted salted butter and did not add any extra salt. You only need 2 oz (it’s 4 tablespoons or half a stick of butter).
- Greek yogurt adds a tang and fluffy and moist texture. I love baking with Greek yogurt and avoid using as much butter as possible by replacing some of it with Greek yogurt. I have also made plum cake with plain Kefir, and I almost like the Kefir-based version better!
- Sugar. Use regular granulated white sugar.
- The egg makes the cake moist and light.
- Pure Vanilla. You only need 1 teaspoon.
- Plums. I used 3 medium size purple or black plums. There is no need to peel them. Discard the pits.
When is the plum season?
Plums ripen from July to September, and that’s when you can find them at their best in most stores. In some areas of the country, the plum season starts as early as May!
How to choose the best plums?
Choose plums with a firm texture and wrinkle-free skin with no blemishes. You don’t want overly ripe, soft plums, which will not hold up well during baking. You also don’t want a very hard and unripened plum—it should be firm but not mushy. If you purchased plums with a hard texture, let them ripen naturally for a few days until they get to that perfect firm texture.
What can you use instead of plums?
- Other stonefruit, such as apricots, peaches, nectarines, or fresh cherries, are also delicious. You can even mix and match your favorite stone fruit!
- Dried fruit. If the fresh plums are out of season, you can make this cake with prunes (or dried plums)! You can also use dried apricots or figs.
- Other fresh fruit, such as apples or pears, would be delicious! Choose fruit with a firm texture, as it will hold up better when baking.
What can you substitute for Greek yogurt?
Greek yogurt creates a tender and fluffy cake texture. I also love using plain kefir—it adds a nice tangy flavor and the same fluffy texture. You can also use buttermilk, sour cream, or regular yogurt.
Can you make it gluten-free?
- This recipe has been tested with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour – it works great, and you can use it 1-to-1 without making any changes to this recipe. The same applies to King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure flour.
- Do not sift these flours, but do not deliberately pack them into a measuring cup. Cakes made with fresh fruit tend to be very moist, so you want your cake batter to be on the thicker side.
- You might also have to bake this cake a little longer using GF flour.
- I also recommend baking in a cast-iron skillet if using gluten-free flour.
How to make it dairy-free
- Use ¼ cup of light olive or other vegetable oil instead of ¼ cup of butter (2 oz). Use vegetable oil with a neutral flavor, such as avocado or canola.
- Use ¾ cup of dairy-free yogurt, such as unsweetened almond milk yogurt or unsweetened cashew milk yogurt, instead of Greek yogurt. Or, use ¾ cup of olive oil or other cooking oil instead of yogurt.
What baking dish can you use?
- I used a 9×3-inch round springform baking pan. This pan allows you to release the cake seamlessly without any effort while still keeping its pretty shape!
- 9×13 rectangular baking pan. Pour the cake batter into the greased cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Use a 12-cup muffin pan. To turn this plum cake into muffins or cupcakes, chop the plums into smaller pieces and mix them into the cake batter. Fill the muffin pan ⅔ of the way and bake for about 20 or 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- 10-inch or 12-inch round high-sided cast-iron skillet. You can bake the plum cake in a cast-iron skillet, which creates crispy, golden-brown edges with a soft and moist center. The skillet heats evenly, resulting in a beautiful and consistent texture.
Storage Tips
- Keep the cake at room temperature for the first 48 hours. Cool it completely, then loosely cover it with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving spaces for air. You can store it at room temperature this way for up to 48 hours.
- Fridge. After the first 48 hours, store it in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or a freezer bag.
- Can you freeze it? Once the plum cake is completely cool, freeze it within 2 days of baking. Wrap it tightly in an airtight plastic wrap and transfer it to a freezer bag or a sturdier freezer container. Freeze it for up to 1 month.
Other late Summer or Autumn Cakes
- Apple Blueberry Cake
- The Best Apple Cake
- Pear Almond Cake
- Fresh Cherry Cake
- Blueberry Peach Cake
- Strawberry Peach Cake
Plum Cake
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Ingredients
- 3 medium plums
- 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted or aerated (see note below)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 oz salted butter melted
- 1 egg
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or plain Kefir
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. If your oven has a convection setting, use a convection bake setting. Line the bottom of the 9×3-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides and the bottom of the springform pan with butter or cooking spray.
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You will use 3 plums. Slice each plum into thin wedges (but not too thin) – See photos below for reference. Set aside. Discard the pits.
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In a medium bowl, mix flour and baking powder.
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In a large bowl, combine 1 cup white sugar, melted butter, and egg, and beat using a whisk for about 1 or 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
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Mix in Greek yogurt and vanilla and whisk just until combined.
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Add the flour mixture and baking powder mixture gradually, and whisk it together with the wet ingredients just until combined. Do not over-mix.
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Pour the cake batter into the parchment paper-lined springform pan. Arrange plum slices in a circular pattern on top of the cake. See my photos below for reference.
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Place the baking pan with the cake batter on the middle rack (this is especially important for non-convection ovens). Bake for about 1 hour until the tester (or toothpick) inserted in the center of the cake (away from the plums) comes out clean.
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Remove the cake from the oven. Let it cool in a springform pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then, release it from the springform pan. At this point, if the cake is cool enough, you can slide your hand (or a large wide spatula) under the cake, between the parchment paper and the bottom of the cake, and transfer the cake without the parchment paper attached to its bottom onto a cake plate.
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When serving, dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
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Do not pack flour into a measuring cup! Using measuring cups, the proper way to measure flour is to aerate it first. This is done either by sifting flour or aerating it by fluffing it up and whisking it well, then spooning it into the measuring cup, then carefully removing any excess flour with a knife. If you just stick that measuring cup in the bag of flour and scoop some out, you will get a lot more flour than the recipe calls for. Do aerate the flour, or you will end up with dry cake!
- This aeration tip does not apply to these 2 kinds of popular gluten-free flours, such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour or King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure flour. Don’t deliberately overpack the gluten-free flour into cups but don’t sift it or aerate it either.
Baking tips
- If you have a convection setting in your oven, use that to bake this cake.
- If you don’t have a convection setting, bake the cake on the middle rack or above the middle one.
- Ensure the oven is fully preheated to 350 F before placing the cake.
What baking pans can you use?
- I used a 9×3-inch round springform baking pan.
- 9×13 rectangular baking pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- 10-inch or 12-inch round high-sided cast-iron skillet. Bake it for about 45 or 50 minutes or longer until crispy, golden-brown edges form and the toothpick comes out clean in the center.
Other notes
- Make it gluten-free. This cake has been tested with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. You can also use King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure flour.
- Greek yogurt can be replaced with plain Kefir, regular yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream.
Nutrition
