Yogurt Plum Cake
A delightful yogurt plum cake that’s effortlessly tender and moist, filled with juicy sliced plums.
A cake like this is perfect for a quick and easy dessert when you have company coming over. The cake batter is uncomplicated, with a hint of lemon complementing the plum. Adding yogurt creates a beautiful tenderness in the cake.
This cake contains no butter. It’s made with olive oil or vegetable oil instead. This results in a lovely and moist cake. It also eliminates the need for an electric beater to cream butter.
I use it in this lemon sour cream cake too!
Ingredients
Find the ingredient amounts for this plum yogurt cake recipe written in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s an overview of what you will need.
- Fresh plums: These are sliced and placed on top of the cake batter. You could swap these with canned plums, too, just ensure to drain them well first. I love using red or black plums; their red flesh stands out strikingly against the yellow cake.
- All-purpose flour: The cake base.
- Baking powder: The leavening agent helps the cake to rise.
- Salt: Salt enhances the flavors in the cake and balances the sweetness.
- Granulated sugar: Provides sweetness.
- Lemon zest: Adding lemon zest adds a subtle citrus flavor that complements the plums.
- Large eggs: Eggs bind the ingredients together and provide structure. They also contribute to the cake’s richness.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds a depth of flavor that complements the other ingredients. It enhances the overall taste of the cake and gives it a pleasant aroma.
- Almond extract: A tiny hint of almond extract gives a wonderful flavor.
- Plain yogurt: Full-fat yogurt is the star ingredient in this recipe, providing a tanginess that pairs well with the plums. The acidity in the yogurt contributes to a tender crumb. You can subsitute this with sour cream or buttermilk too.
- Milk: Adding milk helps bind the batter.
- Oil: This recipe uses oil in place of butter to keep the cake moist and tender. It also contributes to a lighter texture. You can use olive oil for a warm flavor, or a neutral vegetable oil.
- Turbinado sugar for topping: This is optional, but sprinkling turbinado sugar on top of the cake before baking adds a crunch and a caramel-like sweetness.
Equipment
8-inch round cake pan. A springform pan will make the removal of the cake the easiest.
Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, grease, and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
Halve the plums and remove the stones. Slice into 1/4-inch slices and set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set this aside.
In a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and lemon zest.
Use your fingers or a fork to rub the zest into the sugar to release the lemons oils.
Do this for around two minutes for the best flavor.
Add the eggs, oil, yogurt, milk and vanilla to the sugar and beat well to combine.
Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.
Take care not to over-mix it.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and gently spread it with a butter knife or offset spatula.
Arrange the plum slices snugly over the batter. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake the cake for around 55-65 minutes until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, with a few moist crumbs.
Let the warm cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it and letting it cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.
The cooled cake can be dusted with icing sugar or left as is. Serve with a dollop of cream or yogurt or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Storing
Leftover plum cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The cake can also be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3 months.
Variations and substitutions
- The yogurt can be substituted with full-fat sour cream or buttermilk.
- Swap the plum for another stone fruit, like apricots, peaches, or nectarines.
- Other summer fruits like berries would work too, like strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries.
Measurements
This recipe is written using grams as the primary measurement.
US measuring cup* equivalents are also included if you don’t have a scale. However, using a kitchen scale to measure grams will give the best and most consistent results *US cup sizes are smaller than metric cup sizes.
Related recipes
Yogurt Plum Cake
A delightful plum yogurt cake that's effortlessly tender and moist, filled with juicy sliced plums.
Ingredients
- 3-4 fresh plums
- 250g (2 cups*) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 190g (¾ cup) natural yogurt
- 60g (¼ cup) milk
- 105g (½ cup) olive oil or vegetable oil
- Turbinado sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease and line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
- Halve the plums and remove the stones. Slice into 1/4-inch slices and set aside.
- Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set this aside.
- Add granulated sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl. Use your fingers or a fork to rub the zest into the sugar to release the lemons oils. Do this for around two minutes for the best flavor.
- Add the eggs, oil, yogurt, milk, and vanilla to the sugar and beat well to combine.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. The batter will have a few lumps, but that's fine.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and gently spread it with an offset spatula.
- Arrange the plum slices snugly over the batter. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake the cake for around 55-65 minutes until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the warm cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it and letting it cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.
- The cooled cake can be dusted with icing sugar or left as is.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 312Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 266mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 6g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
