Yogurt Plum Cake

This Yogurt Plum Cake is tender, delicious, and also extremely easy to make. The cake is made with yogurt, flavored simply with vanilla and loaded with four whole plums. It’s perfect for tea time or as a snack!

If you love a versatile cake like I do, then you will for sure love this easy Yogurt Plum Cake recipe. And what’s not to love? 

• Simple ingredients
• Super easy to make – no stand mixer required!
• Great way to use up leftover yogurt
• Delicious buttery cake with tender crumbs
• Perfect as a dessert, a snack, or even breakfast!
• Beautiful enough to serve guests at dinner

This cake is like an upside down plum cake except you don’t have to invert the cake because the fruits are added on top! I just love the way the plum slices are baked into the fluffy vanilla cake, making it effortlessly beautiful.

Serve this plum yogurt cake with a dusting of powdered sugar or with a dollop of whipped cream for tea time, or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for a more decadent dessert. I promise you, everyone in your household will enjoy it!

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here are a few notes about what you’ll need to make this plum yogurt cake and any available substitutions. The full list of ingredients and quantities are also in the recipe card at the end of the post.

1. Plums – use medium to large size plums, small plums will work but the slices may not cover the entire surface of the cake. Try to use ripe but firm plums so the slices stay intact and the plums don’t add too much extra liquid to the cake.

2. Yogurt – plain yogurt works best in this recipe. You could use Greek or regular plain yogurt. I’ve used full fat, 2%, and nonfat Greek yogurt, as well as flavored Greek yogurt in this recipe. Full fat is preferred for a richer cake. You could also substitute sour cream. 

3. Butter – I used unsalted butter. If you only have unsalted butter, omit the salt called for in the recipe.

4. Eggs

5. Vanilla – always use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. You could also use almond extract here to make it a lovely plum almond yogurt cake.

6. Sugar – I used granulated sugar here, but brown sugar will work too.

7. Flour – I used all purpose flour but you could also use cake flour for an even more tender cake. You can use self-rising flour too, just omit the baking powder but make sure to still add baking soda.

8. Leavening agents – I use both baking soda and baking powder. The baking soda will be activated by the acidity in the yogurt. And the baking powder will give it additional lift while in the oven.

9. Salt – I always use kosher salt in all my recipes. If using table salt, use ½ to ⅔ as much.

How to make Yogurt Plum Cake Step-by-Step

First, cut up the plums

I cut up 3 of the plums into thin half moon slices. And then dice the last plum as well as any end bits from the first 3 plums into bite size pieces. I used the plum slices to decorate the top of the cake before baking and folded the small pieces into the cake batter.

Make the cake

Use a large mixing bowl for the wet ingredients. You want to add room temperature yogurt and eggs to the cooled melted butter and vanilla. Then beat until combined and creamy.

In a smaller mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients except salt and sugar. Salt and sugar just get whisked into the dry ingredient mixture since they won’t go through a fine mesh sieve. Add dry to wet and fold until just combined.

Now add the plum pieces to the cake batter and fold to distribute evenly.

Transfer the cake batter to a buttered and lined cake pan, even out the top with a spatula. Arrange the plum slices on top per photo below or however you wish. Bake until the top is golden brown and the cake is cooked through.

Note: If you want to make this a one bowl cake, you can beat the sugar and salt into the wet ingredients first. And then sift the remaining dry ingredients directly into the wet ingredients and fold.

Variations 

Although I haven’t made any of these variations, I know this cake will work with any stone fruits such as peaches, nectarines, apricots. You could also try strawberries for Spring and apples for Autumn.

Try adding lemon zest or orange zest to the cake for a fresh flavor. If you like warmer flavors, add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to the cake.

Baker’s Tips & FAQs

Can I use a different cake pan?

A 9″ round cake pan will also work for this recipe.

What does yogurt do to a cake? 

I love adding yogurt to a cake. Similar to buttermilk, it is acidic which reacts with baking soda to make the cake light and fluffy, adds a nice tanginess to the cake, and makes the cake very moist and tender.

Can I use any type of yogurt?

Plain yogurt works best. You can use Greek yogurt or regular plain yogurt. Full fat yogurt will give the best flavor but 2% or nonfat will work just as well. 

I’ve also used flavored yogurt to test this cake. If using flavored yogurt, vanilla is best but any mildly flavored yogurt will do, this will impart a slight flavoring to the cake.

What type of plums to use for this cake? 

Any type of plums will work in this recipe. I’ve used plums with red flesh as well as yellow flesh, though the red ones look best due to the color contrast on the cake. 

Be sure to choose large size plums, ripe but firm. If the plums are too soft, the slices may not stay intact when you slice them and they could add too much liquid to the cake. 

Can I make gluten free plum yogurt cake?

I’ve used all-purpose gluten free flour in some recipes successfully. I think it would work for this cake. You could also try to make it with almond flour but I would follow the recipe for this Pear Almond Cake instead, just use plums instead of pears.

Can I make this cake dairy free?

You’ll need to use dairy free yogurt and replace butter with oil. When using oil, use ¾ as much. So this recipe calls for 4 oz of butter, you would use 3 oz of oil. You’ll want to use a flavorless oil like canola or vegetable oil or a mild olive oil.

Note that if you make this cake dairy free, it won’t taste as rich.

Tips on storage

Room temperature: This yogurt plum cake can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If the weather is particularly warm, I would recommend refrigerating the cake once it is cooled.

Refrigerator: Refrigerated cake will last up to 1 week. 

Freezer: You can freeze this cake though I usually preferred not to freeze cakes with fruits since the fruits can turn a bit soggy once thawed. 

I usually like to freeze the individual slices of cake so I can defrost just one or two pieces to enjoy at a time. Be sure to wrap each piece tightly in plastic and store in a freezer bag. Frozen cake will last 3-4 months.

More easy and delicious cakes

• Flourless Orange Upside Down Cake
• Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Olive Oil Chocolate Cake
• Banana Bundt Cake
• Mascarpone Mixed Berry Cake

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📖 Recipe card

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