This plum cake made with yogurt and olive oil is so easy to whip up you can even wow last-minute dinner guests with a warm cake right out of the oven. Take advantage of summer/fall plum season or elevate off-season plums with this simple, satisfying single layer cake. Find more olive oil cake recipes here.
When my kids were younger, summer meant dirty bare feet running in and out of the house. We usually had one of those inflatable baby pools in the backyard filled with random plastic toys and laughing kids. Popsicle stained faces and untamed mops of hair, this was our dress code for the summer.
Now that my kids are older, summers have evolved a bit. My kids now wash the popsicle mess off their own faces (for the most part), but their hair is still an unbrushed mess! They may not fit in those little kiddy pools, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying.
I love summer, from the laid back schedule to the casual way we go about our life. I especially love all the wonderful fruits and vegetables we eat nonstop all summer long.
And one of those favorite fruits are plums. And one of my favorite treats are plum desserts, like a plum crisp or this plum cake!
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Recipe highlights
- Simple: No fancy ingredients are needed, just some decent olive oil, yogurt and fresh fruit. You can use plums, berries, peaches or any seasonal fruit you have on hand.
- Easy: It’s one of those one bowl cake recipes that you only need a whisk to make. You could use a hand mixer, but you really don’t need it. You don’t need to frost or decorate the cake, since this one layer cake is quite a beauty on its own
- Texture: The yogurt makes the vanilla cake base oh so tender and incredibly moist. It is a wonderful cake that tastes amazing with whatever fresh fruit you use.
- Flavor: I love this cake so much that it’s my go-to recipe when I need a quick and easy dessert for last minute entertaining. This fluffy vanilla cake is lightly sweetened and is the perfect base for any fruit baked on top. Kinda opposite of the upside down cake where the fruit is placed on the bottom of the cake pan and the batter is poured on top. It doesn’t need it, but you can easily top it with some homemade whipped cream.
Ingredients you need
- Plums: You can use any variety of plums to make this cake, but I usually red plums. Italian plums are smaller so if you use these, you will need 4 or 5 instead of 2. I have also made this cake with peaches, berries, pears and figs.
- Plain yogurt: I like to use Greek or Persian yogurt when I bake. You can also use homemade yogurt. I’ve got a fabulous post and video to teach you how to make yogurt here.
- Extra virgin olive oil: If you’ve read my blog before, then you learned your lesson on how to bake with olive oil. Your baked goods are only as good as the ingredients you put into it. Choose a mild tasting olive oil for this cake recipe, not a peppery one.
- Eggs: When I bake, I primarily use large eggs.
- Pantry staples: All purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract and salt.
Step-by-step directions
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- Mix the wet ingredients. Mix together sugar and olive oil until light and fluffy. Add yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients. Add flour, salt and baking powder and mix until just combined.
- Pour into pan. Apply non-stick spray to one 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper. Pour mixture into prepared cake pan.
- Bake. Arrange plum slices over the top of the cake. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then run a knife along the edge of the cake. Invert and remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack and let it cool completely prior to serving.
Recipe tips and FAQs
If you haven’t noticed, this plum cake is baked with yogurt. If you are unfamiliar with baking with yogurt, let me explain why I love it. Maybe you are familiar with baking with buttermilk, like buttermilk pancakes, buttermilk biscuits and buttermilk cake? Yogurt, like buttermilk, is acidic – especially Greek yogurt.
I have made yogurt pancakes, yogurt scones and I even add yogurt to my lemon bluerry muffins. Some chocolatey gooeiness, try my dark chocolate sheet cake which is also made with olive oil and yogurt!
Remember, you can use store bought or even homemade yogurt in these recipes.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: You can store any leftover cake on the counter, covered with foil or plastic wrap, as long as the room is cool and not hot. Otherwise, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze the cake. Wrap slices in foil and freeze for up to 4 months.
Yes, you can bake with yogurt. The acid in both buttermilk and yogurt helps the leavening and create a light and fluffy dessert. It also adds moisture and makes a delicious cake.
I love baking with yogurt so much that I stopped using buttermilk completely. If you have a recipe using buttermilk, I have an easy substitution so you can swap it out with Greek yogurt. For every 1 cup of buttermilk, substitute with ¾ cup Greek yogurt and ¼ cup milk.
Plum Cake with Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup plain yogurt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 plums sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Apply non-stick spray to one 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together olive oil and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, yogurt and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until just combined.
- Pour mixture into prepared cake pan. Arrange plum slices over the top of the cake.
- Place the cake in the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Place the cake on a cooling rack and let it cool for 20 minutes prior to serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
This turned out great! Delicious and light. I had plums and one lonely peach, so used a combo fruit on top. Added about a 1/4 teaspoon or so of almond extract too, and mixed my regular olive oil with a little lemon olive oil for more fruit flavor.
Hi Kathleen-
I’m so glad you liked the cake. I’ve made this with multiple fruit toppings, using whatever I have on hand. Love idea of adding almond extract and infused olive oils.
Thank you for your kind words-
Laura
does this cake improve with age, ie make ahead the day before?
Hi Jennifer,
Does it improve with age? Well, it tastes great and moist for several days. If you are serving it for an event, I prefer baking it the same day that I serve it. But you certainly can make it a day ahead. Just cover it with foil or plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator – especially during these hot summer months!
Laura
Can I use Avocado oil instead of the Olive oil? I have someone that is sensitive to olives and their oils. Thanks!
Hi Anne-
Yes, you can use avocado oil instead of olive oil.
Laura
Thanks! I am harvesting plums now and come August our 400+ fig trees will be ready for picking!
Come October I am going to try your Finger Lime Kamikaze with our new block of these Aussie specialties!!
Thanks for posting such great and unusual recipes – very inspiring!
Regards from a Fallbrook Farmer
This looks so great. I’m on a kick of baking gluten-free and sugar-free and will make the substitutes. I love summer fruit too.
This cake really is a beauty! Love the technique. Bet I’d love the flavor, too. 🙂 Thanks!
Beautiful cake. I used less sugar, about 1/2 cup of sugar and turned out perfect!
Yikes! Sorry about that! I fixed the directions. Thanks for remembering the sugar!
Almost forgot the sugar! It was left out of the directions!
The cake turned out great even after adding the sugar at the end.
This looks delicious!!
What a gorgeous cake – so delicious with plums, excellent!