Plum Yogurt Cake

5 from 2 votes

This plum yogurt cake is the perfect easy baking recipe when plums are in season. Imagine a soft and zesty sponge, topped with sliced plums and golden demerara sugar.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Total Time1 5

Course: Baking

Cuisine: Italian Inspired

Servings: servings

Author: Margie Nomura

Ingredients

For the cake:

7 oz superfine sugar (caster sugar) about 1 cup
1/2 lemon zested (add zest of 1 lemon if you prefer)
5-6 small, ripe plums
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
8.8 oz full-fat Greek yogurt about 1 cup; at room temperature
5 fl oz olive oil about 2/3 cup
8.8 oz all-purpose flour (plain flour) about 2 cups
1/4 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
2 tbsp demerara sugar for sprinkling

For the vanilla whipped cream:

5 fl oz heavy cream (double cream) about 2/3 cup; cold from the fridge
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract or to taste
1/4 tsp fine sea salt optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the plum yogurt cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan). Grease the base and sides of a 7-inch (18 cm) round springform or loose-bottom cake pan with butter and line the base with parchment paper (if using a loose-bottom tin, you may wish to line the sides too).
Make the lemon sugar: Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl. Rub the two together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist, lightly lemon-colored, and filled with the zesty lemon fragrance. Set aside.
Next, prepare the plums: slice them in half and remove the stone. Cut into slices (not too thin, not too thick). I like a chunkier slice, but you can slice it to your preference.
Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the lemon sugar and whisk until pale, light, and bubbly - this takes approximately 1 minute. You can use an electric whisk if you like, but definitely not necessary for this cake.
Add the yogurt, followed by the olive oil, and whisk until fully combined.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a spatula, fold gently until a few streaks of flour remain. Small lumps in the batter are totally fine - don't be tempted to over-mix!
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth over the surface using a spatula. Arrange the plum slices on top, on their sides. Sprinkle it with demerara sugar (this adds a delicious crunch).
Bake in the oven for about 50-55 minutes - or until golden brown and the sponge springs back, or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Have a look at about 45 minutes - if the cake is browning too quickly, then cover in a tent of aluminum foil and continue to bake.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then carefully run a butter knife around the edge and remove the cake from the pan. Return to the wire rack to finish cooling completely.

For the optional vanilla whipped cream:

Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk just until soft peaks start to form (you can do this by hand or using an electric whisk). Take care not to over whisk… although if you do and it becomes a little too firm (but isn’t at the butter stage), simply pour in some unwhipped cream and use a spoon or rubber spatula to fold it into the stiff cream. Taste and add a pinch of salt, if desired.
Cut the cake into slices and serve with a spoonful of the softly whipped vanilla cream.

Notes

Make-ahead and storage

To store: this plum yogurt cake will keep for up to 3 days in a sealed container.

To reheat: you can warm slices of this plum yogurt cake for 10-15 seconds in the microwave, if you like. I like it at room temperature.

To freeze: I wouldn’t recommend freezing, as the fruit can bleed into the cake, which changes the texture (and the plums can also change texture themselves).

Make ahead: I often make this cake a day in advance as it keeps well overnight, either in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.

More quick tips

Fruit: You can use all sorts of fruit in this recipe. Stone fruit like apricots, peaches, and nectarines work well. So do berries like raspberries, cherries, blackberries and/or blueberries.

Almond extract: If you can’t have almonds, simply omit the almond extract.

Serving suggestions: Swap the softly whipped vanilla cream for a dollop of crème fraîche or yogurt if you prefer tangier flavors (you can swirl through some runny honey or vanilla extract, if desired). Alternatively, a scoop of vanilla ice cream is delicious if you are having it for pudding.

Nutrition Facts: The calories listed do not include the optional vanilla whipped cream.

Nutrition