Easy Plum Cake with Sour Cream
Easy Plum Cake with Sour Cream is a simple one-layer cake filled with fresh plums, warm cinnamon and cardamom, and a tender crumb made especially moist with sour cream.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email, and we'll send it to your inbox. Plus, you'll get delicious new recipes from us every Friday!
It's one of those cakes I return to every year as fresh plums begin appearing at the market-from late summer straight into the first cooler days of fall.
Simple to make and beautiful without frosting or decorating, it's equally at home with afternoon tea, coffee, or served for dessert with softly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
A Cake I Make Every Plum Season
For me, fresh plums arrive at one of my favorite times of year-that lovely transition between the abundance of summer and the cozy days of early fall.
And almost every year, they end up in this cake.
The plums soften as they bake, settling into a lightly spiced sour cream cake that's buttery, tender, and just sweet enough. It's uncomplicated baking at its best: a simple cake to keep, share, and most definitely make again.
If you love plum cakes for afternoon tea, you might also like my new Plum Cake with Almonds: A Late Summer Tea Cake, made with ground almonds, warm spices, and an apricot glaze, or this Apricot and Plum Cake.
Plum Cake Overview
- Tender and moist: Sour cream gives the cake a beautifully soft crumb.
- Filled with fresh fruit: Sliced plums become sweet and almost jammy as they bake.
- Easy one-layer cake: No frosting, filling, or decorating required.
- Perfect from late summer into fall: Especially lovely with tea, coffee, or as an easy seasonal dessert.
Plum Cake Ingredients
This simple cake requires equally simple ingredients you likely have on hand, except maybe the plums. The exact measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for this simple one-layer cake.
- Baking powder: Gives the cake its lift.
- Cinnamon and cardamom: A lightly spiced combination that's especially good with plums.
- Butter and granulated sugar: Creamed together for a light, tender crumb.
- Eggs and vanilla: Add richness and flavor.
- Sour cream: The ingredient that makes this plum cake especially tender and moist.
- Fresh plums: Choose ripe but still firm plums that hold their shape when sliced and baked.
How to Make This One Layer Easy Plum Cake
Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch cake or springform pan.
- Combine the Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.
- Make the Batter: Cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix just until smooth.
- Add the Plums: Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Arrange the sliced plums over the top and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for several minutes, then run a thin knife around the edges. Cool completely before serving.
Serving Plum Cake
This plum cake is lovely at room temperature with a dusting of confectioners' sugar. For dessert, serve it with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
It's also an easy cake to slice and serve with coffee or afternoon tea.
Storing
Store the cooled cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate it and bring individual slices to room temperature before serving.
Plum Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup butter 1 stick, 8 tablespoons
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus 2 tablelspoons for topping
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2-3 plums pitted and sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch cake pan. A springform pan works great with this cake!
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and cardamom.
- With an electric or stand mixer, cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar, beating until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla and sour cream to the bowl, mix on low speed until just combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until smooth.
- Transfer cake batter to prepared pan. Top with sliced plums and sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over the cake top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven, run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake while it's still hot to loosen it from the pan. Let the cake cool completely on a rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar, slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
Notes
- Plums: Use ripe but still firm plums so they hold their shape as the cake bakes. Depending on size, you may need several plums to cover the top.
- Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream gives the cake its tender, moist crumb. Plain Greek yogurt can work as a substitute if needed.
- Pan: A 9-inch springform pan makes the cake easiest to remove, but a regular 9-inch cake pan also works well.
- Serving: Let the cake cool before dusting with confectioners' sugar. Serve as is or with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
- Storage: Store the cooled cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate for longer storage and bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
More Cake Recipes
- Easy Strawberry Ricotta Cake Recipe
- Glazed Honey Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
- Strawberry Rhubarb Cake: Simple and Delicious
- Sweet Tea Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Cake
More Plum Recipes
If you try this recipe, I'd love to hear your comments and consider giving it a 5-star rating. Explore the recipe index for more easy, delicious ideas, and stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!
More Cake Recipes
Popular Right Now
Love seasonal recipes and easy ideas for everyday cooking? Join 36,000+ readers and receive our newest recipes each week.
Subscribe to the Newsletter
This recipe was easy to make and delicious. The array of plums was beautiful and the cake was not too sweet and complemented the fruit well. Will definitely make this again.
Thank you so much, Kathy! I love that you enjoyed the balance of the fruit with the not-too-sweet cake—that’s one of my favorite things about this recipe, too. I’m delighted it’s going into your make-again list!
This turned out great and really easy to put together! I had two layers of plums, so I bumped it up to about 4-5 plums. Good flavours and subtle plum taste. Thank you!
Hi Fei! I'm so happy you enjoyed this cake! It's a favorite at our house. Thank you for trying the recipe and letting me know how it worked for you!
I banged the crap out of this recipe. Wow, had a blast making this cake!!! Easy, peasy to come together and looks great. I added a squeeze of lemon and some zest, as well as turbo sugar on the topping to give it pop. Baked it out and wow! Too good to share. We all have been there, haven't we? Have to eat this one all by myself. Maybe I can get away with saying "it's a mistake", but everyone is already on to that one. Help me, Ms. Stephanie! I need a new excuse to keep this scrumptious treat to myself! LOL. Easy and fun. In the line-up now as a regular fall item because something this good I can also sell. Oh yeah!
Hi, Clint- thank you so much for trying the cake! I’m so glad you enjoyed it— I love it too!