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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Updated: Nov 22, 2024 · Published: Nov 22, 2024 by Cassie Waltman · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Yogurt Plum Cake with Lemon and Cornmeal

    click here to get straight to the recipe

    When fresh plums are in season, make this lemon-infused, deeply aromatic, Yogurt Plum Cake with Lemon and Cornmeal.  You won’t be sorry!  The cake is made with oil and butter to keep it tender and cornmeal for a delightful bite.  It bakes up beautifully golden with crisp edges and is perfect for dessert, snacking, or with afternoon coffee.

    A slice of cake sits on a pink plate next to a glass platter with the rest of the cake.

    This easy-prep cake uses a single 9-inch round pan and no icing or frosting is needed.  A dollop of whipped cream or a dusting of powdered sugar can help finish the cake for serving to guests, but feel free to keep it simple for easy snacking. Try this Cardamom Coffee Cake for another easy snacking cake option!

    Brown sugar helps to bring a deep flavor to the crumb without it being overly sweet, but the lemon flavor really shines here.  We love lemon in all things sweet and savory, like this Avgolemono Soup, Lemon Ricotta Shells, or Edamame and Lemon Spread.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Equipment
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Top Tip for Slicing
    • Storage
    • FAQ
    • Sweet Snacking Options
    • Make a Special Meal
    • Try It and Share
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Ingredients

    I include ingredient notes here when I think they’ll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!

    Ingredients for the recipe are displayed on a purple and black background. White text boxes labeling the ingredients include all-purpose flour, lemon, plums, brown sugar, corn meal, eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, Greek yogurt, baking soda, and salted butter.
    • Plums - Fresh plums should be washed, dried, and sliced.  Use any variety of plums you have available, but use fruit that isn’t overly ripe so that once it is baked you still have distinct pieces of fruit and not just a jammy puddle.
    • Brown Sugar - Using brown sugar in the recipe adds a deeper flavor with molasses notes, but also keeps the cake extra moist and tender.
    • Lemon - Both the zest and the juice are used here, so a fresh lemon is essential.  Make sure to zest it before juicing for the easiest prep.
    • All-Purpose Flour - All-purpose flour has enough protein to carry the dense cornmeal but still gives you a tender-crumbed cake.
    • Butter and Oil - Using both butter and oil delivers a cake with the rich flavor of butter but the moist crumb that oil helps develop.
    • Greek Yogurt - Yogurt adds richness to the batter as well as a bit of acid to provide lift to the cake when combined with the lemon juice and baking soda.  Use 2% or full-fat yogurt here.
    • Baking Soda - As the leavening agent in this recipe, baking soda helps the cake rise for a lighter texture, even with the addition of cornmeal.
    • Cornmeal - Cornmeal provides a nutty bite to the texture of the cake, helping to create crisp edges.

    Instructions

    Preheat the oven to 350°F and gather your ingredients!

    A round cake pan is lined with parchment paper and sits on a purple and black surface.

    Prepare your cake pan by spraying the bottom and sides of the pan with cooking spray and then lining the bottom with parchment paper.

    Sliced plums, lemon zest, brown sugar, and flour are combined in a white bowl.

    In a medium bowl, combine the sliced plums, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon flour.  Stir everything together well and set aside.

    Melted butter in a white bowl is placed over a purple and black background.

    In a large microwaveable bowl, melt the butter.  Alternatively, melt the butter in a small saucepan.

    Eggs, yogurt, brown sugar, vanilla, and lemon are added to the melted butter in a large white bowl.

    Add the ½ cup brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, yogurt, lemon juice, and zest.

    A golden yellow mixture of wet ingredients sits in a white bowl.

    Whisk the wet ingredients until well combined into a smooth mixture.

    Dry ingredients are sprinkled over the top of the combined wet ingredients.

    Sprinkle the flour, cornmeal, and baking soda over the dry ingredients.

    The dry and wet ingredients are mixed with a whisk in the large white bowl.

    Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until combined, mixing only until no dry ingredients are visible.

    The cake batter is swirled into a round metal cake pan.

    Spread the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top so that the surface is even.

    The plums have released their juices and the topping mixture is glossy and speckled with lemon zest.

    Stir the plum topping once again to get the juices well distributed among the plums.

    The shiny plum topping is spooned over the cake batter in the metal pan before baking.

    Spoon the plums over the batter in an even layer.  Drizzle any extra syrupy juices over the top of the plums evenly.

    The baked plum cake is golden and studded with plum slices.

    Bake the cake for 42-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Try to insert the toothpick into the cake portion, avoiding any plums.

    Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the edges.  Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before running the knife around the edges again.  Invert it onto a cooling rack or cutting board and then flip it once again onto the final serving platter.  Allow it to cool 15 additional minutes before serving.

    Substitutions and Variations

    The substitutions listed below have been tested in this recipe and work well. If you successfully make any other ingredient substitutions, let us know in the comments!

    • Olive Oil - If you have a particularly fruity olive oil on hand, feel free to swap olive oil for the vegetable oil.  The flavor really compliments the lemon and plums.
    • Different Stone Fruit - Use fresh pitted cherries, apricots, or nectarines in place of the plums.  Don’t use an overly ripe or frozen fruit, however, or the texture will be very soft and jammy in the cake.
    • Swap Orange for Lemon - In the winter months, swap the lemon zest for orange zest! Omit the plum topping altogether, and swirl in spoonfuls of warmed orange marmalade before baking.

    Equipment

    This yogurt plum cake is most often prepared in a 9-inch round heavyweight baking pan, but you can use an 8-inch square pan instead for similar results. 

    If you don’t have a microwave, melt your butter on the stovetop in a small sauce pan

    Serving Suggestions

    The cake can be served casually as-is with its pretty burnished gold edges.  You can also dust the top or edges with powdered sugar for a simple step that dresses it up nicely.

    Th finished cake is dusted with powdered sugar and garnished with lemon wedges and red flowers.

    Yogurt plum cake is delicious when served with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream, too!

    Top Tip for Slicing

    The best tool for getting clean slices that don’t crumble or tear the plums is a serrated knife.  A large bread knife will help you cut across the whole cake for even slices.

    The tender crumb of the cake interior and the baked plums are visible in the slice of plum cake topped with whipped cream.

    Storage

    Store any leftovers in the refrigerator covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.  The cake tastes best at room temperature or slightly warm, so allow it to sit on the counter for a bit before serving any leftovers.

    FAQ

    What variety of plums make a good plum cake?

    Locally, we get delicious Stanley plums at the end of summer, so that’s what was used in the cake pictured here.  Yellow plums are extra sweet, but a black plum will add a gorgeous color contrast to your cake.

    Can you swap the cornmeal for polenta in this cake?

    Cornmeal and polenta are similar, however the grind is coarser in polenta than in cornmeal.  Don’t substitute the cornmeal in this cake for polenta or you will have an overly chewy texture and bite in the final product.

    What's the best way to get deep lemon flavor in the cake?

    Use a fresh lemon for both the zest and the juice, for starters. Zest your washed lemon right over the mixing bowl so that both the zest and any oils drop right into the bowl and get incorporated into the batter.

    Sweet Snacking Options

    Sweet snacks are a treat for after school or an afternoon coffee.  Here are some other sweet snack recipes to try:

    • A wood platter of cookies, pretzels, and strawberries has a white bowl of dark chocolate hummus at its center.
      Dark Chocolate Hummus with Peanut Butter
    • Two cookie bars are resting on a crumpled brown paper and the red jelly filling is visible.
      Super Easy Peanut Butter Jelly Bars
    • A wooden plate holding three squares of a golden cake studded with cranberries and drizzled with a white glaze.
      Tender Cranberry Orange Snacking Cake with Molasses
    • One batch of chocolate chip cookie bars, partially sliced into squares on a wooden cutting board.
      Soft Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

    Make a Special Meal

    Prepare this yogurt plum cake as a dessert to a special summertime meal with these recipes:

    • A carafe of lemonade sits on a green woven tray next to a glass of lemonade and a plate of lemon slices and basil leaves.
      Homemade Basil Lemonade
    • Three servings of the salad on wooden plates are arranged over a black surface with tomatoes, herbs, and grilled bread.
      Grilled Bread Panzanella with White Beans
    • A brown mixture of seeds, nuts, and coarsely ground spices in a silver bowl.
      Homemade Macadamia Dukkah
    • A filet of salmon with a brown crust on a white plate. It is topped with a chunky yellow salsa.
      Cast Iron Salmon with Homemade Mango and Peach Salsa

    Try It and Share

    I hope you try this Yogurt Plum Cake with Lemon and Cornmeal and enjoy the recipe as much as I do. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.

    Recipe

    The baked plum cake is golden and studded with plum slices.

    Yogurt Plum Cake with Lemon and Cornmeal

    Cassie Waltman
    Make this Yogurt Plum Cake with Lemon and Cornmeal and enjoy a super moist crumb flavored with with brown sugar and fresh plums.
    5 from 1 vote
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 45 minutes mins
    Cooling Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Course brunch, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 377 kcal

    Equipment

    • 9-inch round pan or a 8-inch square pan

    Ingredients
      

    Plum Topping

    • 16 oz fresh plums (pitted and sliced)
    • ¼ cup brown sugar (packed)
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

    Cake

    • 4 tablespoon salted butter
    • ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil (any neutral oil)
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup Greek yogurt (2% or full fat)
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 1½ cups all-purpose flour (188g)
    • ½ cup corn meal (75g)
    • 2½ teaspoon baking soda
    • whipped cream or powdered sugar (optional, for serving)

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9-inch round cake pan by spraying the bottom and sides with cooking spray and then lining the bottom with parchment paper.
    • In a medium bowl, combine the sliced plums, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon flour. Stir everything together well and set aside.
    • In a large microwaveable bowl, melt the butter. Add the ½ cup brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, yogurt, lemon juice, and zest. Whisk until well combined.
    • Sprinkle the remaining flour, corn meal, and baking soda over the wet ingredinets. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
    • Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer.
    • Stir the plum topping again and distribute the plums evenly over the top of the cake batter. Drizzle any accumulated juices over the top of the cake.
    • Bake the cake for 42-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (be sure to pick a spot in the cake that the toothpick won't go through a plum).
    • Run a knife around the edge of the cake and allow it to cool for 15 minutes.
    • Run the knife around the edge of the cake pan again and invert the cake over a wire cooling rack. Flip the cake back over again onto a serving platter or large plate.
    • Allow the cake to cool for another 15 minutes and then slice with a serrated knife for the cleanest cuts. Dust slices with powdered sugar and dollop with whipped cream.

    Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts caculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.

    Nutrition Facts

    Calories: 377kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 8gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 421mgPotassium: 234mgFiber: 3gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 440IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 2mg
    Share your results on Instagram!Mention @planeatpostrepeat or tag #planeatpostrepeat !

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cassie says

      November 22, 2024 at 2:12 pm

      5 stars
      How will you top this gorgeous plum cake? My favorite is a dollop of whipped cream for a great texture contrast.

      Reply

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    Copyright © 2025 Plan. Eat. Post. Repeat.

    The tender crumb of the cake interior and the baked plums are visible in the slice of plum cake topped with whipped cream. A text box at the top of the image contains the words' " yogurt plum cake with lemon and cornmeal" and "plan. eat. post. repeat."
    The baked plum cake is golden and studded with plum slices.

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