This delicious upside down plum cake is very easy to make with simple ingredients that you probably already have at home. The recipe is vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), gluten-free, oil-free, and much healthier than other recipes.
Vegan Upside Down Plum Cake
How awesome are upside down cakes? I love them because they are fun to make, and they are quite healthy since they contain fruit. You can make them with kids and use your favorite fruit of choice.
I love this upside down plum cake because it is:
- Easy to make with simple ingredients.
- A great summer dessert which isn’t too heavy.
- Healthier than most other recipes.
How To Make The Best Upside Down Plum Cake?
- Check the easy step-by-step photos below:
- First, line the bottom of a cake pan or springform with parchment paper and preheat your oven.
- Wash, deseed and slice the plums. Arrange them on the bottom of the springform/cake pan. Drizzle with a tablespoon of sugar and maple syrup.
- Measure/weigh the dry ingredients and add them all to a big bowl. Stir with a whisk.
- Mash the banana (or use applesauce) and combine it with the wet ingredients. You can also use a blender or food processor.
- Whisk dry and wet ingredients together and pour the batter into the cake pan/springform.
- Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes, then allow to cool and peel off the parchment paper.
- Enjoy warm or cold!
Simple Ingredients
This cake contains only simple ingredients that you most likely already have at home. The main ingredients are ground oats (oat flour) and ground nuts. You can use any nuts of choice, for example, ground almonds, hazelnuts, etc.
Shredded unsweetened coconut can be used instead of ground nuts. Please don’t use coconut flour. It won’t work in this recipe!
Please don’t substitute any regular flour (except almond flour) for the ground nuts. Since the recipe is oil-free, there needs to be a source of fat.
To make the cake grain-free, you could experiment with buckwheat flour or sorghum flour (instead of oat flour). I haven’t tried it myself but it should work. If you give it a try, please report back in the comments.
Any plant-based milk can be used in this recipe. I prefer to use canned coconut milk, however, almond milk, cashew milk, etc. should work fine as well. The higher the fat content of the milk, the better the cake will taste.
How To Serve?
You can serve the cake with dairy-free ice cream or whipped coconut cream. Another option would be to drizzle a vegan caramel sauce on top.
Leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Versatile Upside Down Plum Cake
I love how versatile this upside-down cake is. You can use other fruits instead of plums. Some examples would be:
- Pineapple, to make an upside down pineapple cake. Or what about:
- Apple
- Strawberry
- Peach
- Banana
- Pear
- Cherry
- Blueberry
- Orange
- Or lemon
Apricots are awesome as well, especially since they are in season now. I am actually looking forward to making an upside down mandarin cake in the wintertime.
This Upside Down Plum Cake Is:
- Egg-free,
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free
- Oil-free
- Low-fat
- Moist
- Fruity
- Perfect for summer or a birthday
- Versatile
Should you recreate this delicious plum cake, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your remakes! If you love vegan cakes, definitely also check out the following recipes:
- Coconut Cake
- Lava Cake
- Zucchini Chocolate Cake
- No-Bake Carrot Cake
- Fruity Cheesecake
- Baked Cheesecake
Upside Down Plum Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups (150 g) oat flour (gluten-free if needed - see notes)
- 3/4 heaped cup (100 g) ground nuts of choice (see notes)
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sweetener of choice (see notes)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice (optional)
- 1/2 tsp cardamom (optional)
- 1/3 tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) plant-based milk (see notes)
- 1 small (80 g) ripe mashed banana or 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or lime juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
- 3-4 plums sliced (see notes)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe.
- Preheat oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform or cake pan with parchment paper and lightly grease the sides of the springform.
- Wash, deseed and slice the plums. Arrange them in an overlapping layer on the bottom of the springform/pan. Drizzle with maple syrup and sugar. Set aside.
- For the cake, combine all dry ingredients in a big bowl. Stir with a whisk until there are no lumps.
- Whisk together wet ingredients in a different bowl.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir with a whisk. Spoon the batter into the cake pan/springform and spread it out evenly.
- Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before inverting the cake on a platter. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.
- Cool for 10 more minutes, then slice and enjoy! The cake can be served with vegan whipped cream or ice cream!
Notes
- Oat flour: To make your own oat flour, simply process oats (regular or gluten-free) in a blender or electric coffee/spice grinder. You can try using buckwheat flour for a grain-free version. Also, regular flour or spelt flour (for a non-gluten-free version) could work well in this recipe (I haven't tried it myself though).
- Shredded unsweetened coconut can be used instead of ground nuts. Please don't use coconut flour. It won't work in this recipe! Please don't substitute any regular flour (except almond flour) for the ground nuts. Since the recipe is oil-free, there needs to be a source of fat.
- Granulated sweetener: You can use regular sugar, cane sugar, Erythritol, Xylitol (birch sugar), coconut sugar, etc.
- Any plant-based milk can be used in this recipe. I prefer to use canned coconut milk, however, almond milk, cashew milk, etc. should work fine as well. The higher the fat content of the milk, the better the cake will taste.
- Feel free to use your favorite fruit instead of plums. Some examples are apricots, oranges, mandarines, pineapple!
- You can also check out my Plum And Apple Crumble Recipe.
- The recipe serves 10. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Equipment
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Made this for the 2nd time today. First time it worked out perfectly & was very delicious. This time it looks beautiful and surely will be equally delicious. However, at the beginning of the baking, some of the topping leaked out & burnt on the bottom of the oven. Just wondering if the parchment paper should come up a bit more on the sides. I was using the exact pan specified. The plums did seem a bit juicier this time. Thank you.
Hi Wendy, I noticed it’s better to use a different pan (not a spring form pan), as it might leak. 🙂
Just made it,! Super easy and tasty cake, We loved it! Thank you, Ella.
I am glad it turned out delicious. 🙂
Hi!
Thank you so much for this recipe that I have been making now 5x already! even served it on a workshop event as desert: everyone loved it!
today I made the crust with hemp seeds instead of ground nuts or shredded coconut flakes, and it worked too!
But your original recipe does taste the best!
cheers, Jess
That’s awesome, Jess! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Just made. Very nice taste! 👍🤗
I just don’t like too much of the oat taste, so I made it with half of oat flour and half with regular.
Sounds great! Happy you liked it. 🙂
Hi, I only have a 7 inch spring form. How would the recipe need to be adjusted (ingredients and bake time) for these dimensions? Thank you!
Hi Alex, don’t worry, you can also use a 7-inch spring form. I would increase the time by 5 minutes or so. 🙂
I’ve made this so many times with plums off my tree it’s so good!
I tried it with strawberries and rhubarb because that’s what’s in season at the moment and omg it’s was deadly!
That’s so good to hear, Carrie! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
I made this recipe, used less sugar, it tasted heavenly. It’s a keeper. Thank you so much!
That’s so good to hear! Thanks for your lovely feedback. 🙂
I just made this today, and WOW!! Such a delicious recipe! Thank you!!
You are very welcome, Morgan! 🙂
Hi Ela,
could this be made using canned plums? Plums are not in season at the moment. Thanks
Love all your recipes!
Hi Illy, I think that should work too. 🙂
In Bulgaria we are celebrating the independence day and I just made this cake . Looks amazing . Can’t wait to serve it to our guests later . Thank you so much for inspiring so many people with such a delightful , healthy and cruelty free recipes ????
You are so welcome, Miro! Happy you like my recipes. 🙂
I made this last night and it came out perfect!
Thanks a lot! Kids loved it, hustband loved it, my camera loved it ????
Aww, that’s awesome, Deea! So glad everyone loved it. 🙂
I’m plum crazy about this cake! I made it this morning and ate 1/4 in one sitting I made it exactly as you said with no substitutions. It’s so perfectly delicious. The tartness from the plums complements the sweetness of the cake. The texture of the cake is soft with a little chew due to oatmeal and cashews. I am so happy you shared this, Ela! Thank you for your git’s!
Hi Virginia, I am so glad you love it. Thanks for your awesome feedback. 🙂
This was delicious. Made using 100ml coconut milk from a tin topped up with oat milk and 130g Erythritol in place of 100g sugar. Baked in Ninja Foodi at 135 C for 35 minutes. Perfect.
Might try subbing banana with sweet potato next time.
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I used same amount of buckwheat flour, shredded + dessicated coconut instead of nuts, cashew milk as the milk, and honey instead of sugar. This turned out absolutely amazing. Nicely dense, like a bran muffin type texture, then we added passionfruit over the top to add a bit of moistness…. Delicious! Thank you <3
Sounds great! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Hey Ela! Just made this and it tastes amazing! I did have a few troubles though. I used pears and the batter started to leak in the oven, so it was quite a mess. Do you think I can make it not upside down? I have a regular 8-inch cake tin with removable bottom, but the leaking never happened before..
Hi! I think it depends on the fruit you are using, pears do have more moisture than plums. Yes, you could make a regular cake, it doesn’t need to be an upside-down cake. 🙂
Ok great! Will try it next time 🙂
What a great flavor combination and so incredibly moist!
I am so glad you loved it, Celia. 🙂