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
Swati
Hey, I have small cake pans. Can I half the recipe? Also if I want to add some olive oil instead of nuts, could I do that? If yes how much would you recommend?
Thanks so much in advance ????
Ela
Hi, that depends on the size of the cake pans. I wouldn’t recommend skipping the ground nuts, otherwise, the texture will be different. 🙂
Jane
I never leave feedback from a recipe, but this was seriously amazing. The ingredients were so simple but it was so effective, the taste was amazing!
Ela
Yay! I am so glad it turned out great. Thanks for your feedback, Jane. 🙂
Slavena
Thank you for the lobely recipe! It turned out delicious! All purpose flour works great as well ????
Ela
Amazing! I am so glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Jen
Can i use a rectangular Pyrex pan as i don’t have a springform pan?
Ela
I think it might be quite difficult to flip it after baking. But you could make a regular cake with the filling on top. 🙂
Patty Clark
I only have 9″ pans….do you think it would be ok to 1 1/2 the recipe to accomodate?
Ela
Yes, that should be fine. 🙂
Juliet
Thank you for this recipe- It is a firm family favourite now. I use dessicated coconut and it is delicious. Great way to use up surplus fruit and not too sweet.
Ela
Fantastic! I am so glad it turned out delicious, Juliet. 🙂
Coletha
This cake was fun and delicious. I haven’t had upside-down pineapple cake in years, since before I was a vegan. I love plums. It is one of my favorite fruits and my daughter and I are not only vegan we are also gluten-free. I have made a few of your recipes before and never been disappointed. I so wish you would write a book. It would be a best seller. This cake was perfect, moist delicious and I loved the addition of cardamon. It is a new spice to me, so I have little experience with it. It was AWESOME!!!,, Can’t wait to try this cake with other fruits. It is something I would definitely take to a party for my nonvegan family and friends to try.
Ela
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback, Coletha! I am glad you liked this upside down plum cake. 🙂 Did you see that I just uploaded a new recipe for a gluten-free vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake (click for the recipe).
Btw. I am already working on a gluten-free vegan cookbook. 🙂
Much love, Ela
mary jo
This looks delicious, but I’m confused by the measurements.You have 100g is 1/2 cup and 150g is 1-1/2 cups. I believe 150g is 3/4 cup. I use cups as measurements, so I want to make sure I use the right amount. Is the granulated sweetener 1/2 cup as well? Thx much!
Ela
Hi, you cannot compare the gram/cup measurements from different ingredients. Some ingredients weigh more than others (for example, a cup of feathers weighs less than a cup of gold. And I know it’s not food, haha, but I just wanted to make a comparison which makes it clearer). It’s always more accurate to follow the gram measurements, as these are 100% correct. However, the cup measurements in this recipe are correct as well. 🙂
Henrietta
Made this twice. Once with apples ? and once with peaches ?. This cake is amazing. My non Vegan gluten free friends love it also. Thanks for the recipe.
Ela
Yay, sounds awesome with apples and peaches. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Kellie
Hi Ela going to attempt this today. Just wondering if I can use all purposes flour instead of oat flour.
Thanks
Ela
Hi Kellie, that should work, however, I never tried it. Please report back if you do. 🙂
Audrone
Made it twice already , absolutely love this cake. Simple, moisture and so delicious !
Ela
Wonderful! I am glad you love this recipe. 🙂
Henrietta Morgenstein
Eight months ago I become a vegan again after 30 years, by doctors request. I was happy to oblige. I’m also gluten-free and a few other food health restrictions. I have searched for 80 dessert that didn’t taste like it came from a very restrictive diet or way of life I Food program. I was beyond pleased to find this recipe was simply amazing! I did substitute The fruit for a very thinly slice apples. It worked out perfectly. I would serve this to any guest and not feel they could tell any difference. This will be my go to desert for a very long time. Thank you Ela.
Ela
Aww, that’s awesome! Thanks so much for your lovely feeback, Henrietta! 🙂
Shruti Shah
HEY! I always love to try your recipes as they are simply delicious. I made this cake but somehow it wasn’t well baked even after 50mins in the oven. I just was wondering where I could have gone wrong. Kindly let me know.
Thanks
Love n hugs
Shruti
Ela
Hey Shruti 🙂 Which baking pan did you use (was it large and rather flat or small and deep)? Do you have an electric oven or a gas oven?
Much love, Ela
Shruti Shah
Hey Ela! I used a small and deep pan. I have an electric oven.
Love
Shruti
Ela
Hey Shruti, the small and deep pan might have been the reason why it wasn’t cooked through. Maybe if you want to try it again in the future you could use a larger pan which isn’t as deep. 🙂
Much love, Ela
Sharon
I made this with pineapple and it was delicious.. but I have to make it again as I used Oat milk instead of coconut milk.. definitely want to see if there is a difference ..though hard to think it could be yummier?
Ela
Awesome! I have yet to try it with pineapple! Glad you liked the recipe, Sharon. 🙂
Julia
Hi Ella,
May I ask, do you use oven setting with fan or without?
Thanks!
Ela
Hi Julia, I have a gas oven, so no fan. 🙂
Best, Ela
Mar
Thaaaank you so so much for this recipe! I’ve made it last night for some friends and it was a big success ?
Ela
Yay, that’s awesome! So happy you loved the recipe. 🙂
Bianca Zapatka
This looks so delicious ? I wish I could have a slice now ?
Ela
I wish I could send you a slice my dear! ❤️
tebessüm
Dear Ela,
Another amazing recipe! I used peaches instead of plums and rice-coconut milk, the result was super delicious!
Thank you!
Ela
Sounds wonderful! Thanks so much for your amazing feedback. 🙂
Bailey
So delicious! Since I didn’t have any applesauce or bananas instead I used two plums, boiled them and puréed them. I will say that I think this added a bit of sourness which I really liked.
Ela
Sounds great! Thanks for your amazing feedback. 🙂
Tanja
Hallo liebe Ela, ich finde leider garnicht den Button um dieses tolle Rezept auf Deutsch zu lesen??
Liebe Grüße, Tanja
Ela
Hallo liebe Tanja, ich habe den Blogpost inzwischen übersetzt (das geht leider nicht mit einem Klick und kostet viel Zeit). 🙂 Schau mal hier: https://elavegan.com/de/gestuerzter-pflaumenkuchen/
LG, Ela