Buttermilk Plum Cake (made Dairy-Free)

Name: Buttermilk Plum Cake (made Dairy-Free)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (minus 1 1/2 tablespoons); 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon almond extract; 1 large egg (room temperature); 2 cups spelt flour; 1/2 cup cane sugar (plus 1 tablespoon for topping); 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 4 plums or plumcots

Published: Sep 16, 2019 · Modified: Mar 23, 2026 by Leanne

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Buttermilk Plum Cake is soft and tender with hints of cinnamon and ginger, along with spelt flour, juicy plums and dairy-free buttermilk. It's made in one bowl and requires just 10 minutes prep time!

Overhead view of a buttermilk plum cake cooling on a wire rack.

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I've had a string of pumpkin recipes on the blog lately, so I thought I'd throw a pop of colour into the mix with this super easy and delicious Buttermilk Plum Cake. I adapted this recipe from Clean Eating Magazine, and made a few simple swaps to make it dairy-free. It's the ultimate fall cake with warming spices and juicy plums, and goes perfectly with a hot mug of tea.

So put the kettle on and I'll quickly run through how to make this recipe!

Up-close view of sliced plumcots on a dark surface with backlight.

How do you make dairy-free buttermilk?

The original recipe from Clean Eating magazine called for buttermilk, but since I wanted to make this dessert dairy-free, I opted to make vegan buttermilk by combining almond milk and apple cider vinegar.

Making vegan buttermilk is super easy. For every one cup of buttermilk you need, just add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the bottom of a one-cup measuring cup (I've also used lemon juice). Then fill the remainder of the cup with almond milk (or another dairy-free milk). Let it sit for five minutes to allow the vinegar to curdle the milk. Then, just use as required in your recipe.

Ingredients

Plums (or plumcots)
Almond milk
Apple cider vinegar (ACV)
Extra virgin olive oil
Almond extract
Egg
Spelt flour
Cane sugar
Cinnamon and ginger
Baking powder and salt

Making this simple plum cake - it's a one bowl situation!

Pre-heat the oven to 350F and grease a 10-inch tart pan. A cake pan or springform pan will work too.
In a 2-cup measuring cup, add 1 ½ tablespoons of ACV and fill the cup to the 1 ½ cup line with almond milk. Let sit for five minutes.
In a large bowl, add the ACV/almond milk mixture, along with the oil, almond extract and egg. Whisk until combined.
Add your dry ingredients to the same bowl (sift if lumpy) and whisk together until well combined.
Slice each plum into eight wedges, leaving the skin on, and arrange on top of the cake. (They will sink into the batter a bit, and that's okay). Sprinkle the top of the cake with cane sugar and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Let cool completely before removing from the tart pan and cutting into slices.

Buttermilk plum cake batter in a round tart pan with plum slices arranged on top.

How do you store this buttermilk cake? Can you freeze it?

This cake is best served the day it's made while the plums are fresh and jammy. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2-3 days. Since the cake has fresh fruit baked into the top and a high moisture content, it's best not to store this cake at room temperature.

I placed a few slices in the freezer to see how the texture of the cake would hold up once it was frozen and thawed at room temperature. While the cake texture was fine, the plums were not jammy. So while you can freeze this cake in a pinch, I wouldn't recommend it.

Up-close view of buttermilk plum cake batter in a tart pan with plums on top.

Tips and substitutions

If you don't have spelt flour, you can use whole wheat flour. Just note that the cake will be a little denser.
The recipe calls for cane sugar, but coconut sugar or granulated sugar will work too. With that said, if you opt to go with the sugar sprinkled on top, a course sugar, like cane or turbinado works best.
While I used plumcots in this recipe, which are a 50/50 mix of plums and apricots, you can use plums, apricots, pluots or apriums. Check out this brief article that explains the difference.
If you don't have a 10-inch tart pan, this cake can be baked in a springform pan, regular cake pan or even a skillet. Just adjust the bake time slightly depending on the size of your pan.

Side view of buttermilk plum cake cooling on a wire rack.

More dairy-free desserts

Chai Spice Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting. This snack cake is perfectly spiced with a mix of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and cardamom.
Vegan Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes. These are made with fresh pineapple and shredded coconut, and topped with a sweetened coconut whip.
Dairy-Free Frozen Peach Cream Pie. This pie has a creamy peach and banana filling and grain-free almond crust.