Vegan Plum Cake with Easy Coconut Whip

This vegan plum cake is a no-fuss dessert perfect with tea, a summer picnic, or cozy fall afternoon. Sweet, tart and juicy plums nestled in a cake with a delicious crunchy top and a hint of cardamom. Perfect with a dollop of cinnamon coconut whip! Advanced preparation for the cinnamon coconut whip is required; simply refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk overnight.

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Why you'll love this recipe

Plum recipes are great for summer or fall recipes. This vegan plum cake is a no-fuss dessert perfect with tea, a summer picnic, or cozy fall afternoon.

Sweet, tart and juicy plums are nestled in a cake with a delicious crunchy top and a hint of warming cardamom.

A Classic Recipe for Summer or Autumn

Vegan plum cake was one of the very first recipes I blogged about way back in 2009 on my original blogger.com page. I've since adapted the recipe to be more suiting to my current tastes and it never fails to satisfy, chiefly with a nice cup of tea.

Cardamom's slightly resinous flavour pairs so beautifully with stone fruits (plums in particular), and while its flavour is noticeable here, it's not overpowering in any way. The plums bake up so beautifully all nestled in this cake bed (my favourite).

Notes about Plums for this Recipe

While the summer season may start winding down and certain fruits and veggies become scarce, the plums are perfectly ripe. The bets plums should be fairly juicy, but not so ripe that they fall apart when you cut into them. Some of the varieties that will work in this recipe are:

• golden plums
• red plums
• black/purple plums
• European or Italian plums
• Pluots

For Italian plums, you may need to double the amount called for in the recipe as they tend to be smaller in size.

Dairy Free Coconut Whip

Cinnamon coconut whip is a perfect accompaniment for this sweet/tart vegan plum cake.  It's very easy to make, although requires a little advanced prep: simply place a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge the night before you plan to serve it; the rest of the directions are below. 

Of course, this cake is lovely on it's own, but I highly recommend the cinnamon whip. Alternatively, serve it with your favourite non-dairy ice cream.

What you'll need

The ingredient list for this recipe is rather simple. To make this vegan plum cake and coconut whip, you will need the following ingredients:

For the Cake

• whole wheat flour
• baking powder
• salt
• ground cardamon
• ground flaxseed
• water
• coconut oil
• unsweetened applesauce
• vanilla extract
• granulated sugar
• 5-6 medium plums

For Cinnamon Whip

• 1 can of full fat coconut milk
• cinnamon
• vanilla extract
• maple syrup

How to make this recipe

Detailed directions for the recipe can be found below, but here is a quick overview of the process. First you will need to prep the coconut milk by placing it in the fridge overnight to harden.

Once the coconut milk has refrigerated overnight, preheat the oven and prepare the baking pan. Next, sift the dry ingredients together. In a small bowl, combine the ground flax and water and let it sit to thicken. Then add in the coconut oil, applesauce, sugar, vanilla extract and stir until well combined.

Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until all the flour is incorporated (try not to over mix it). Evenly spread the batter into the prepared baking dish, then place the plum halves evenly around the cake and sprinkle with sugar. Lastly, bake the cake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

How to make coconut whipped cream

While the cake is cooling, you can prepare the coconut whipped cream. Remove the can of coconut milk from the fridge and invert it so the bottom is now the top.

Open the can with a can opener and drain off/discard the coconut water. Scoop out the thick coconut fat into a medium bowl. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and agave syrup and whip until well combined. Place back in the fridge for 30 minutes. Remove and whip again. Repeat until the coconut fat holds a stiff peak.

Tips to make this recipe perfect

Don't over mix the cake batter - you need only combine the batter until all there are no streak of flour left.

Refrigerate the can of coconut milk for 12 hours minimum- otherwise the coconut whip won't be ready when the cake is.

Whip the coconut cream thoroughly - this will incorporate lots of air into the cream so it is light and fluffy.

Use ripe, blemish free plums - fresh produce is always best.

Substitutes for this recipe

• Whole wheat flour can be exchanged for light spelt flour in equal measure. You can also make this recipe with all purpose flour.
• Coconut oil can be replaced with vegan butter (preferably unsalted) in equal measure.
• Maple syrup can be replaced with honey or agave syrup in equal measure.
• Serve with cake with ice cream instead of whip.

More Recipes Like This

If you love my vegan plum cake with coconut whip, you may also enjoy:

Vegan Apple Spice Cake

Double Chocolate Beetroot Cake

Deep Dish Vegan Pumpkin Pie

5 from 1 vote

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Vegan Plum Cake with Easy Coconut Whip

This elegant, no-fuss vegan plum cake is full of sweet, tart, juicy plums nestled in a perfect cake crumb with a hint of cardamom. Perfect with a dollop of cinnamon coconut whip! Advanced preparation for the cinnamon coconut whip is required, simply refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk overnight.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Canadian

Keyword coconut whipped cream, vegan plum cake

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 264 kcal

Author Heidi Richter

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamon
• 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoon water
• 5 tablespoon coconut oil
• ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup sugar
• 5-6 medium plums halved and pits removed
• 2 tablespoon organic cane sugar

For Cinnamon Whip:

• 1 Can 398 ml full fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight
• ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the bottom of an 8" spring-form pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, ground cardamon and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the ground flax and water and let stand for 5 minutes, or until thickened. Add in the coconut oil, applesauce, sugar, vanilla extract and stir until well combined.

3. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until all the flour is incorporated. Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Place the plum halves evenly around the cake and sprinkle with organic cane sugar.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes. Remove the spring-form and let cook completely on a wire rack.
5. While the cake is cooling, prepare the cinnamon coconut whip: remove the can of coconut milk from the fridge and invert. Open the bottom of the can and drain off/discard the coconut water. Scoop out the thick coconut fat into a medium bowl. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and agave syrup and whip until well combined. Place back in the fridge for 30 minutes. Remove and whip again. Repeat until the coconut fat holds a stiff peak.
6. Slice the cake and serve with a big dollop of cinnamon coconut whip.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Plum Cake with Easy Coconut Whip

Amount Per Serving

Calories 264 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Sodium 77mg3%

Potassium 310mg9%

Carbohydrates 42g14%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 23g26%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 148IU3%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 74mg7%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your preferred calculator.