Plum Upside Down Cake
I bought a couple of pounds of plums after last using them in baking and, well, they were starting to go bad, so I had to drum up something to utilize them immediately. What’s interesting about this recipe (likely to myself and no one else) is that I was following a basic cake base that called for 1 cup of flour and, using my scale, I remembered (incorrectly) that a cup of flour weighs 220g and whipped up the batter with this quantity. When the directions suggested I “pour” the batter into the pan I raised an eyebrow (as best I could, as my wife will attest I have no control over my facial expression). The batter was nowhere near a pourable consistency, but thicker than royal icing.
I figured this had to do with doing some substitutions in the dairy department, so instead of retracing my steps, I simply spatulaed the mass into the cake pan and baked away. It took a good hour to finish baking all that flour, but when it was done and had a chance to cool, I can’t say there are any complaints. So that’s how it’s going to stay. Yes, I’m currently a little obsessed with the uses of macerated fresh fruit, and judging by the recent posts over the last couple of weeks, you can make a safe assumption that I’ll balloon to no less than 200 pounds by Christmas.
I swear the name of this class of cake must’ve been coined by a four year old girl. The whole term “upside down” is generally too cute to be thought up by anyone too literary minded. Technically I think it should be called downside up cake, but I think I’ll have a hard time converting it now. Feel free to just call this plum delicious instead, and then duck, as people tend to throw things at you when you’re using such awful puns.
- 2 pounds purple plums, halved (or quartered, if you’re like that) and pitted
- 1 orange, juiced and zested
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped out
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
- A scant 2 cups (220gish) flour – see note
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Combine the plums, orange juice and zest, salt, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and let sit at room temperature for an hour, tossing occasionally.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack positioned in the middle. Line the bottom of an 8″ cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- <Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg, creme fraiche, sour cream, milk and vanilla. Incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet until just combined.
- Arrange the plums cut side down in the bottom of the cake pan, pouring in any residual juices. Discard the vanilla bean.
- “Pour” the batter overtop the plums and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out clean, about an hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before placing a plate atop the cake and inverting it so that the downside is now up. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.
Since I accidently inflated the quantity of flour in this recipe by 100g with success, I have no frame of reference for what the cake would be like with less flour in it. Airier? Feel free to use a cup of flour instead of two and see what happens, reporting back to me at once with your findings.