Plum Upside-Down Cake Recipe

Believe it or not, you can have your cake and a serving of fruit, too! This plum upside-down cake is an excellent choice if you want to make something unique for dessert, and it's a total hit with plum lovers. And honestly, who doesn't love a good plum? There are many wonderful things about this recipe, but we love the fact that it requires just a little bit of prep time and serves 10 people, making it something fun to make for friends and family. Trust us, you will have a lot of people asking for seconds once they take the last bite of their piece. 

Recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating came up with this fantastic cake that hits the spot. "I love the sweet syrupy topping on this delicious plum cake. The vanilla cake is light, fluffy and super moist and the plums are wonderfully caramelized," she shares. "Plums add a lovely sweetness and are a fun twist on a classic pineapple upside down cake." If you like the sound of this recipe, keep reading to find out how to make it and impress your guests in the process! 

We're so excited for you to make this recipe, and we know you're going to love it. As with any other recipe, you will need to start things off by heading to the grocery store and filling up your cart with goodies. First, swing by the produce section and add a few plums. Next, you will need some light brown sugar and butter. If you stop by the dairy section, be sure to pick up some eggs. Then, add some vanilla extract and almond meal. To complete your trip to the store, get some self-rising flour and ground ginger.

This recipe calls for some oven time, so go ahead and preheat your range. Set the temperature to 350 F and let it get nice and hot while you get to mixing. Then, take out an 8-inch round cake pan, grease it, and line it with parchment paper. This will prevent anything from sticking to the bottom. Grab a large mixing bowl and beat ½ cup of butter and the white sugar until they are smooth and creamy. "I use my stand mixer on a medium setting for about 4 minutes," Brookes shares.

As with any other cake recipe, you will gradually add in the ingredients in steps. For this next step, go ahead and add the vanilla extract and one egg to the mix. Continue mixing until everything is combined. 

Then, add the eggs one by one. Simply add an egg, then mix, add another egg, and mix. Then add the last egg and mix. To thicken the batter a bit, you can go ahead and toss in the almond meal, flour, and ginger. Mix on a low-speed setting until the batter is well combined.

Set the bowl to the side for the time being and then grab another, smaller bowl. Add three tablespoons of butter, followed by the light brown sugar, and mix until well combined. This will be the base mix that you will use in the cake! Just pour the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of the prepared cake pan and spread it out evenly. "It makes a kind of sticky syrup on top of the cake and caramelizes the plums," Brookes says of the brown sugar mixture. 

After you add your base layer, go ahead and add the plums on top. Remember that you should have sliced them in half ahead of time and removed any pits from the center. Place them with the flat side down. Then, spoon the cake mixture on top of the plums and spread it out with the back of a spoon to make an even layer. "You can use an offset spatula or the back of a metal spoon to help with spreading it out evenly," Brookes shares. 

Pop the cake into the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. You can check for doneness by poking a skewer in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, that means it's done, but if it doesn't, you will need to wait a little bit longer. Leave the cake in the pan to cool for about 30 minutes. Then, flip it upside down on a serving plate. "Store at room temp for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for 5. Serve with ice cream, custard, cream," Brookes says. We also think it would be great with a cup of coffee. Just like that, you have a beautiful, fruity, and delicious plum upside-down cake — we hope you enjoy!