Plum Upside-Down Cake
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I’d like to stage a protest. National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is on April 20. Don’t get me wrong, I like pineapple—my HB would agree that there’s absolutely nothing like ice-cold pineapple chunks especially on an oppressively hot summer day. But the syrupy cake’s popularity is overshadowing some potential contenders. Imagine a moist, buttery yellow cake topped with plums soaked in a ginger and rum-infused caramel sauce. If you drooled a little, I won’t tell. But, doesn’t that sound better than limp, canned pineapples and candy sweet cherries?
This butter-based cake has a pound cake texture. Because of its neutral but rich flavor, I will definitely be making more cakes using this base. Achieving the cake’s lightness is all about creaming, a method of mixing sugar and softened butter. More about that later.
The flavor of this cake is carried by the plums, of course, but also by the butter, ginger, and rum. There are more varieties of plums than any other stone fruit in the world. The overall flavor of your cake will depend on the type of plums you use. Plums bake well, and standard sweet plums I used blend well with butter. And butter blends well with the warm, moderate flavor of rum and the hot spice of ginger in the caramel sauce elevate the whole bake. On her recipe card, my Mamaw noted that the cake is perfect on it’s own, but try topped with Greek yogurt or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
tips for making plum upside-down cake
So ready to protest with me and make a Plum Upside-Down Cake? The full recipe is below, but here are some tips to ensure your Plum Upside-Down Cake turns out perfectly each time.
I always use a stand mixer for cake making. I stop mixing when can no longer see streaks of flour, and finish by mixing by hand to make sure I don’t overwork the batter and all the flour is fully incorporated.
One of the crucial steps of making any butter cake, like this one, is creaming the sugar and butter. Sprinkle the sugar in slowly. It will turn pale and fluff up in volume as the sugar dissolves.
For fluffier results, it’s essential that all ingredients—eggs, buttermilk and butter—should be room temperature before you get started. Take your cold ingredients out at least two hours before you start baking.
You also get to practice your knife skills with this recipe. Use a paring knife to cut the plums in half through the center, twist and separate. Remove the pits. If the pits don't come out easily, use your paring knife to carefully cut them out.
Did you know you can peel ginger root with a spoon? Use the back of a teaspoon to scrape the skin of ginger root, and then grate using a fine grater.
The cake is done when it shrinks slightly from the sides of the pan. A toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center should come out clean.
Refrigeration tends to dry out cakes. Even though it’s made with buttermilk and butter, Plum Upside-Down Cake does not typically need to be refrigerated if your space is cooler than 70 degrees.
useful tool for making plum upside-down Cake
Plum Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients:
- 6 to 8 small plums, depending on their size
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1⅓ cup buttermilk, room temperature
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a 9-inch round cake pan by tracing the bottom of the cake pan onto parchment paper with a pencil, and cut along the line. Spray the bottom and sides of the pan with cooking spray and line with the prepared round of parchment paper, smoothing out to remove any creases or air bubbles. Spray the parchment paper then add a couple tablespoons of flour and shake it around the pan until the interior surface is lightly and completely covered. Discard any excess flour.
- Use a paring knife to cut the plums in half through the center, twist and separate. Remove the pits. If the pits don't come out easily, use your paring knife to carefully cut them out. Line the bottom of your cake pan with the plums cut sides down so they fit snuggly in the pan.
- Make your caramel by combining the dark brown sugar and butter in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally but never stirring the sugar mixture, until the mixture thickens and is bubbling on top, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and fresh ginger. Pour caramel over plums and set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining ½ cup of butter, granulated white sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk and starting and ending with flour mixture.
- Pour cake batter over plum and caramel mixture, and bake for about 45 to 60 minutes until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cake should be a light golden color, slightly domed on top and center should spring back to the touch.
- The cake top may crack slightly while baking as the moisture releases from the fruit and juices may spill from your cake. To avoid a messy oven clean up, place a cookie sheet on the rack below your cake to catch any spills.
- Let cake cool 10 minutes before inverting onto serving plate. Serve topped with yogurt or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Not a plum fan? Try apricots, nectarines, pluots, or peaches instead. All will pair nicely with the rum and ginger flavors.
Calories
474.93Fat (grams)
22.09Sat. Fat (grams)
13.20Carbs (grams)
63.43Fiber (grams)
1.46Net carbs
61.98Sugar (grams)
43.97Protein (grams)
5.98Sodium (milligrams)
301.36Cholesterol (grams)
101.52