How to Make Plum & Raspberry Upside Down Cake
When someone says barbeque, there’s always a brief moment of panic for me. As the dessert go-to girl, I will be ostracized for not bringing some sweets. But the idea of desserts in the heat just gives me melted nightmares… that is until I discovered upside down cakes.
Most of us are very familiar with the traditional pineapple upside down cake. They’re so popular, I distinctly remember being able to make one in my friend’s toy oven. However, there are many other great kinds of upside down cakes. The final product is a sturdy, beautiful cake with intense flavors that doesn’t dissolve in the sun.
Especially since plums and raspberries are in season, this is my new favorite summer cake. Take the ripest, dark plums and combine with the tartest of raspberries (use golden for a little extra flare) to make the flavors really pop against the cinnamon and nutmeg in the cake.
Plum & Raspberry Upside Down Cake
Makes one 8 ½ inch cake (about 12-14 thin slices)
Special Tools: One 8½ inch round springform pan.
Ingredients:
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided.
1/4 cup of brown sugar
7-8 medium plums, halved and pitted (you may have extra)
½ pint raspberries
1 ½ cups of unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp of baking powder
¼ tsp of baking soda
¼ tsp of salt
¼ tsp of nutmeg
¾ c of granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large egg yokes
½ c of low-fat Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the pan with parchment paper, melt two tablespoons of butter and pour into pan. Spread evenly on surface (and get the sides) and then sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter. With the cut side down, squeeze as many plums into the pan as possible into the pan—they will shrink as they bake, so put as many as possible. Fill in gaps with whole raspberries. Set aside.
Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and whisk together, set aside.
In another bowl, cream together the rest of the butter (eight Tablespoons) and sugar until light. Beat in vanilla extract and add the egg yolks, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl after each yolk addition.
Add half the flour mixture, beat until combined. Add the sour cream, beat until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined.
Spoon the batter on top of the plums and raspberries then spread evenly with a spatula. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any juices. Bake for about 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Run a plastic knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Remove ring and invert onto a serving plate.
You can serve slightly warm or room temperature. Very delicious served a la mode.
Christine Eriksen takes the pictures, tries the recipes, and eats the food mentioned in the post above in her miniature Philadelphia kitchen. Her other hobbies include knitting, comics, and a Futurama marathon that never ends. Check out her food obsessed tweets @crumblebakery and find more recipes on bigscarykitchen
