This dessert makes the most of stone fruit season by featuring vibrant plums atop a fluffy and lightly-spiced vanilla cake. The simplicity of the flavors allows the plum to shine through, and the caramelized honey boosts the sweetness of the plums, while balancing that with floral notes and the slightest hint of bitterness.
This plum upside down cake is a joy to make–as I continue to work my way through my grief journey, I find myself gravitating towards recipes that have a strong sensory component to help ground my mind in the present moment. There is something meditative about the repetition of thinly slicing and arranging vibrant plums; the gradual color change and the unmistakable sweet, yet slightly burnt aroma of caramelizing sugar; and the feeling of running a spatula through a light and silky batter.
And of course, the beauty of the upside down cake is the big reveal at the end. For this cake, once you flip it over and remove the cake tin, you are immediately greeted with the gorgeous red hue of the plums–there is truly no better feeling.
Caramelized honey and plum upside down cake
Course: Cakes and custardsDifficulty: Baking session1
9-inch cake40
minutes45
minutesThis upside down cake is light and fluffy, with a hint of warming spice. The cake is topped with vibrant plums roasted in caramelized honey, adding sweetness to the slightly sour plums and a toasty bitterness from the caramel. The cake is not too sweet, with subtle flavors, making it the perfect afternoon tea cake, dessert, or breakfast cake.
Ingredients
- For the topping
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup honey (see note)
4-5 plums, thinly sliced, skin on
- For the cake
1 1/4 cup (156g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (24g) almond flour (or replace with 1/4 cup regular flour)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Prepare the topping
- Place the butter in a skillet over medium heat until melted. Then stir in the honey and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture darkens to a deep amber, starts smoking, and becomes very fragrant. Immediately remove from the heat.
- While the caramel cools, thinly slice the plums. Arrange in concentric circles, tightly packing the plums so that they overlap with each other. Be careful while you do this, as the caramel may still be quite hot. Generally, each slice should cover about half of the previous slice to account for shrinkage during baking. You should cover up the side with the peel, so that the colorful peel is exposed once the cake is flipped over later. Set aside.
- Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy and well-combined, about three minutes. Then add each egg, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla.
- Pour about one-third of the flour mixture into the batter and mix by hand just until incorporated. Then add half of the buttermilk and stir to incorporate. Repeat with another third of the flour followed by the rest of the buttermilk. Stir in the last portion of flour until there are no more visible flour specks. The batter will be relatively thick but if it feels dry or too thick, you can add another splash of buttermilk.
- Dollop the cake batter across the top of the plums and gently spread with a spatula to evenly fill the cake tin and cover the plums. Some juices may peak through but that’s okay and shouldn’t affect the final cake. Just try to gently move the batter to fill the pan.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, place a serving plate on top, and flip the cake onto the plate. Remove the cake tin and let cool.
- Leftovers can be stored covered in plastic on the counter for about two days or up to about 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Try to use a honey with some flavor like a clover or wildflower honey. You can also use a more plain honey but the flavors may not be quite as noticeable. Avoid very strong honeys like chestnut honey.
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