Upside Down Plum Cake Recipe
A Different Take on an Easy Baked Dessert Made with Fresh Fruit
Oct 6, 2009
This easy plum cake recipe is a different take on traditional fruit cake recipes. Instead of incorporating the fruit into the cake mixture, or placing the plums on the surface of the cake so that the batter rises up around them during cooking (see this alternative recipe for Plum Cake, which is based on a simple Victoria sponge), this version is ‘upside down’.
The plums are placed on the bottom of a baking dish and covered with cake mixture. Only after it is cooked is the cake flipped over so the plums are on the surface. This method not only means that the plums form an attractive design on top of the cake, but also that the plums are protected from the oven’s direct heat and so stay really moist.
This recipe calls for speculaas. This is the Dutch word for a spice mixture made of a variety of different spices, usually cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom. It is very easy to mix up at home as most cooks will already have the ingredients. Here is a quick recipe. As a last resort, the speculaas can be replaced with one teaspoon of ground cinnamon, but some of the flavor will be lost.
Upside Down Plum Cake Recipe
Preparation time: 25 minutes.
Cooking time: 55-60 minutes.
Makes about 10-12 slices.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz / 225 g light brown sugar
- 1 lb / 500 g firm (purple) plums
- 7 oz / 200 g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon of speculaas spice mixture
- 4 medium eggs
- 7 oz / 200 g plain flour
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 340 degrees F / 170 degrees C.
- Lightly oil an ovenproof baking dish - a quiche dish is ideal – about 10 inches / 25 cm in diameter. Sprinkle the bottom evenly with one level tablespoon of the sugar.
- Wash and halve the plums and remove the stones carefully with a sharp knife. Lay the plums cut side down in the dish. Try to leave as little space as possible between each piece of fruit.
- In a large bowl, beat the rest of the sugar and butter together by hand or in a mixer until smooth and creamy. Mix in the speculaas.
- Beat the eggs in a small bowl and gradually add to the cake mixture.
- Gradually add the flour, mixing well between each addition. This will ensure a light, fluffy end result.
- Spoon the cake mixture evenly over the plums.
- Put the cake in the middle of the preheated oven and cook for 60-70 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and a knife inserted comes about clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto a cooling rack. Leave to cool for a further 10 minutes or so before cutting into slices.
The plum cake can be eaten as a dessert on its own or served with thick, natural yogurt to complement the sweetness of the fruit. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
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