Upside Down Plum Cake
Adapted from I Love NY: Ingredients and Recipes by Daniel Humm and Will Guidara
This is a gorgeous and delicate fruit dessert, perfect for summer. We omitted the almond paste and almond flour in the original cake recipe and simplified the syrup, making this a tart you can whip together in a breeze without needing special ingredients.
Makes one 8-inch cake, serves 8
Fruit Syrup
½ cup plum or apricot jam
2 tablespoons water
Plum Cake
8 to 10 medium very ripe plums, halved, pitted and cut in wedges
Fruit Syrup
5 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
½ cup buttermilk or sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Preheat the oven to 325º. In a small saucepan, heat the jam and water over low heat until combined. Set aside to cool.
Grease the sides of an 8-inch cake pan with butter or oil. Arrange the plums in a pinwheel pattern in the bottom, keeping them tight and laying flat. Pour the fruit syrup over the plums.
Using the paddle attachment in a kitchen mixer, combine the brown sugar, salt, and butter on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the buttermilk or sour cream, vanilla and oil and stir well.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until fully combined. Sift the flour and baking soda together. Gently fold the egg mixture and the flour mixture into the batter, alternating. Pour the batter evenly over the plums and bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Using a large dinner plate, invert the cake upside down and remove from the pan, watching for hot juices that might splatter. Serve warm.
This recipe originally appeared in our Summer 2013 issue.
