Plum Upside Down Cake

My father should have a t-shirt that reads “I’ve never met a dessert I didn’t like” or in this case, “Got Plums? Will Bake”. His baking endeavors might not always look their bakery best (please don’t ever ask him to frost a cake and sometimes his pies are downright scary-looking) but more often than not the results taste fabulous.

This plum upside-down cake is actually quite pretty and is based on a recipe he found in an old issue of Fine Cooking magazine. The taste idea is that of slices of tart plum balanced by a sweet cake base.

He used red Santa Rosa plums that are just now coming ripe. My mother thought the cake was just a bit too tart for her, but dad and I love it just the way it is.

Now that I think about it, the t-shirt should simply say “Real Men Bake”. Because if you could just see my 6’2″, 200 lb, works out 3 times a week at the gym, mows the lawn, splits the wood, 78-year-old father in his striped apron, gently arranging plum slices on top of melted butter and sugar in ramekins, that would be the T that fit the best.

Plum Upside Down Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 stick butter (10 Tbsp or 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp), softened
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp brown sugar, firmly packed
• 4 plums, pitted and sliced
• 5 Tbsp buttermilk OR 4 Tbsp milk plus 2 teaspoons milk and 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Zest of 1/2 an orange
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Four 10 or 8 ounce ramekins

Read More: Plum Upside Down Cake