Upside Down Plum Cakecooks Illustrated Food

PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine 3/4 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons water in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet and stir until the mixture looks like wet sand. Cook over medium-high heat, gently swirling the pan occasionally but not stirring, until light amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and arrange the plums in concentric circles over the caramel; set the skillet aside.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter and the remaining 1 cup sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Whisk the milk, sour cream and lemon zest in a small bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour, and mix until just incorporated. Pour the batter over the plums and spread evenly.
• Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. (Cover loosely with foil if the cake is browning too quickly.) Let sit 15 minutes, then invert onto a platter and let cool completely.

NEXT-LEVEL PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter with brown sugar over low heat. Using a fork, mix together until smooth. Remove from heat.
• Place plum halves, cut-sides down, on a work surface; cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer each slice to skillet, forming concentric circles beginning at outer edge and ending in center, overlapping slices as you go around.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat remaining 1 stick butter with granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla; add to butter mixture. In another small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk and beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat until just combined. Transfer batter to a wide bowl.
• In a clean mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Stir one-third of whites into batter. Gently fold in remaining whites until incorporated. Pour batter over plums, spreading with an offset spatula to cover evenly.
• Bake until top is browned and springs back when lightly pressed in center, and a tester comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer skillet to a wire rack; let cool 20 minutes. Turn out cake onto a serving plate and let cool completely before serving.

UPSIDE-DOWN PLUM CAKE(COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• For topping: Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square or round, 3-inch deep cake pan. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat; add brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is foamy and pale, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour mixture into prepared pan; distribute evenly. Arrange the fruit over topping; set aside.
• For cake: Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. Cream the butter in the bowl of a standing mixer at medium speed. Gradually add one cup of the sugar; continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the yolks and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients and milk, alternately in 3 or 4 batches, until the batter is smooth.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites in the large bowl at low speed until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high; beat to soft peaks. Gradually add remaining two tablespoons of sugar; continue to beat into stiff peaks. Gently fold a quarter of the egg whites into the flour mixture. To soften the batter. Then ass remaining egg whites and fold in to just combined. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly on top of the fruit. Bake until top of the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes.
• Rest cake on wire rack for two minutes. Slide a pairing knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Place a serving platter over the pan and hold tightly. Invert the cake onto the platter. Carefully remove the cake pan. If any fruit sticks to pan or falls off cake, carefully reposition.

PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base of a deep 20cm springform cake tin. Combine the butter with 50g of the light brown soft sugar and spread onto the base of the lined tin. Arrange the plum wedges on top in concentric circles.
• Tip the buttermilk, vanilla, oil, remaining sugar and eggs into a large bowl and beat for 1-2 mins using a fork or whisk to break up the eggs. Tip in the flour and bicarbonate of soda and mix until you have a smooth batter. Carefully pour this on top of the plums, then put in the oven for 45 mins to 1 hr until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin completely, then remove from the tin and invert onto a board or serving plate.

RUSTIC PLUM CAKE

Steps:

• Cook jam and brandy in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until reduced to thick syrup, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and place plums cut-side down in syrup. Return skillet to medium heat and cook until plums shed their juices and thick syrup is again formed, about 5 minutes, shaking pan to prevent plums from sticking. Cool plums in pan, about 20 minutes.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F Grease and flour 9-inch springform pan. Process sugar and almonds in food processor until nuts are finely ground, about 1 minute. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand, about ten 1-second pulses. Add eggs, vanilla, and almond extract (if using) and process until smooth, about 5 seconds, scraping bowl once if needed (batter will be very thick and heavy).
• Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spatula, spread batter evenly to pan edges and smooth surface. Stir plums to coat with syrup. Arrange plum halves, skin-side down, evenly over surface of batter. Bake until cake is golden brown and wooden skewer inserted into center comes out with few crumbs attached, 40 to 50 minutes. Run paring knife around sides of cake to loosen. Cool in pan on wire rack until just warm or to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan and dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into wedges and serve.
• Note:This recipe works best with Italian plums, which are also called prune plums. If substituting regular red or black plums, use an equal weight of plums, cut them into eighths, and stir them a few times while cooking. Arrange slices, slightly overlapped, in two rings over surface of cake. Do not use canned Italian plums. Blanched whole almonds can be used but must be processed 30 seconds longer until finely ground. The brandy can be omitted, but then you will need to melt the jam with 1 tablespoon water before adding the plums. Don't add the leftover plum cooking liquid to the cake before baking; reserve it and serve with the finished cake or over ice cream. The cake can be served with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

EASY PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 4 tablespoons butter in an 8-inch square cake pan. Heat in oven until butter melts, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange the plum slices like rooftop shingles. Start at one end of the pan, then stagger and overlap the slices so the bottom of the pan is covered.
• In a large bowl, cream remaining 8 tablespoons butter with sugar and lemon zest. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, salt, and allspice. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk and starting and ending with the flour.
• Pour batter into cake pan, and spread evenly over plums. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then invert cake onto wire rack to cool again slightly before serving.

PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 F.
• Coat bottom of 9-inch round cake pan with melted butter and top evenly with brown sugar.
• Arrange slices of plum to cover pan, very slightly overlapping.
• Sift together dry ingredients.
• Beat together"wet" ingredients in large bowl.
• Gradually beat together wet and dry ingredients until smooth.
• Pour mixture over plums.
• bake for 35 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool for 5 minutes, then invert onto plate to serve.

PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Place 3 tablespoons butter in a 9x9 baking pan. Put in the oven at 350 degrees until butter is just melted.
• Remove from oven and stir in brown sugar and water until combined. Spread to an even layer in the pan.
• Arrange plum slices on top of the sugar mixture in the pan.
• In a large bowl mix flour, pecans, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Add milk, 5 tablespoons butter, eggs and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on low speed until combined. Beat on medium for 1 minute.
• Stir in orange peel.
• Spoon batter over top of plums in pan.
• Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• Loosen sides of cake from pan and invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm.