Go Back
Print
Plum upside down cake

Sticky spiced plum upside-down cake

This decadently spiced, sticky plum upside down cake is a perfect way to celebrate like a grown-up. It's easy to make, impressive to serve and delicious to eat!
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword cake, dessert, easy, fruit, plums
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Cooling time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Author Jeanne Horak

Ingredients

  • 140 g butter at room temperature
  • 150 g dark brown sugar
  • 10 large red-fleshed plums stoned and sliced
  • 125 g self-raising flour
  • 40 g ground almonds
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 85 g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 120 ml milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
  2. Place 55g of the butter in a 23cm oven-proof dish or cake tin
  3. Put the pan in the oven and leave until the butter has melted. Remove the pan from the oven, swirl the butter around so that it is distributed evenly, and sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter. Then lay the plums on top of the sugar in a single layer, in concentric circles or any other pretty pattern you like.
  4. To make the batter, start by mixing the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. In a large bowl, beat the remaining butter with an electric mixer until it is fluffy, then add the caster sugar and beat until creamy. Add the eggs, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the vanilla extract.
  5. Add the milk, ground almonds and othet dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix with a spatula until just blended - do not overmix. Spoon the batter evenly over the plums.
  6. Bake until the top of the batter has risen and is golden, and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean (about 50-60 minutes, depending on your oven). Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool for 15 minutes. I find if you leave it much longer, the caramel gets too sticky and it becomes difficult to get the cake out of the pan without breaking it.
  7. Run a knife carefully around the side of the pan to loosen the cake. Place a plate upside-down on top of the cake pan, grip them both tightly and carefully flip the pan and plate over. Let it sit for 5 minutes on the plate and then gently lift the pan off. Serve warm with whipped cream or creme fraiche.