Sweet Plum Cake Tatin Recipe ? A Take on Upside-Down Cake

There are few treats from Mother Nature that are sweeter and more pleasing than a plum. Plums have such a beautiful balance of sweet and tart, which makes them a refreshing snack all on their own, or a nice addition to a variety of entrees and desserts. I had a surplus of plums on hand from my last visit to the farmer’s market and a pot luck lunch at work to prepare for, and I decided I wanted to make a plum cake. Not only would it promise to be delicious, I liked that it wasn’t a mainstream dish.  I thought it would be sure to impress the coworkers.  Because I was feeding a larger crowd, I went with a full cake, but you could half this recipe and use a pie or round cake dish for fewer servings, but I’ll warn you now that you might regret it.

This cake is prepared in much the same way as a pineapple upside down cake, and can just as easily be made with many different kinds of fruit, including pears, cherries, apples, berries, and peaches, depending on your preference and the time of year. Whatever fruit you choose, this method involves placing it on the bottom of the dish, covering it with a layer of caramel, topping that with cake batter, baking it, and inverting it to serve.  This leaves you with a beautiful presentation, as the fruit is visible as you serve.  I suggest you try your favorite, but the plums really do add a nice tartness and a beautiful color that is both festive and rustic.

The cake batter in this recipe does not call for any baking powder because I find the texture to be a better compliment to the softness and the moistness of the plums.  Let me know what you think!

Ingredients

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your oven safe, 9 by 13 inch baking dish.  Cut your plums in half and remove the pits.  Place them cut side down into your baking dish.

In a small nonstick sauce pan, heat 1  1/2 cups of sugar with 1/2 cup water over high heat.  Don’t stir, but swirl the pot around from time to time while it boils until it becomes a dark amber color.  You may do other things while this happens, as long as you don’t leave the kitchen and you keep an eye on it, as it can go from clear to burned quickly.  Pour the caramel over the plums.  It will harden as it hits the baking dish, but it will turn to liquid again when you bake it.

In a kitchen mixer at medium speed, cream the butter and the remaining 1  1/2 cups of sugar until it becomes light and fluffy.  Beat in one egg at a time.  Add the milk, lemon zest, salt, and vanilla and continue to mix until they are well incorporated.  Reduce the mixing speed to low and add a little bit of the flour at a time until it is all incorporated.

Pour the batter over the plums and caramel and smooth it out in an even layer.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cake becomes golden and a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool for 15 minutes and invert onto a large platter or baking sheet.

Serve alone, or with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.  Makes 15-20 servings.  Refrigerate after 24 hours.