Plum Upside-Down Cake Flavoured with Rose
Make the most of autumn’s bounty and tuck into this plum upside-down cake as soon as you can. It makes an impressive dessert with its beautiful purple colour. The cake is at its best served warm, but is almost as delicious eaten cold for elevenses or afternoon tea. Cream or custard are optional.
CT has brought home two large bags of plums recently. The first thing I did was to make a few pots of gorgeous plum and lime jam with some of them. I really ought to post the recipe. It’s a corker and ever so easy too. We’ve been devouring quite a few of the plums raw and with the remainder, I’ve baked three of these plum upside-down cakes.
Plum Upside-Down Cake
This plum upside-down cake is good on so many levels. Apart from stoning the plums, it’s easy to make, its deep colour gives it a sumptuous air and it’s downright delicious. I’ve made it five times already this season. The first two cakes I made with large plums which I bought and the last three with CT’s windfall.
We’ve had various friends and family staying over the last few weeks. This plum cake is such a lovely bake to welcome them. I’ve tried to time it so that they arrive soon after it comes out of the oven. The house smells delightfully fragrant, the cake looks enticing and they get to try a slice whilst it’s still warm. I also made one for cake club last week. I don’t manage to get to this event very often, but it’s always fun when I do.
So, this autumnal bake is made in two stages. The first is the upside-down bit, where you place the plums at the bottom of the pan. Along with these go some melted butter, sugar and rose syrup.
Once you’ve done this it’s time to get on with the normal cake method of creaming the butter and sugar together and so on. The cake rises really well, so do ensure you use a deep sided tin for baking it in. It also sinks quite a bit when you take it out of the oven. Don’t worry, this is absolutely fine. The sugar from the upside-down bit bubbles a lot in the cooking, but calms down as it cools.
So far, my plum upside-down cake has been really popular with everyone that’s tried it. Hoorah! The upside-down bit gives the cake a wonderful sticky quality.
I’ve made a slightly smaller size than the one given in this recipe. I also made one without the almonds. All of them were irresistible, especially when eaten warm from the oven. But I think the ground almonds give it a slightly intriguing full-bodied, nutty texture.
Hints, Tips & Alternatives
If you don’t fancy rose as a flavouring, orange works very well. Just add the finely grated zest to the cake batter and the juice to the upside-down bit. Rose syrup is very easy to make and it really does enhance the flavour of the plums.
Worried about nut allergies? Just leave the almonds out. It will give a slightly different texture, but will still be delicious. There’s no need to replace them with flour. I’ve made it both ways.
Looking for a smaller cake? I’ve made the cake in two sizes. Both work equally well. For the smaller version, use 75g butter and sugar for the cake mix with 2 medium sized eggs, 150g flour, 100 ml kefir or buttermilk and the same amount of ground almonds. You could use less of the upside-down ingredients and bake it in a 20 cm (8″) cake tin, but I used the same amount as in the recipe below for this bit. Although I did use the smaller cake tin.
Other Recipes for Upside-Down Cakes You Might Like
- Chilli cardamom cranberry upside down cake
- Chocolate ground cherry upside down cake
- Chocolate pear cardamom upside-down cake
- Pineapple upside down cake
- Upside-down fig cake
- Upside-down white chocolate banoffee shortcake
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this sticky plum upside-down cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or via social media. Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more plum recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Sticky Plum Upside-Down Cake. PIN IT.
Plum Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
Upside-Down bit
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 75 g golden granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp rose syrup
- 400 g purple plums or dark red ones – halved and stones removed (21 small plums or 8 large ones)
Cake Batter
- 100 g unsalted butter softened
- 100 g golden caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 25 g ground almonds (I ground my own whole almonds)
- 200 g wholemeal spelt flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 125 ml kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat.40 g unsalted butter
- Pour into a 23cm (9") round silicone mould or non-stick cake tin – make sure it’s not one with a loose bottom.
- Scatter in the sugar then drizzle the rose syrup over the top so that it’s evenly distributed.75 g golden granulated sugar, 2 tbsp rose syrup
- Lay the plums over the sugar skin-side-down to cover the bottom of the tin.400 g purple plums
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.100 g unsalted butter, 100 g golden caster sugar
- Beat in the eggs, one by one, followed by the ground almonds.2 large eggs, 25 g ground almonds
- Sieve in the flour, baking powder and bicarb, then stir until just combined.200 g wholemeal spelt flour, 1 tsp baking powder, pinch bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Finally stir in the kefir, buttermilk or sour milk.125 ml kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt
- Spoon the batter over the top of the plums. Level the top with the back of a spoon and bake in the middle of a preheated oven at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for about 40 minutes. The top should be well risen, firm and golden, but try not to over bake.
- Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then carefully turn out onto a plate.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing this recipe for plum upside-down cake with Jo’s Kitchen Larder and Apply to Face Blog for #BakingCrumbs and Apply to Face Blog again for #CookBlogShare.
Such a pretty cake, I love the colour especially
Yes the colour of these plums is the crowning glory for sure. It just wouldn’t look the same with yellow ones.
Thank you! I made this with gluten free flour and learned about rose syrup. We loved it!
Now if we just had clotted cream here in Colorado…
So glad this worked for you with gluten-free flour Amy. Thanks for letting me know. Rose syrup is one of my favourite summer ingredients and clotted cream just makes everything better.
I do love upside-down cakes and this one does look so super scrumptious! I can imagine the lovely smell as it bakes too, getting dreamy now… Warm with lashings of cream for me please! 🙂 Thank you for sharing with #BakingCrumbs 🙂
Always happy to provide lashings of cream. I’m thinking a good dollop of Cornish clotted cream would make a good fit.
Delicious cake – so moist and juicy. Never used spelt flour before and was surprised how light the cake was. Used orange instead of rose and it worked really well. Am fast running out of plums now but hopefully will manage to make it again.
Thanks for letting me know you made it Sally. And glad to hear you’ve baked your first spelt cake 🙂
That looks so yum. I love the way the juice is just oozing around the cake. Pinned to my list of recipes to try.
Thanks Veronica. The cake tastes really good, but yes it’s those juicy plums that really do it. Let me know how it goes if you do try it.
Every year I look at the plums on our fruit and wonder what to do with them, and then the birds get to them before me! This year I’m going to make sure I’m in there first so I can make this; it looks delicious, and although I’m not ready for autumn yet, it would be perfect curled up on a chilly evening.
No, I’m definitely not ready for Autumn yet. It’s been feeling a lot like it though – until today. Blazing hot again now. Good luck with those plums.
I just love upside-down cake – they are so easy to make and always turn out so delicious! I don’t think I have ever seen one made with plums but it is a great idea – I need to try it asap!
This is such a good cake. It’s worth it for the colour alone, but it tastes really good too. I think I’ve made it more than any other cake.
This looks like the perfect recipe for a cozy day indoors! This looks so flavorful and delicious!
Yes, as you say good when you have to stay indoors, but crossing fingers for a good autumn and then we can have it for afternoon tea in the garden.
Wowsers Choclette what a stunning bake! I can just smell and imagine how stickily beautiful it is. Can I come and visit??? What a wonderful way to welcome guests into a home and what a wonderful way to use plums. I have a tree of greengages at home and when I returnfrom my hols I will collect them all and be looking for ways to devour them. Do you know if they would be good in this recipe?Thank you so much for sharing this beauty with #CookBlogShare and #BakingCrumbs
Oh Jenny, I am so envious of your greengages. I haven’t had the pleasure of eating those since I was a teenager and I remember them as being the best plums ever. I don’t see why they wouldn’t work in this cake, you just wouldn’t get the purple colour. But I bet it will still look good and probably taste a whole lot better too.
I am sooo ready for autumn flavors now! I can’t wait to try this cake. The colors are great, the texture is amazing, and the overall feel is incredible. Yum!
Thank you. I’m not quite sure I’m ready for autumn yet, but plums sit in that cross-over period. And the colours are autumnal.
I can’t believe how juicy this cake is. It’s been a while since I saw a recipe like this, so I’ve got to save it for later – it can easily surprise my friends when I make it. Delicious!
Thanks Danielle. It’s the sort of cake that has a real wow factor.
So delicious! Baking with fresh fruit is always the best!! So happy to have come across this recipe
Fresh fruit just makes summer and autumn baking that bit more of a pleasure.
Oh my goodness everything about this cake sounds lusciously gorgeous!! And it looks amazing too. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Thank you Kelly. It’s the colour of the plums that does it, but it is a delicious cake too.
So moist, so good…a fabulous Autumn dessert!
Oh no, not autumn yet please Angie. Though I have to say, it does feel like it right now.