With its caramelized topping, this plum & pear upside down cake has a moist tender crumb. Rum-soaked raisins add an extra layer of flavour!
This dreamy plum & pear upside down cake is a revised version of your grandmother’s go-to treat! Less sweet than pineapple upside down cake, this is a beautiful seasonal dessert adorned with rum-soaked raisins and dried cranberries, plus fresh sliced plums and peaches.
Bosc pears work well in this recipe and so do Anjou because they hold their shape after baking! Keep in mind we let the dried fruit sit in the rum for one hour to soak beforehand, so be sure to leave yourself time, or do it the day before.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Ingredients
- dark rum
- dried fruit (we used raisins and dried cranberries)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- brown sugar
- pears
- plums
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- sugar
- butter
- eggs
- milk
- vanilla
Method
Place the rum, dried fruit, and cinnamon stick in a small pot on the stovetop. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat and gently cook until the fruit softens. Remove the pot from the heat and let the fruit sit in the rum for one hour to soak. Drain the fruit and set the rum aside for another use (it’s fantastic in eggnog!).
Preheat the oven and lightly grease a round cake pan with butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the pan. Scatter the rum-soaked fruit in a single layer over the sugar.
Arrange the pears and plums on top of the rum-soaked fruit in any pattern you like. Set aside.
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until light, fluffy, and pale.
Crack in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each.
Spoon in half of the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined.
Add the milk and vanilla, mix well, then add the remaining flour and mix until just combined.
Carefully spoon the cake batter evenly over the plums and pears.
Bake the plum & pear upside down cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool slightly on a wire rack before carefully flipping it over onto a serving platter.
Tips & Notes
Dark rum or spiced rum are great in this recipe.
Use any mixture of dried fruit you like.
Reduce the amount of white sugar by up to half for a less sweet cake if you like.
Use the leftover rum in eggnog, or an autumn-spiced rum & cola! You could also pour it over the top of the cake as a cake soak after flipping it upside down onto the platter.
Substitutions
You can swap in any other spices you like for the cinnamon stick. Dried cardamom pods, star anise pods, or whole cloves are all lovely.
Most fresh fruit will work in this recipe in place of the plums and peaches. You could try apples, peaches, or even fresh berries.
You can substitute light spelt flour for the all-purpose flour.
Try substituting brown sugar for half of the white sugar in the cake batter.
More Terrific Fall Fruit Baking Recipes
Plum Dimple Cake With Cinnamon Whip (vegan)
Chocolate Pear Hazelnut Scones
Chocolate Loaf Cake With Earl Grey-Poached Pears
Recipe
Plum & Pear Upside Down Cake
Description
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Small saucepan
- 9-inch (23-cm) cake pan
- pastry brush
- Hand or stand mixer
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- ½ cup dark rum
- ½ cup dried fruit
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 3 pears, cored, sliced into thin wedges
- 2 plums, pitted, sliced into thin wedges
- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1-½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Place the rum, dried fruit, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan on the stove top.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat and gently cook until the fruit softens, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let the fruit sit in the rum for one hour to soak.
- Drain the fruit and set the rum aside for another use (it’s fantastic in eggnog!).
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and lightly grease a 9-inch (23-cm) cake pan with butter.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the pan. Scatter the rum-soaked dried fruit in a single layer over the sugar.
- Arrange the sliced pears and plums on top of the dried fruit in any pattern you like. Set aside.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until light, fluffy, and pale, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined.
- Add the milk and vanilla, mix well, then add the remaining flour and mix until just combined.
- Carefully spoon the cake batter evenly over the layers of fruit.
- Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before carefully flipping it over onto a serving platter.
sara says
love this recipe – wanna try to make it, but wondering if there’s an alternative to the rum? Can i just leave it out or do I need to replace it with something else?