A simple one-bowl plum upside down cake, with in-season plums and only a handful of basic ingredients. It’s a real crowd-pleaser!
photography by Alexandra Daum
This is a super simple plum cake you can make with prune or damson plums. With a jammy top and a light airy crumb, it’s one of our favourites! As Prue from Bake Off would say, it’s definitely worth the calories.
With a one-bowl method and easy to find ingredients, this is also a great recipe for beginner bakers. The only thing to really keep in mind is that all ingredients should be at room temperature. Upside down cakes are a simple way to make a pretty fruit-topped cake without worrying about the fruit sinking during baking.
This recipe is adapted from our plum and pear upside down cake with rum-soaked raisins.
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.
Recommended Tools
- Springform baking tin
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- 2 Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Hand mixer
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Skewer
Ingredients
- Plums — Look for plums that are ripe, without any soft spots or too many wrinkles.
- Eggs — We use large eggs for our recipes.
- Flour — All-purpose flour is what we use here.
- Sugar — Use organic cane or regular white sugar.
- Butter — Butter is salted full-fat dairy.
- Salt — Use regular iodized table salt or fine sea salt.
Keep scrolling to see clear and detailed process shots, as well as tips and notes to help you make Plum Upside Down Cake perfectly the first time!
Method
TOP TIPS
1. Cream the butter and sugar until very fluffy! This adds air to the batter which means a lighter and softer cake.
2. Beat the flour and milk in on low speed. This is for two reasons: first, mixing on high will cause the batter to make a mess, and two, over-mixing will make for a possibly gummy texture. You want to mix until just combined and no further.
3. For more of a caramel flavour use brown sugar instead of white under the plums. We don’t recommend using brown sugar in the cake itself.
Tips and Notes
- If your pan is a bit older and you’re worried about batter sticking , simply line the base with a round cut-out of parchment paper after buttering. Sprinkle the sugar over the paper.
- Cool the plum upside down cake fully before slicing. This will result in the best looking slices and best cake texture. We find it tastes better when cooled, too.
- You can bake the cake in a slightly smaller tin (20cm / 8 in. instead of 25cm / 9 in.) but increase the baking time by about 5 minutes. Make sure to do a toothpick test if changing the tin size.
How To Store & Freeze Upside Down Plum Cake
- To Store — Leftover cake will keep for a couple of days at room temperature in an airtight container.
- To Freeze — You can definitely freeze this cake! Try double wrapping it in plastic wrap after it’s completely cool and storing it in the freezer for up to one month. You can also store cooled slices the same way or in a zipper-top freezer bag. To that simply defrost on the counter at room temperature before serving.
Substitutions
- Use larger plums if you can’t find prune or Damson plums.
- Other fruit can be substituted here, like plums or apricots.
- Cane sugar and regular white sugar can be used interchangeably.
- To make a dairy free upside down plum cake, use a non-dairy milk and good vegan butter. We like Miyoko’s in North America and Naturli in Europe.
- For a GF option, please see our gluten-free plum cake. It’s not upside down, but it’s an excellent cake!
FAQ
Upside down cakes are generally baked with fruit on the bottom of the pan topped with cake batter. Once cooled, the cake is flipped from the tin, upside down onto a serving platter to be served with the fruit on top.
We let our upside down cakes cool for at least 30 minutes in the tin before flipping over onto a plate or platter. This gives the fruit and sugar in the bottom of the tin a chance to set before turning upside down.
Plums should be both soft and firm at the same time. They should yield to bit of pressure from your fingers, but not be so soft that your fingers can easily go through the skin. They should also be smooth and wrinkle-free.
More Stone Fruit Recipes
Baked Stone Fruit with Custard and Candied Nuts
Plum Crisp With Oatmeal Streusel
Fresh Apricot Pie
Peach Galette with Raspberries and Ginger
Maple Peach Whisky Jam (Small-Batch)
Recipe
Plum Upside Down Cake
Description
Equipment
- Springform baking tin
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- 2 Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Hand mixer
- Spatula
- Skewer
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups sugar, divided
- 1 lb. plums, de-stoned and sliced
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose white flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before starting.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and generously butter a 9 inches (25 cm) springform baking tin.
- Sprinkle ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar into the base of the tin. Arrange the plums in an even layer over the sugar and set aside.
- Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat 1 cup (200 grams) sugar and the butter for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
- Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until just mixed.
- Mix in half the milk on low speed. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat again, then add the remaining milk and mix until just combined.
- Spread the cake batter in an even layer over the plums, using a spatula to even it out.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until evenly golden and the cake is pulling away from the edges of the tin. Insert a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, with no crumbs, the cake is finished.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the tin before carefully removing the sides and cooling fully on a wire rack.
- Place a plate on the cake and carefully flip over, then remove the base of the tin from what’s now the top of the cake. Slice and serve.
- Leftover cake will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container.
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