Plum and Lime Upside-Down Cake

Another stone fruit dessert, comin’ up! I’m a big fan of food that you have to flip - pancakes, tahdig, and the classic gem - the upside down cake. I had a lot of fun subbing out pineapple for plum in this dish. The recipe calls for lime zest to be incorporated into to the batter and for the juice to be added to the caramel topping. The lime and plum combo creates an almost rhubarb-like flavor which adds another fun surprise to this cake. Obviously you’ll want to eat this for a sweet treat, but do yourself a flavor and save a slice for breakfast - coffee makes the perfect pairing. Keep scrolling for the recipe, pairings, and first timer tips!

Eat While: Hammocking the summer away!

Pairing: Rosé or Black Coffee

Inspiration: Rachel Gurjar by way of Bon Appétit

First Timer Tips: The caramel is the trickiest part of this recipe. I took my eye off of the stove for 60 seconds and it went from a clear syrup to a burnt caramel. Attempt #2 had me watching the stove the entire time and I pulled the caramel a little early to err on the side of safety for a thinner, lighter caramel (which still resulted in a delicious topping).

Dedicated Time: 1 hr 30 min + cooling time

Components:

3/4 c unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temp + more for the pan

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour, + more for the pan

2 large plums (~8 oz), cut into 8 wedges each

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp lime zest, grated

2 c sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c whole milk, room temp

1/4 c fresh lime juice

Place rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Lightly butter a 9"-diameter cake pan and dust with flour; tap out excess. Line bottom of pan with a parchment paper round. Arrange plums in a circular pattern in pan, spaced evenly but overlapping if needed. 

Whisk baking powder, flour, and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Combine lime zest and 1½ c sugar in a large bowl and rub together with your fingers until evenly combined and sugar starts to clump. Add butter and beat in stand mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy (~3 min). Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine between each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in dry ingredients, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add whole milk and mix just until combined. Set aside.

Bring remaining ½ c sugar, remaining 1 tsp salt, and 3 Tbsp water to a boil in a small pot over medium heat. Carefully add lime juice and cook, without stirring, until liquid is thickened and beginning to turn dark golden brown (~6 min). Gently stir, remove from heat, and immediately pour caramel evenly over plums in pan. Then scrape batter over and smooth surface.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (~1 hr). Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan.

Run an offset spatula along edges of cooled cake to loosen. Set a platter over pan and flip over to release cake. Carefully remove pan and peel away parchment paper. 

*8-12 servings