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! This is a super simple plum cake you can make with any type of 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. For more one-bowl cakes, try our chocolate layer cake and old-fashioned chocolate chip cake.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Plums: use larger plums if you can't find prune or Damson plums. Other fruit can be substituted here, like peaches or apricots.
- Sugar: cane sugar and regular white sugar can be used interchangeably.
- Make it dairy-free: use a non-dairy milk and good vegan butter. We like Miyoko's in North America and Naturli in Europe.
Method
Step 1: grease a baking tin, then sprinkle the base with sugar and add the plums.
Step 2: cream the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy, then beat in the eggs.
Step 3: mix in the dry ingredients.
Step 4: smooth the batter in an even layer over the plums.
Step 5: bake until golden and the cake passes a skewer test.
Step 6: let the cake cool for at least half an hour before flipping and serving.
Top Tips
- Cream the butter and sugar until very fluffy: this adds air to the batter which means a lighter and softer cake.
- 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.
- Up the caramel flavour: use brown sugar instead of white under the plums. We don't recommend using brown sugar in the cake itself.
Recipe 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
Storage: leftover cake will keep for a couple of days at room temperature in an airtight container.
Freezing: you can definitely freeze this cake! Try double wrapping it 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. For that simply defrost on the counter at room temperature before serving.
FAQ
Why do they call it an upside down cake?
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.
When should you flip an upside down cake?
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.
How do you know when plums are ripe?
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 Fruity Cake Recipes
If you make this Upside Down Plum Cake or any other cake recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Plum Upside Down Cake
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.
Notes
- Be sure to beat on low speed when adding the flour and milk in increments. 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 less pleasant, gummy texture. You want to mix until just combined and no further.
- If your pan is a bit older and you’re worried about batter sticking to it, simply line the base with a round of parchment paper after buttering. Sprinkle the sugar over the paper.
- 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.