Plum Upside-Down Cake

Plum Upside-Down  Cake

I am a basic cook and baker, for the most part. I love doing both. I love learning about flavors that go together well, and I love the creativity of layering compatible flavors to make something beautiful and tasty! 

This, like many of my creations, was an experiment...one that, happily, turned out really well! Using a boxed cake mix (we love Trader Joe's brands!) makes it really simple! Mixing it up took me about 10-12 minutes probably. The hard part, as always, is smelling the deliciousness and waiting for it to be done so one can EAT it!

I hope you try this one, and I hope you like it as much as we do! The topping is just tart enough to balance with the sweetness of the cake. A little ice cream or whipped cream would also compliment this cake well.


 

Topping Ingredients:

½ sticks butter, cut into smaller pieces for melting

¼ cup sugar (more or less to taste)

½ tsp. vanilla

½  tsp. almond extract
8-10 small to medium plums (I used yellow flesh plums), sliced in wedges

Cake Ingredients: 
1 box Trader Joe’s Vanilla Cake and Baking Mix

1 stick butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 cup cold milk

½ tsp. vanilla

½  tsp. almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 9-inch square or a 10-inch round baking dish, place the half-stick of butter, the sugar, and the two flavorings, and set the dish in the oven as it’s preheating. Set your timer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the stick of melted butter (not hot), the two eggs, and the milk in a large bowl. This can be beaten or whisked, but mix until the batter is smooth. Mix in the two flavorings thoroughly. Add the baking mix and stir or whisk until smooth.

At the 5-minute mark, remove the melted butter mixture from the oven and stir until mixed will. Arrange the plum slices in the bottom of the dish directly in the butter mixture, in whatever design you like. Carefully pour the batter over the plum arrangement so as not to move them around.

Bake in the 350 degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven when golden brown, and a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool a bit before slicing.

ENJOY!