Summer
Plum-Nectarine Upside-Down Skillet Cake
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42 Reviews
panania
August 10, 2021
This was excellent and really easy, which is always a plus. Two items I should have heeded 'light brown sugar' and 'do not let it cool in the pan'. I used standard issue brown sugar and I definitely picked up some 'charcoal like' flavor notes. I also waited until the cake pulled away from the sides of the pan before flipped it and that cost me some of the topping.
Nina P.
June 28, 2020
Perfection! I had a bunch of overripe stone fruit and had no idea I could turn them into something so beautiful. I used 3-4 small plums and 3 nectarines. Took other commenters’ advice and cut the sugar by a little less than half, added the eggs whole and skipped the almonds and almond extract to accommodate kids. It looks and tastes like a dream and was totally unfussy and easy to make. 10/10!
Nina P.
June 28, 2020
This was perfection! I had a bunch of overripe stone fruit and had no idea I could turn them into something so beautiful. I used 3-4 small plums and 3 nectarines. Took other commenters’ advice and cut the sugar by a little less than half, added the eggs whole and skipped the almonds and almond extract to accommodate kids. It looks and tastes like a dream and was totally unfussy and easy to make. 10/10!
Ashley
June 23, 2019
I made this last night, with apricots, and while the end result tastes good, I ran into some problems. I followed the directions to a T, and there was no caramelization of the brown sugar, despite baking for 50 minutes. When I went to turn out the cake, the sugar sludge mostly stayed on the skillet, keeping most of the almonds with it. I scraped it out and kind of glopped it on the cake - not too pretty! It was also a very low cake, and the extra step of beating the egg whites seemed pointless. I do a lot of home baking, and have read the recipe over and over, and I'm not sure why I didn't achieve the results everyone raves about!
MSL-2302
September 3, 2018
Just made this with a bunch of too-soft plums I had... divine! I did reduce the sugar as suggested by others here (thank you, commenters!). I used 1/2 c. Brown sugar in the first step and 3/4 c. granulated for the batter. Turned out great, w the tartness of the plums coming through really nicely as well as the lemon. The whole thing is still sweet enough to be a dessert, though. I also omitted the almonds and almond extract, and I think this also reduced some of the sweetness.
Kate T.
August 18, 2018
I just made this, and am about to make a second one to take to a gathering. I loved it but also found it to be too sweet for my taste. I'm a bit nervous about reducing the amount of sugar because I don't want to ruin it - is there a good way to do this?
Loreal
August 15, 2018
Great cake. The only modifications I recommend are beating in the whole eggs one at a time and reducing the sugar overall--it's quite sweet.
Hannah
December 22, 2017
this was one of the best desserts i have ever made. my husband and i had friends over for dinner andmy husband cooked (he's a chef), and i made dessert and this cake was the winner of the evening. left my husband feeling a bit jealous! ;) incredible tasting...i will definitely be making this many times in the future!
JoAnn N.
November 10, 2017
Not for the new baker but worth it. showy and delicious. A keeper and must bake before the end of summer. Sadly now need to wait to eat again. Made it just as the recipe says. Fabulous. And the picture here doesn't do it justice.
Brought to a get together and the oohs and ahhs led to mmmmm.
Brought to a get together and the oohs and ahhs led to mmmmm.
Heather G.
October 5, 2017
I really really wanted to like it but after making it exactly as written (other than adding a little extra fruit) and using local plums and nectarines, it was just too sweet for my taste. The flavors of the fruit just didn't come through for me.
Farmgirl
September 24, 2017
afarmgirl-Connie Just made this, family loved it, going in my keep forever recipe file. Thank you for sharing!
Rachel W.
September 17, 2017
I just made this! I only needed three nectarines and the batter wouldn't have covered more in my pan- did everything else exactly according to the recipe. This was awesome! The texture is great and the almond/fruit combo is perfect. I will definitely make this again.
KansasGardener
September 8, 2017
Made this today with 1 nectarine and 3 large peaches in a heavy 10-inch cake pan. It's delicious! I made a couple small changes. I shorted the butter by 2 tablespoons, one less for the bottom of the pan and one less for the batter. I also shorted the white sugar by about 2 tbs. (Trying to make baking a little healthier.) One last change was just beating the whole eggs to the batter, without separating. The resulting cake is light. It came easily out of the pan. All the foodies here in my house say to make it again soon. Thanks for a great recipe!
Daryl G.
September 7, 2017
I made this last night and it was a real hit with my company. I used a cast iron pan and it came out great. LOVED IT!
Laurie G.
September 6, 2017
I don't have any ovenproof skillets, so I used a rectangular Pyrex dish. I didn't butter the sides. I melted the butter in the dish, while the oven was preheating, then took it out to do the rest. It did take more time and more counter space! than I expected, but finally it was ready to go in. I used nectarines and prune plums (a small tart plum). I did have to leave it in for longer than it said... probably 65-75 minutes.
It came out PERFECT! Well worth all the effort... although now I need to see if I can cut the calories a bit.
It came out PERFECT! Well worth all the effort... although now I need to see if I can cut the calories a bit.
Christine
September 5, 2017
Just made this today and the results were great! It is so delicious! I made it exactly as written. 10 in calphalon pan is oven-proof to 450 degrees. The only consideration to those about to make it is that it is a little more time-consuming than I expected (but, duh, why didn't I read through the recipe in its entirety before starting!?) It's delicious and I give it 2 thumbs up!
Ellen
September 5, 2017
I made this yesterday with great results. My cast iron skillet is 12" and it was okay, but I would use a 10" if you have it so that the fruit is tighter together and the cake rises higher and looks prettier on the platter. The lemon zest is VERY prominent. I love lemon, but I would use a little less next time. I used peaches from the farm market and they played well with the little bit of almond flavor. A hit!
PG
September 4, 2017
Many thanks for this recipe. Is it possible to use Earth Balance or other substitute for the butter? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Sarah J.
September 4, 2017
I don't have much experience with Earth Butter—but if it can melt and cream like regular butter, I'd think it would work! Sorry I can't be more helpful, PG! Good luck.
Deleslynn B.
September 4, 2017
I used a 10 inch regular iron skillet and I used exactly 2 lbs of fruit but the batter overflowed the pan and went all over the bottom of the oven. Did your skillet have high sides? Other than that it came out nicely and was delicious. Should I cut back on fruit or batter?
Sarah J.
September 4, 2017
I use a standard 10-inch skillet, too! The fruit should cover the whole bottom of the pan (for me, this was 2 pounds! If you have extra fruit, consider it a snack! Or plan on slicing everything into slimmer pieces). The cake batter should come close to the top, but you'll want about 1/2- or 1/4-inch of room between the pan's rim and the top of the batter. Hope that helps and sorry yours overflowed!!
Molly F.
September 3, 2017
Absolute total disaster....with friend, tho' so we scooped it up and it was delicious! Skillet was an inch too small, so the cake part overflowed, and totally fell apart when turned out...''twas wonderful, tho'...I shall try again, probably without the cake!
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