Bake

Upside Down Plum & Cardamom Cake

by:
August 19, 2024
4.6
11 Ratings
Upside Down Plum & Cardamom Cake
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Serves 10 to 12
Author Notes

This Upside Down Plum & Cardamom Cake is an elegant yet simple dessert to showcase juicy summer plums. First, I layer thin slices of plums in the pan, then pour melted sugar over the top to help set and caramelize the fruit. Next, I add the cardamom cake batter, which bakes into a tender, buttery crumb. The fragrant cardamom pairs beautifully with the sweet-tart plums, and a dollop of whipped cream (or vanilla ice cream) makes for a perfect finishing touch.

Tips & Tricks
• Choose plums that are ripe but still firm. Overly ripe plums can become too mushy when baked.
• Slice the plums evenly. Thin, even slices of plum will ensure they cook uniformly and create a beautiful pattern on the cake.
• For the freshest flavor, buy whole cardamom pods and grind the seeds just before using. A spice grinder or mortar and pestle works well for this.
• Keep a close eye on the sugar as it cooks. It can go from golden brown to burnt very quickly.
• Lining the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper ensures the caramelized plums won’t stick when you flip the cake. Additionally, let the cake cool in the pan before flipping. This helps the cake set and keeps the plum layer intact.
—Nea Arentzen

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Upside Down Plum & Cardamom Cake
Ingredients
  • PLUM LAYER
  • 3 to 4 medium plums, very thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (56 grams) water
  • 1/4 teaspoon Diamond crystal kosher salt
  • CAKE BATTER
  • 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (150 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon whole black cardamom seeds, coarsely ground (see tip)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (125 grams) whole milk
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF with a rack in the center position. Grease the sides of a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. Starting in the middle of the cake pan, arrange the thinly sliced plums in a circular motion, placing them so they overlap each other slightly. (I did three rings total.)
  3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until fully combined, about 1 minute. Add the crushed cardamom and mix for another 30 seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined and slightly light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Starting with the flour, alternate mixing in the dry ingredients and milk until just combined.
  5. In a small saucepan or saucier over medium heat, bring the sugar, water, and salt to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately, carefully pour the browned sugar over the arranged plums.
  6. Pour the cardamom batter over the plums, then spread the top into an even layer, making sure to not move the plums. Bake until the top is golden brown on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. (If you’re using a cake pan with a removable bottom, place a baking sheet on a rack below to catch any drippings.)
  7. Transfer it to a wire rack to let cool in the pan, then run a knife or offset spatula along the sides. Place a serving tray or plate over the top, then carefully flip the cake upside down. Gently remove the parchment layer.
  8. Serve the upside down plum cake warm or at room temperature with freshly whipped cream, if desired.
Tags:

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • balboabunbakery
    balboabunbakery
  • Nea Arentzen
    Nea Arentzen
  • chrisb
    chrisb
  • diana foggia
    diana foggia
Nea Arentzen

Recipe by: Nea Arentzen

Test Kitchen Content Creator & Recipe Developer at Food52

Popular on Food52

6 Reviews

balboabunbakery
balboabunbakery September 20, 2024
I loved this recipe! The first time I made it I followed it exactly, using a mandolin to slice my plums very thinly and using California black plums (they are large, about the size of a tennis ball) I only used ~2 plums for a 9” cake. I recommend using a mandolin because the thin, uniform slices allowed me to create a controlled pattern and overlap my plum slices so there were no gaps for the batter to come out. It was a beautiful masterpiece, the plums were stunning and the taste paired perfectly with the spiced cardamom cake.

Tips:
•the first time I made the caramel sugar, I think I cooked it a little too long so the consistency was quite thick. I did my best to pour from above in a spiral 🌀 so gravity could spread the sugar instead of risking my plum pattern by spreading it out with a spatula.
•i did end up disturbing my plum pattern by pouring the thick cake batter directly into my cake pan. No worries it still turned out beautiful. But the next cakes I used an ice cream scoop to transfer the batter with more control, then carefully leveled with an offset spatula. Those cakes were picture perfect.

Embellishments:
I’ve made six of these cakes so far! I love spice so I added ginger into it with a few elements. 1) a ginger simple syrup used as a cake soak for the sponge. 2) when making the ginger simple syrup I used a mandolin for thin slices of ginger and use the candied ginger to flavor the sugar caramel in the recipe and then finally I use the candied ginger as additional decoration. I have also sparsely spaced some thin tender candied ginger slices under the plum layer which gave it even more of a kick. 3) I added ~1tsp of powdered ginger to the cake batter, in addition to the cardamom called for

Thank you Nea for sharing this recipe. Try it out, it’s fool proof and beautiful and easy to play with!
 
Nea A.
Nea A. September 23, 2024
Wow! Thank you! I love all the tips you included. I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
 
chrisb
chrisb August 27, 2024
This recipe was super easy to make (slice the plums *very* thinly), looked beautiful, and tasted fantastic with freshly crushed cardamom (don’t use the old ground up stuff in your pantry). Watch the cake carefully as you approach 40 minutes so that it doesn’t overbake. I don’t usually like cake that isn’t chocolate, but this is now a favorite.
 
Nea A.
Nea A. September 23, 2024
I'm so happy you enjoyed it!! And thanks for the heads up on the baking time!
 
diana F.
diana F. August 14, 2024
New, I just made it and it’s gorgeous!! But, I may have been a little over zealous and I didn’t let it cool completely in the pan!! It slid out perfectly on my plate. Peeled off parchment and plums are in tacked. Should I have let it cool completely in the pan, or did I do ok in flipping it immediately?
 
Nea A.
Nea A. August 16, 2024
Aw yay so glad to hear this!! Typically I would recommend letting it cool for a bit in the pan, but sounds like it worked just fine for you (: