stone fruit upside down cake

Upside down cake, made with nectarines and plums

Upside down cake, made with nectarines and plums

stone fruit upside down cake recipe

Makes a 9” cake

Adapted from David Lebovitz, Ready for Dessert

Ingredients:

Topping:

  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz/45 g.) unsalted butter

  • 3/4 cup (170 g.) packed light brown sugar

  • 4 or 5 nectarines, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch slices

  • 6 to 8 plums, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch slices

    (NOTE: for fruit, you can play with these amounts. Use a combination of nectarines, peaches, apricots, plums, blueberries, raspberries—try different combinations. Amounts will vary according to fruit sizes).

Cake:

  • 1 1/2 cups (210 g.) all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup (4 oz./115 g.) unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) whole milk, at room temperature

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° (175° C) To make the topping, put the 3 TBS (1 1/2 oz./45g.) butter in a 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pan or cast iron skillet. Set the pan directly on the stovetop over low heat until the butter melts. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar is thoroughly moistened. Remove from the heat and let cool briefly.

  2. Arrange fruit in concentric circles on top of the brown sugar, packed tightly so the slices are overlapping somewhat and the fruit layer is thick. If you are using berries in combination, scatter them evenly over the brown sugar mixture and then arrange fruit slices on top.

  3. To make the cake, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With a mixer, beat together the 1/2 cup (4 oz./115 g.) butter and the sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating until completely incorporated. Gradually mix in half of the flour mixture. Stir in the milk followed by the rest of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

  4. Scrape the batter on top of the fruit in the pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool for about 15 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cake to help loosen it from the pan. Invert a serving plate over the pan. Wearing oven mitts, grasp both the pan and the plate and turn them over together. Give the bottom of the cake pan (now on top) a couple of firm taps and carefully lift it off the cake. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.