Kates Healthy Spiced Plum Upside Down Cake With Vanilla Custard Recipes

KATE'S HEALTHY SPICED PLUM UPSIDE DOWN CAKE WITH VANILLA CUSTARD

Steps:

• HINT: The plums do not need to be ripe. Although my plums refused to ripen, they still baked up to be sweet and soft because the heat caramelized their natural sugars.
• NOTE: Vanilla Custard should be made ahead of time and chilled in the refrigerator. Caramelized Plum Topping and Spiced Cake should be made right before serving.
• CARAMELIZED PLUM TOPPING: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease sides only (not bottom) of 10 inch cast-iron skillet. If you do not have a cast-iron skillet, you can use a 10 inch cake pan or a 9" by 9" square pan. Set aside.
• Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Stir in ½ cup brown sugar. Spread in bottom of prepared skillet or pan. Arrange plum slices slightly overlapping in a pretty spiral pattern working from outer rim to center. If using blueberries, arrange plum slices first, and then arrange one ring of blueberries around the outer rim of the pan. Arrange the remaining blueberries in a circle in the center of the pan filling in the gaps. Sprinkle a even layer of nuts over fruit. Set aside.
• SPICED UPSIDE DOWN CAKE: In a medium bowl, sift together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat milk, applesauce, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest.
• Stir flour mixture into egg mixture just until combined. Pour batter over fruit and nuts. Let rest for 5 minutes to allow baking powder to activate. Bake at 350F degrees for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven. Let rest for 5 minutes to allow cake to absorb juices. Invert onto a platter that is at least 12 inches in diameter. Use a platter with raised sides if you have one, so that the juices are not spilled and wasted. Do not pour off excess juices, the cake will absorb the juices as it cools. Serve warm topped with Vanilla Custard, vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream.
• VANILLA CUSTARD: Mix 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, and salt in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, scraping corners of pan with spatula, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.
• Gradually whisk at least half of hot mixture into egg yolks. Then, whisk back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla until you cannot smell alcohol. Pour into a bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on Vanilla Custard to prevent tough layer from forming. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled.
• NOTE: Leftover Spiced Plum Upside Down Cake and Vanilla Custard should be stored in the refrigerator and may be eaten warm or cold.

SPICED PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the caramel and fruit: Stir the sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons water together in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet to make a mixture like wet sand. Cook over medium-high heat until melted and light amber, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt if making a salted caramel. Arrange the plums, cut-side down, on top.
• For the batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk, stirring until just incorporated.
• Pour the batter over the fruit and spread evenly. Bake until golden brown all over and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes and then invert onto a serving platter. Cool to room temperature before serving.
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PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heavily butter a 10-inch pie pan.
• Arrange the plums cut side down in the pie pan. A few of them, quartered, can be used to fill any gaps.
• Mix a cup of the sugar with the water in a shallow saucepan or a skillet, preferably nonstick. Cook without stirring over medium-high heat until the sugar starts to turn amber around the edges. Gently swirl the pan so the sugar cooks evenly and continue cooking until the mixture is uniformly amber colored. Immediately pour this caramel over the plums in the pan. Scatter the walnuts over the caramel.
• Cream the remaining butter and the remaining sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix the flour, cinnamon and baking powder together and fold it into the batter. Add the vanilla. Spread the batter over the plums.
• Place in the oven and bake about 30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least an hour before unmolding. As the cake is best if it has not been refrigerated, it can be left in the pan until shortly before serving time.
• Unmold the cake onto a serving dish. If any of the fruit clings to the pan, lift it off and place it back on the cake.
• Serve cake with ice cream or whipped cream.

PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir 6 tablespoons butter, brown sugar and honey in heavy medium skillet over low heat until butter melts and sugar and honey blend in, forming thick, smooth sauce. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Arrange plums in overlapping concentric circles atop sauce.
• Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 6 tablespoons butter in large bowl until light. Add sugar and beat until creamy. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in extracts. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk, mixing just until blended. Spoon batter evenly over plums. Bake cake until golden and tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool in pan 30 minutes.
• Using knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Place platter atop cake pan. Invert cake; place platter on work surface. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently lift off pan. Serve cake warm with whipped cream.