A Gilt Nutmeg: Plum Blueberry Upside Down Cake

plum blueberry upside down cake

My CSA box came this week with a bag of plums. I do like plums but they’re not my favorite to eat by themselves, so I started trying to figure out ways to utilize them. I made Plum Butter last summer, but wanted to try something new. The box also had some blueberries, so when I found a recipe for spiced plum and raspberry cake, my mind immediately turned to those blueberries.

The cake was such a hit at the office that I didn’t even get a chance to try it, but I’ll take that as a sign that it was great!

Plum Blueberry Upside Down Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, Sept 2001

10 Tbsps unsalted butter, room temperature, divided into 2 Tbsp and 8 Tbsp
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
6-8 medium red plums, halved and pitted
1/4 cup blueberries
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9″ springform pan with non-stick baking spray and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
In a small saucepan, melt and whisk the brown sugar and 2 Tbsp of butter together over low heat until melted and thoroughly mixed. Pour the mixture into the springform pan and use a spoon or spatula to spread the mixture relatively evenly over the bottom of the pan (don’t worry about being too neat or covering every inch of the pan).
Place the plums, cut flat side down facing the bottom of the pan, evenly spaced within the pan and fill in the spaces between the plums with the blueberries.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder & soda, salt and nutmeg and set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat together the rest of the butter (8 Tbsp) with the granulated sugar for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Beat the vanilla extract in as well as the egg yolks, one at a time.
Mix in half of the flour mixture, then mix in the sour cream, then the rest of the flour mixture until just incorporated.
Gently spread the batter in the pan over the plums and blueberries, being careful not to move them around too much.
Lay a square of tin foil onto a cookie sheet and place the springform pan on top of the foil, to catch drips.
Bake for about 60 minutes, until golden brown on top and an inserted tester comes out clean.
Let cool for one hour on a wire cooling rack, then invert onto a plate and remove the springform pan and parchment paper from the top of the cake. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!