Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake with Cherry Plums

tarte.jpg

A Cake For When The World Seems Upside Down.

The inspiration for this cake stemmed from my daily neighborhood walks that became a ritual as we sheltered in place due to the Covid-19 outbreak. It utilizes wild-growing cherry plums from a tree in the neighborhood, but any tart fruit would work great.

 
 
 

PREP TIME
15 minutes

|

COOK TIME
30 to 40 minutes

|

YIELD
1 9-in. cake

 
 
 
 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of fresh cherry plums, pitted and halved

  • 1 cup sugar, divided

  • 1.5 tbsp water

  • 6 tbsp butter (plus more for the pan)

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/3 cup buttermilk

  • 1/2 cup cornmeal

  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Print Friendly and PDF
 
 

Directions

  1. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with butter and place a circle of parchment paper in the center. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

  2. In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of sugar and the 1.5 tablespoons of water and heat on medium-high, swirling the pan to combine. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes, or until the syrup becomes an amber color.

  3. Meanwhile, place the halved cherry plums on the parchment paper, cut side down. The fruit should be placed in a single layer. When the syrup is ready, pour it over the fruit as evenly as you can.

  4. In a large bowl, cream together the 6 tablespoons of butter, 3/4 cup of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat in the two eggs and 1/3 cup of buttermilk.

  5. In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup of cornmeal, 2/3 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

  6. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold together until well combined.

  7. Pour the batter over the fruit and syrup in the cake pan, evening out the top with a spatula.

  8. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. The cake should be golden brown all the way across the top and a toothpick should come out clean.

  9. Place the cake pan on a wire rack and let rest for 10 minutes before trying to take the cake out. After the 10 minutes is up, run a butter knife around the outside of the cake, loosening it from the pan. Invert the cake onto the wire rack and remove the parchment paper. Let the cake cook another 5 to 10 minutes at least before digging in.

  10. Serve warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with powdered sugar for effect, if desired.

 
DessertsErica HannVegetarianComment