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Man… me and all my cakes these last few days.
First there was Friday’s big, over the top, and perfectly delicious cake, then on Sunday there was Asher’s simple chocolate on chocolate cake birthday cake (listed in my links), and today we have yet another cake! But today’s cake is totally different from any cake I have ever made…though I am in love with it all the same.
Plus, I can’t get over the prettiness of these plums. Oh my gosh, lovin all the plums at the moment. It used to be that I was only a nectarine and peach girl, like who the heck wanted to bother with cherries, plums and apricots when you could have peaches or nectarines? Not me I guess, but in the last year that has all changed dramatically. I love any and all stone fruits and I am so excited with all the new (to me) desserts, snacks and even savory dishes I’ve been working on!!
YES, YES, YES! Venturing out of my comfort zones! Didn’t know I had it in me, but I do!
Side Note: I totally had this really fun topic I was thinking of chatting with you guys about earlier…but now I totally, for the life of me, cannot remember what it was that I wanted to talk about. Thinking it was something about my brother or the barn… something. I don’t know, but it is REALLY bugging me that I cannot remember. UGH!!! …Tomorrow!
Oh, but in other fun news Kai is home! He and my dad made me this really cool thing for the barn…you guys will see it soon (hint, hint)!! Oh, and Caitlyn, Kai’s girlfriend, is coming for a quick trip not this weekend, but the next…so I gotta try to get my stuff together so I can actually hang. Easier said than done though.
Life as an adult… it can be kind of rough.
Anyway, back to this pretty cake that’s perfect for late summer, but even better for fall! I hear plums are more a fall fruit than a summer one anyway, is this true? If so, I am so excited, then I can keep on posting plum recipes! Remember on Thursday when I was telling you guys all about these peach baked beans? And how I also made dessert to go with that dinner?? Well, this is that dessert!!
My grandpa was in town visiting and I knew that if I was ever going to make a non-chocolate cake, this was the time.
My grandpa will eat pretty much anything, and while he loves a chocolate dessert just like my mom, I do think he loves a fruity one even more. So I knew this cake would be PERFECT.
And it was…all though, I kind of over cooked the one I served him, so I was a little bummed, but I am pretty sure he still enjoyed it. Plus, that whipped yogurt on top covered my little mistake pretty well. Got to love when you can hide your screw ups, right?!?!
This brown butter plum up-side down yogurt cake is actually pretty wholesome. It’s filled with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, eggs and sweet plums! Oh, and kind of a good amount of browned butter… balance though peeps, balance.
Yep, life is all about the balance.
Here’s the thing. While this cake is easy, it took me a few tries to actually get it looking pretty. Whoever said it’s now sweat to make an upside down cake look perfect was lying their butt off. Either that or I am just not very good at upside down cakes, which could very well be the case. I made three cakes, each tasted awesome, but the problem was my plums kept shifting while cooking. Finally, with the last cake I just used my hands once the cake was finished cooking, and sort of “fixed” the plums into place. Then I just added a big dollop of cream and called it a day.
Worked like a charm. Instead of stressing about getting the perfect looking upside down cake, I just made it pretty with edible flowers and cream. I tell ya, that combo never fails!
Trust me, I know from experience.
Brown Butter Plum Up-Side Down Yogurt Cake with Pistachios.
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 611 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 plums
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 10 tablespoons butter softened + divided
- 3/4 cup white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3 eggs separate the yolks from the whites
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup pistachios toasted + chopped
Whipped Yogurt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut liquor optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch spring form pan and place on a baking sheet.
- Arrange the plums in single layer in the bottom of the spring form pan. Sprinkle the plums with brown sugar.
- Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until just browned. Butter will melt, foam and froth, then begin to brown along the bottom. Whisk the browned bits of butter off the bottom of the pan. Pour the butter over the plums and place the plums in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the whole wheat flour, white flour, baking powder, vanilla and sea salt to a bowl, set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Slowly add the maple syrup, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is fully mixed into the butter. Beat in the lemon zest, 3 egg yolks (reserving the whites for later) and the yogurt and milk until creamy and smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
- Whisk the remaining 3 egg whites in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Slowly fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined.
- Pour the batter over the plums, being careful to spread the batter in an even layer over the plums. Try to not move the position of the plums.
- Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until golden on the top and baked all the way through. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before removing the sides. Place a serving plate on top of the cake and invert the cake. Carefully remove the bottom of the spring form pan. if any of the plums stick to the spring form pan, just place them back on the cake. Scrape any syrup left on the bottom of the pan off and onto the cake. If desired, the cake can be drizzled with a little maple syrup for extra sweetness.
- To serve, sprinkle the cake with pistachios and dollop with cream (recipe below). Enjoy warm or at room temp.
Whipped Yogurt
- Place the cream and yogurt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until soft peaks form. Stir in the hazelnut liquor, vanilla and salt. Keep cold until ready to serve.
Notes
*if you do not have vanilla bean paste or fresh vanilla beans, sub with 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and add it in with the wet ingredients. *If you do not have a spring form pan, the cake can be made in a 9-10 inch cast iron skillet. I did find the spring form pan much easier to use however.
And we eat our cake.
PS. I totally broke that gorgeous plate last week and I am still so distraught over it. It was one of a kind and my FAVORITE!! 🙁
This post was originally published on September 1, 2015
Hello, Tieghan!
How do you think, is it possible to substitute butter with extra greek yogurt?
Hi Alexandra!! I really am not sure since I have not tested it. I personally would not in fear of the cake being a little bland and dry, BUT again I have not tried it. Let me know if you do give it a try. Thanks! 🙂
I just made this and I’m eating it right now. It’s really delicious! I forgot to add the brown sugar, so it’s not really sweet, but the plums add enough sweetness. And it’s a beautiful cake to serve as dessert. If I make this again, I think I’ll make a thicker layer of plums because they really make the cake – or maybe caramelize a few on the side and spoon them over each slice of cake. Thanks for the recipe!
Upside down cake sure is interesting to me! I think this is a great idea–and I LOVE plums and yogurt!
Thank you so much! Have a great weekend!
This is without question one of the most stunning cakes I’ve ever seen. And I’m sure it’s equally as delicious!
Thank you so much, Valentina!
I made this cake tonight. I was confused because the ingredient list calls for milk, but when reading the recipe it states yogurt. I decided to use yogurt but I think it was the wrong choice. The liquid part of the batter was too dense to fold in the egg whites but I didn’t want to throw everything out and try again, so instead, I used my stand-up mixer to incorporate the egg whites. In the end, the cake was very moist and flavourful but much too dense. I will try this again with milk next time.
The whipped yogurt was wonderful and not too sweet. I will use this recipe to pair with other desserts.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Sarah!
I am SO sorry, you are actually supposed to use both yogurt and milk. I left the yogurt out of the ingredients by mistake. SO sorry. I fixed the recipe, so it is good to go now. If the batter still seems thicks, you can add milk to think. THANKS!!
Oh man, look at all that beautiful fruit! This cake is such a stunning way to eat as many as possible of the season’s best plums.
I have a plum tree that is absolutely drooping with an over abundance this year, so consequently, I’ve been making lots of cakes using plums! I don’t typically comment on recipes but decided to give my input on this recipe…
Firstly, it’s quite a bit of work for the underwhelming result. I suggest if you’re going to make this…use the skillet or a cake pan & not a springform. Most of the juices from the fruit, sugar & butter (which are the tastiest part) ended up outside the pan! This left the fruit lacking in flavor. The batter & fruit don’t mingle with one another so I found the cake kind of boring.
It’s not my intent to be negative…in closing, I just didn’t think it was worth the work, especially compared to all of the plum kukens out there. Maybe this recipe would be much better baked with the fruit on top! Just sayin!
This cake is gorgeous! Perfect recipe to use up those plums before the summers over.
How much yogurt is supposed to go into the actual cake batter? I see it mentioned in the instructions but not in the ingredient list!
Hi Caroline! I AM SO SORRY! It is 1 cup plain greek yogurt and I fixed the recipe. Hope you love this!
Hi Tieghan,
Was wondering if i can substitute the white whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour. Can’t seem to find it anywhere round here. Will that change the recipe in any way?
Hi Elena, yes that will work great (the great will be a little lighter and fluffier!) Hope you love this cake!!
This is a combination of all my favorite things – in a cake! Thanks so much for sharing. Let me know how much yogurt is needed in the cake itself, don’t see it listed in the ingredients. I have a feeling this will be a staple recipe in my house 🙂
Hi Tessa! So so sorry about the yogurt, fixed the recipe. It is 1 cup plain greek yogurt!
Upside down cakes are so pretty! And I don’t think they need to be perfect – a little bit rustic tastes just as good, and honestly your whipped yogurt (such a good idea, by the way!) hides any flaws. Love how you have used maple syrup in the cake as a sweetener too <3
PS my sympathies for your plate – that turquoise is gorgeous 🙁 Hope you find another just as beautiful soon!
I also can’t get over the prettiness of these plums.. The color is so vibrant!
Everything about this cake is right up my alley. And, just stay tuned.. I have a plum recipe coming up that I think you’ll enjoy. Can’t get enough of those beauties.
I wish I had waited until today to make this cake! The skillet one I made yesterday was good but….this looks over the top delish!