This Upside Down Plum Cornmeal Cake is SO delicious! It’s the perfect light Summer dessert! Made using ripe and sweet plums, a dash of cornmeal, this is light, fluffy and oh so yummy!
Alright you guys. Aside from things like my brown butter cinnamon coffee cake or carrot cake blondies, this is officially the first “cake” cake I have ever posted on OBB.
Can we get a round of applause?! Especially for those who are always kinda scared of baking but so so happy this particular recipe turned out and turned out AMAZING?! Thank you, thank you!
Lol but in all seriousness, this cake is SO SO tasty and I’m so excited to be able to share this recipe with you. It’s perfect for late Summer and is the best dessert to eat when you’re craving something light and sweet but not overly sweet.
Why You’ll Love This Cake:
First off, can we just all take a moment to agree that plums are SO underrated. Y’all know I love my Summer peaches but you guys…I feel like plums are JUST as sweet and incredibly juicy.
And that seriously rings true in this cake. The plums are the perfect addition of sweetness to an otherwise pretty light and fluffy and not super sweet cake.
The combination of all purpose flour and cornmeal in this cake gives it an ultra fluffy and soft texture, but it’s not like WOWZA this is full of sugar. The cornmeal helps almost give it a slightly savory taste to it.
The plums on top add a sticky sweet tartness and the bottom of the cake has the perfect buttery base.
The cornmeal isn’t gritty at all, instead perfectly complementary to every other ingredient.
Another thing I love about this cake? It’s SO simple. I know it might look a bit daunting, but I promise it’s not. It’s a swoon worthy, heart eye inducing cake that is so easy to whip up!
So let’s get into how to do it!
Ingredients You Need:
- Salted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- All purpose flour
- Cornmeal
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Sour cream
- Ripe plums
- Brown sugar
Best Cake Making Tips:
Begin by preheating the oven to 350 – this will ensure that your oven is hot and ready to go when it comes time to place the cake in the oven.
In the meantime, let’s make the cake batter!
Add softened butter to a large bowl. Using a hand held mixer, mix the butter until it becomes light and creamy. Add in the sugar and cream together until combined using the same mixture.
Then come in the eggs and vanilla extract! I recommend adding these ingredients one at a time, making sure each is fully combined before adding in the next.
Did I mention this was a one bowl baking recipe? YUP.
To the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients straight in and gently fold in, making sure it is completely combined.
Then, lastly, fold in the full fat sour cream to make sure that it’s fully combined as well.
Generously grease an 8 or 9 inch cake pan with butter or cooking spray.
Slice up the plums long and thin and then place them directly on the bottom of the pan. Just do ONE layer of plums. I found it easiest to start from the outside and work to the inside.
Then generously sprinkle that delicious brown sugar on top of the plums. Add the batter directly on top and be sure to make sure it is EVENLY spread out over the plums and around the cake pan.
Then hi hello you’re ready to BAKE! Get ready for your house to smell amazing.
Bake for 45-55 minutes – it should be done when you can insert a toothpick and nothing or just a little bit of crumb comes out.
Once it’s done baking, let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then gently invert it onto a cooling rack. HELLO BEAUTIFUL.
Let it cool for another 10 minutes or so and then time to cut into it!
You can definitely sprinkle a dusting of powdered sugar on top for additional tastiness or you can add vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.
Enjoy every bite!
Storing Leftovers:
Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Of course, it’s always best to eat it fresh – but if you’re warming it up, try it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Enjoy!
Did you like this cake? Here are a few others recipes you might like:
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Upside Down Plum Cornmeal Cake
This Upside Down Plum Cornmeal Cake is SO delicious! It’s the perfect light Summer dessert! Made using ripe and sweet plums, a dash of cornmeal, this is light, fluffy and oh so yummy!
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp (1 stick) salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup full fat sour cream
- 5-6 small plums, sliced thinly
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- cooking spray or extra butter to grease the cake pan
Instructions
Making Cake Batter
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Preheat oven to 350.
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Add the softened butter to a large bowl. Use a mixer to cream the butter until soft and creamy. To the bowl, add in the sugar and use a mixer to mix together.
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Next, add in the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined, and then the vanilla extract.
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Add in the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and cinnamon and fold in until fully combined using wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Lastly, gently fold in the sour cream.
Baking the Cake
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Generously grease an 8 or 9 inch cake pan with either butter or cooking spray.
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Slice the plums long ways and thin - begin to arrange them in the cake pan, working from the outside in. Don’t layer them on top of one another - one layer will suffice!
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Add brown sugar on top of the plums and spread out evenly.
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Add the cake batter on top and spread out evenly.
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Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the middle of the pan and it comes out mostly clean (a few crumbs are okay)
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Remove from the oven once cooked through and let cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and let continue to let cool for another 10 minutes or so. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!