BLACK PLUM + MOLASSES UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
For years, my family has been making a plum “tart” recipe that was given to us by a friend. The “tart” is really more like a cake, fruity and sweet, and perfect for breakfast.
A few weeks ago, I started playing around with the recipe, seeing how successful I could be in staying true to the idea of the "tart," while making it my own. I have been intrigued with adding molasses to desserts, but the flavor (not to mention the color) can be overpowering.
As it turns out, the deeply flavored and heavy molasses works great with the sweet and slightly tart plums. The molasses also gives off some spice flavors, like ginger and cinnamon, without having to add them to the batter.
A few weeks ago, I started playing around with the recipe, seeing how successful I could be in staying true to the idea of the "tart," while making it my own. I have been intrigued with adding molasses to desserts, but the flavor (not to mention the color) can be overpowering.
As it turns out, the deeply flavored and heavy molasses works great with the sweet and slightly tart plums. The molasses also gives off some spice flavors, like ginger and cinnamon, without having to add them to the batter.
As I mentioned, we always called this cake a “tart. ” When I began recipe testing for this post, I decided to do some research to try to find out the "tart's" origins. I never found out why our friend called it a “tart,” but I did find out that the original cake recipe may actually be a variation of a traditional German plum cake, or Zwetschgendatschi, the Bavarian word for plum cake.
One of the best parts of this recipe is that it is so simple! It is a one-bowl recipe, and unlike many plum cakes, uses fresh cut plums which need no additional cooking -- their natural sweetness comes out just by baking (with some help from sugar and cinnamon). This cake also needs no frosting or glaze. It is perfectly sweet and moist and dense all on its own.
One of the best parts of this recipe is that it is so simple! It is a one-bowl recipe, and unlike many plum cakes, uses fresh cut plums which need no additional cooking -- their natural sweetness comes out just by baking (with some help from sugar and cinnamon). This cake also needs no frosting or glaze. It is perfectly sweet and moist and dense all on its own.
Ingredients:
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2 cups gluten-free flour mix*
2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 cup sugar 1 cup butter (softened) 1/3 cup molasses 4 eggs 2-4 black plums (depending on the size of the pan) Sugar/cinnamon *note* I make my own gluten-free flour mix rather than buying the pre-packaged variety (although pre-packaged mixes should work just fine, too). I found my go-to mix on the blog Gluten-Free Goddess. It is a combination of 1 cup sorghum flour, 1 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup almond meal and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. I keep a container of the mix handy at all times, so that I can just scoop out however much I need, when I need it! |
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the softened butter and eggs and mix to combine. Add the molasses and stir well so that the molasses is fully incorporated in the batter. Set aside.
Cut plums into eighths. In a small bowl, mix together a small amount of sugar and cinnamon.
Spray a bread pan with cooking spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit perfectly in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle a thin layer of the sugar/cinnamon mix on top of the parchment paper. Lay the plum slices over the sugar/cinnamon in one layer, fit close together so that the slices are touching, even slightly overlapping. Pour batter on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool completely before inverting and removing the parchment paper.
Cut plums into eighths. In a small bowl, mix together a small amount of sugar and cinnamon.
Spray a bread pan with cooking spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit perfectly in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle a thin layer of the sugar/cinnamon mix on top of the parchment paper. Lay the plum slices over the sugar/cinnamon in one layer, fit close together so that the slices are touching, even slightly overlapping. Pour batter on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool completely before inverting and removing the parchment paper.