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plum upside-down cornmeal cake

 

Crimson red and golden slices of ripe plums adorn the hidden top of a slightly crunchy cornmeal cake in this recipe, all you have to do is wait until the cake cools before removing it from the pan and flipping it over to reveal the colorful display.  My husband loved this cake after dinner and for breakfast, that's all I needed to know before sharing this recipe with you.  The medium small purple plums came from our local farmers market, they ripened in a bowl on my counter just in time to top this not overly sweet wonderful crunchy cake.

Ingredients and Recipe for Plum Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake
Serves 8

Preheat the oven to 350F
Spray an 8" Springform cake pan

8 medium small purple plums
Cinnamon sugar *for sprinkling (about 1-2 tablespoons) divided
* cinnamon sugar made with granulated sugar sprinkled with cinnamon to taste

Prepare the Fruit

Wash and slice the plums, removing the pits.
Sprinkle the sprayed pan with cinnamon sugar and arrange the plum slices in the pan.
Sprinkle the plums with additional cinnamon sugar.

Make the Cake

1&1/4 all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fine cornmeal
1&1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, soft at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking sods, sea salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, add the vanilla.  Stir in the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, ending with the flour.  Pour the batter over the fruit and gently spread evenly to cover.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until browned on top and sides of the cake come away from the pan.  Let the cake cool completely before removing sides of the springform pan and carefully flipping cake over on to a serving plate and finally lifting off the bottom of the pan.  The cake is best eaten the day it's made but lasts for three days on the counter.





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