Plum Upside-Down Cake OR 'Tatin' !!

Here i'm with yet another Temptation, call it an Upside-Down cake or TATIN or even CLAFOUTIS (baked french dessert)...this recipe is just one of the greatest inventions ever, crazy simple to make, yet so exotic.


There is no doubt that if you make this cake right, you will drool in it!! I have wanted to make this recipe ever since I saw Ina make it on "Barefoot Contessa", and today I bit the bullet. I've never tried to make a tatin until today and I'm so glad that it came out so well.
It ended up being super easy to make and the cake popped out with no problems. This was my first ever attempt at caramelizing sugar too,and it went well--though I don't have a candy thermometer. 


Good thing about this cake is that you really can use any fruit you'd like, substitute whatever fruit or fruits look yummy for the season and this dessert always tastes delicious! I went for red big plums this time but next time i'm going to try apples and peaches. Berries, cherries or even sliced bananas would be great if you want to  try the tatin.

Sour cream keeps the cake moist. It is kind of juicy, but I love the juice and caramel that have soaked into the cake; it's a yummy, squishy, comforting dish of AWESOME! Its a great dessert if you want decadence but not super heavy. All in all, this cake is gorgeous and impressive visually, but more importantly, it's completely divine and delicious!

Here's the recipe:

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time : 1 Hour

You will Need:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the dish 

10 purple or red "prune" plums, cut in half and pitted

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Confectioners' sugar (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-inch glass pie dish and arrange the plums in the dish, cut side down.

Combine 1 cup of the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it turns a warm amber color, about 360 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Swirl the pan but don't stir. Pour evenly over the plums.

Meanwhile, cream the 6 tablespoons of butter and the remaining 3/4 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream, zest, and vanilla and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and, with the mixer on low speed, add it to the butter mixture. Mix only until combined.

Pour the cake batter evenly over the plums and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a flat plate. If a plum sticks, ease it out and replace it in the design on top of the cake.

Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Quick Notes:

Go light on the lemon zest - Its nice to have it but it can easily overwhelm the cake.

I ended up slicing the plums and drying them with a papertowel, then after caramel was almost hardened I noticed quite a bit of juice on the top so I was able to pour off the excess prior to adding the cake.  It was not only delicious but the presentation was gorgeous!

Let the top get nicely brown and when you pull it out of the oven, hold it above your head and make sure that all the bottom surface of the pan is bubbly and juicy.

Be ready to pour the sugar mixture over the fruit as soon as it's ready. It can go from just right to burned in a matter of seconds!

Once the cake is baked and turned out on the platter, sprinkle it with cinnamon if you don't want confectioner sugar. Telling you again, you'd just drool over a piece of this cake, its so luscious. It will be a hit dessert for any kind of party.

Here goes the final click and the last piece!! Enjoy.

Hope you had fun reading the making of this tatin. 

Do write to me if you have any queries.

Adios for now. Will come back soon with another interesting Temptation shortly.