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.

Chocolate Chile Cake (CCC)!!

I'm back again with a Temptation which is called C3, CHOCOLATE CHILE CAKE . If you are a chocolate person, this is the cake for you bcoz it is the GOD of chocolate!! I happened to watch the first episode of Daisy Martinez on food network by accident and knew right away once she stated that there was NO FLOUR in this cake that I had to make it right then for no occasion and no reason at all.

I followed the recipe and could hardly wait to see what it looked like the next morning. I would have loved to serve this cake with the cinnamon ice cream but last minute did not find any so I got a mint ice-cream instead and served with raspberries. Thanks to the FN for a great tasting flavorful cake.

The reason why this cake is so special is.........Easy to make. Looks beautiful. Incredibly rich. No flour needed. Strong coffee flavor and a small slice is plenty. This cake turned out perfect on the first try and it tasted like something out of a gourmet chocolate shop, in other words just EXQUISITE . The espresso really brings out intense flavors in the chocolate, while the cayenne pepper creates a subtle warmth in the back of the throat giving a new level of complexity. Adding chili to cake may seem counter-intuitive, but it actually adds a subtle depth of flavor. But do not worry bcoz the ice cream cools everything down.

This moist layer cake offers a nice twist on an old classic. It needs the ice cream to cut down the "oh so richness" of the cake. It's a wonderful finish to a special meal. Make it for a dinner party or get-together event and i bet ya they are gone before you know it! Your guests cannot stop raving about it. I will make this cake again and again and again....boy, I'm so gonna get fat!

Here's the recipe you are waiting for:

Prep Time :10 min

Inactive Prep Time :6-8hrs

Cook Time :1 hr 20 mins

Servings : 12-16

You will Need:

1 cup espresso

1 packed cup dark brown sugar

1-3 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed

12 ounces (2 cups) semisweet chocolate

4 ounces (4 Squares) unsweetened chocolate

6 large eggs, beaten

Ice cream and raspberries, for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan: Cut a circle of parchment the size of the removable bottom of the pan. Fit the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan. Tear off an 18-inch length of aluminum foil. Center the pan over the sheet of foil and crumple and crimp the foil all around the sides of the pan. (The foil will prevent water from seeping into the pan during baking.) Set the pan aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the espresso, brown sugar and the cinnamon sticks to a simmer over very low heat.

Simmer until the syrup is very fragrant, about 20 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted, and then stir in the cayenne pepper. Set aside.

Pulse the chocolate in the food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a deep bowl.

Pour in the warm coffee syrup and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the beaten eggs until completely blended.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan in a large, deep, oven-proof skillet or a roasting pan and set on the oven rack.

Pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake until center is set and barely wiggles when you shake the pan gently, 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool the cake to room temperature. Remove the foil and chill the cake in the pan at least 8 hours.

Run a wet knife around the sides of the pan then pop the spring to release. Place a platter on top of the cake and flip over.

Remove the bottom of the pan, and peel off the parchment. Serve with ice cream of your choice and raspberries.

Quick Notes:

1) Make sure that the pan is crumpled properly with the aluminium foil, preferably a thicker one bcoz even a small leak can spoil the whole cake.

2) You can use white sugar instead of brown sugar but y go for a plain one when you can get wonderful molasses and caramel notes with this brown sugar. And i like to go for dark brown instead of a light brown b'coz it really packs in the flavor and it has got nice spongy tackiness.

3) Cinnamon ice-cream goes well with this cake, but you can also try flavours like mango, coconut, mint and even vanilla.

4) For those concerned about the chile heat,be aware that not all cayenne is created equal. It can be either standard or hot with the "glow" level dependent on what kind and where it was produced.

To lower the heat but keep the chile flavor, try using ancho chile powder.

You can also try this cake without using cayenne but i like that little kick in my cake.

This cake would be perfect for a birthday party bcoz children would go gaga. So y not you try it next time and make everyone happy.

Hope you had fun watching the slide show and the pics.

Write to me.

See you next time.

Until then, ADIOS!!!