Jasmine and Ginger Plum Upside-Down Cake ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

Anything that has more buttercream than it does cake is going to be a no-no for me" - Paul Hollywood.  That is why an upside down cake is sheer perfection.

It is #CakeSliceBakers time, and since we finished baking through World Class Cakes, this month The Cake Slice Baker's have free choice and can choose a cake from any book that The Cake Slice Baker's have previously baked from - Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes, Southern Cakes, Cake Keeper Cakes, The Cake Book, Vintage Cakes, Great Cakes, The Southern Cake Book, Maida Heatter's Cakes, & World Class Cakes. Stay tuned as next month we will be announcing which cake book we have chosen and will bake through in 2018!

A little background on the #CakeSliceBakers ~ each month the Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the book and we each choose one cake to bake. On the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important one is to have fun (and enjoy baking & eating cakes!). If you are interested in baking along with The Cake Slice Baker's next year please send me an email - thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com.

I went way back to 2011-2012 when we were baking from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle.  Tish is an immensely talented baker who was the editor of Chocolatier magazine, and is the author of The Good Cookie, Flavorful, Chocolate Passion, and Grand Finales to name a few, and of course The Cake Book. This is a cookbook that has very few photos, and I know that some baker's do not like a book without lots of photos, but I love this book.  The recipe for Jasmine and Ginger Plum Upside-Down Cake does not have a photos, but it gave me the opportunity to make it as I wanted to - a photo does not mean that you have to follow every little detail.  Make it your own.  And that is what I did with this cake.  For example I used rosy-colored plums instead of the dark purple ones and I love ginger so I was a little more liberal with how much I sprinkled onto the cake.  I really didn't need a picture to tell me my cake was good, I just relied on the smiles on the face of my family as they enjoyed each slice. And by the way, those beautiful flowers you can see in the photos, were a gift from my four amazing daughters for my birthday - love you girls!

Please scroll down after the recipe to see all the beautiful cakes that were baked this month, and don't forget to check out our Facebookpage. Also, if you are interested in joining the #TheCakeSliceBakers, please send me an email at thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com, and I will send you more information.


Jasmine and Ginger Plum Upside-Down Cake
Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients
Plum Topping ~

• 455g (1lb) medium-sized ripe black plums (about 5)
• 240ml (1 cup) boiling water 
• 2 orange jasmine or jasmine tea bags
• 25g (2 tablespoons) sugar
• 60g (2 oz) butter, cut into small cubes
• 110g (½ cup) brown sugar, firmly packed
• 20g (2 tablespoons) crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Cake ~

• 200g (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• pinch of salt
• 125g (9 tablespoons) butter, softened

Preparation
Plum Topping ~

1. Cut each plum in half,  remove the pit, slice into ¼-inch thick wedges, and place in a medium bowl.
2. Pour the boiling water into a cup and add the tea bags, letting them infuse for about 10 minutes.
3. Remove the tea bags from the water and stir in the sugar, mixing until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Pour the warm tea over the sliced plums and let them stand for 20 minutes.
5. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 180℉ (350℃).
6. Put the butter in a 9-inch round cake pan and place the pan over low heat.
7. When the butter is melted, stir in the brown sugar until mostly blended, and remove the pan from the heat; set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
8. Arrange a circle of plum wedges (you do not need to drain them), slightly overlapping them, around the edge of the pan on top of the brown sugar.
9. Arrange another circle of wedges in the center, facing the opposite direction, covering the brown sugar topping completely.
10. Sprinkle the crystallized ginger over the plums.

Cake ~

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl, whisking to combine; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the beater blade attached, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.
3. Gradually add the sugar and beat a thigh speed until the mixture is lightened in texture and color, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, eating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Beat in the vanilla extract.
6. At low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating it with the milk in two additions, and mixing just until combined.
7. Spoon the batter in large dollops over the plums, then smooth it into an even layer.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched.
9. Set the pan on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.
10. Run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the pan, and using a pot holder carefully invert the cake onto a cake plate.
11. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

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