Stranger Things in the Upside Down Plum/Lime Cake

I saw this in Bon Appetite and thought it a strange pairing. As it turns out, it is a fantastic pairing. The sweet/sourness of the lime caramel paired with the sweet, moist, delicate yellow cake is fantastic! Thank you Bon Appetite.

Plum and Lime Upside-Down Cake

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/plum-and-lime-upside-down-cake-recipe


INGREDIENTS
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour (188 g), plus more for pan
• 4–5 large red plums, cut into ½”-thick wedges (about 1 lb.)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided
• 2 Tbsp. finely grated lime zest
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• Vanilla ice cream (for serving; optional)

METHOD

  1. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Lightly butter a 9″-diameter cake pan and dust with all-purpose flour; tap out excess. Line bottom of pan with a parchment paper round. Wrap wet bake even strip around the cake pan to reduce doming.
  2. Arrange 4-5 large red plums, cut into ½”-thick wedges (about 8 oz.), in a circular pattern in pan,starting from center and working outward and overlapping if needed.
  3. Whisk 1 tsp. baking powder, 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl.
  4. Combine 2 Tbsp. finely grated lime zest and 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar in a large bowl and rub together with your fingers until evenly distributed, sugar starts to clump, and mixture is very fragrant. Add ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 2 large eggs, room
    temperature, one at a time, beating to combine between each addition, then add 1 tsp. vanilla extract and beat 10 seconds. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in dry ingredients,
    scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add ½ cup whole milk, room temperature, and mix just until combined. Set batter aside.
  5. Bring remaining ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, remaining 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 3 Tbsp. water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Carefully
    add ¼ cup fresh lime juice, watching out for spatter, and cook undisturbed until liquid is thickened and beginning to turn a deep amber color, 5–7 minutes. Gently stir, remove from heat, and immediately pour lime caramel evenly over plums in pan. Scrape reserved batter over and smooth surface if needed.
  6. Spoon cake batter in large portions over all the plum layer and spread with an offset spatula.
  7. Bake cake until golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan.
  8. Run an offset spatula along edges of cooled cake to loosen. Set a platter upside down over pan and flip over to release cake. Carefully remove pan and peel away parchment paper; discard.
    Serve warm or room temperature, topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream if desired.

Chocolat de Couverture Noir

On a visit to a Restaurant Depot my Q.C. Department convinced me to buy 11 lbs of bulk Chocolat de Couverture Noir. (64% is dark chocolate is not very bitter. I use 73% for dark bitter chocolate.) My question is… what should I make with it?

I am thinking Pain au Chocolat, chocolate croissants, chocolate chip cookies and/or brownies. Note the fluidity on the package. This chocolate is suitable for coating caramel, creams, berries and other confections.

Last year I made an over the top chocolate/orange tart. My neighbor’s orange tree has a abundance of oranges too high up for her to harvest. Hmmm……

Maybe something I made before: Eclairs? Chocolate Babka? Soufflés? Chocolate pudding? (Try the easy home made chocolate pudding recipe.) Chocolate chip scones? Lava Cake? Chocolate Fudge? Oh yes, chocolate fudge!!! (Maybe chocolate/peanut butter fudge, the QC department doesn’t like Chocolate/peanut butter fudge.)

Andy other suggestions?????

Little Jack Horner said, “Let Them Eat Cake!”

I have a recipe for fig cake, but currently have an over abundance of sliced plums in the freezer and this year’s crop is on the tree. Substituting the plums for figs was a good choice. The tartness of the plums paired nicely with the sweetness of the cake. Now, what to do with the bags of frozen figs?