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Home » Dairy Free Recipes » Gluten Free Plum Upside Down Cake

Gluten Free Plum Upside Down Cake

Cakes, Bakes and Biscuits, Recipes

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Introducing my Gluten Free Plum Upside Down Cake Recipe. But hold the press! This is not only gluten free but also dairy and egg free too. Of course you may not need a ‘vegan’ version so fear not because I have tips on how to make this egg-filled too if you wish, so read on if that’s you.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Egg Free Plum Upside Down Cake

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  • What plums should I use for this upside down cake?
  • How to prepare the plums
  • When are plums in season?
  • Can I make this plum cake with egg and dairy?
  • How to make a no-fail upside down cake?
  • Soggy bottom upside down cakes!
  • Ingredients you will need
  • Equipment you will need
  • Some other fruity gluten free recipe ideas
  • Gluten Free Plum Upside Down Cake Recipe

What plums should I use for this upside down cake?

Quick answer – any plum will do for this recipe. I have my own Victoria plum tree at home, it’s still only a baby tree but its branches bow heavily at this time of the year with delicious fruit. If you have a huge harvest of your own or have been gifted a bag and find yourself thinking ‘what can I do with a lot of plums?’ then this is an easy, quick and safe-for-most recipe.

How to prepare the plums

Very little needs to be done to prep the plums for this upside down cake. I simply wash the plums, carefully score them lengthways with a peeling knife and twist the two halves apart. If the plums are perfectly ripe you should be able to pick the stone out with ease. That’s it. Just make sure you have enough plum halves to line the base of the 20cm cake tin.

When are plums in season?

Typically, here in the UK, plums are in season in August with maybe a few stragglers ripening into early September. This is not true of the Mirabelle Plum however. This tiny little round plum family ripen earlier throughout July.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Egg Free Plum Upside Down Cake

Can I make this plum cake with egg and dairy?

To make this plum upside down cake essentially vegan, as well as gluten free, I’ve had to make a few tweaks to a standard gluten free sponge. As a result, simply adding an egg or two wouldn’t necessarily work.

I have developed another upside down cake that does have egg in it that you may like to try. Simply make that sponge batter and pour over your arranged plums. Gluten Free Rhubarb and Apple Upside Down Cake

Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Egg Free Plum Upside Down Cake

How to make a no-fail upside down cake?

The key to the perfect upside down cake is preparation. I line the bottom of the cake tin (ideally a loose bottom tin) with baking paper and brush the side of the tin with a bit of the melted ‘butter’.

The other thing to consider is the type of fruit you use for the bottom/top of the cake. Some fruits hold more natural water than others so bear this in mind or else you may end up with an overly soggy bottom (more about that further down).

Plums are naturally high in water content, I should know, my tree is very thirsty and constantly needs watering!

The final thing to remember is that the bottom of your cake will become the top. So bear this in mind when you decorate the bottom of your lined cake tin. For example, I arranged my plums with the stone side down. You may wish to do the opposite and arrange yours so that the colourful skin side will be visible when you turn the cake out – there is not right or wrong answer to this. That said, my way works better for area coverage.

The top tip I can give you is the closer the fruit is, i.e. less gaps, the more dramatic your cake will look when you turn it out.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Egg Free Plum Upside Down Cake

Soggy bottom upside down cakes!

Some like it soggy, others not so much! If you find that your upside down cake has turned out too soggy it could be that the fruit was super ripe and the flesh had started to break down making the fruit juicier.

As this recipe uses juicy plums you will be more prone to a soggier resulting cake. As mentioned above I’m constantly having to water my tree so they have a natural high water content.

Another contributing fact to a soggy upside down cake could be down to the cake simply sweating a bit while it cooled in the tin.

If you’re not a fan of soggy bottoms (or in this case tops) then do what I do – grill it!

The images below show this particular upside down cake before and after I have grilled it. To be fair, it wasn’t overly soggy but I still did it for demonstration purposes.

This was carefully placed on a baking sheet and under a preheated grill for 2 minutes. As you can see the cake has gone a warmer golden colour and any little soggy patches have pretty much disappeared.

Good news! It won’t dry the cake itself out so don’t worry if you do want to try this little trick.

before grilling
after grilling

Ingredients you will need

  • ripe plums
  • gluten free self raising flour
  • caster sugar
  • dairy free butter
  • dairy free milk
  • lemon juice
  • vanilla extract

Equipment you will need

  • 20cm round cake tin
  • mixing bowl
  • silicone spatula
  • whisk
  • baking paper
  • cooling rack
Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Egg Free Plum Upside Down Cake

Some other fruity gluten free recipe ideas

Gluten Free Mirabelle Plum Galette
A deliciously simple recipe, perfect for a Mirabelle harvest. Can be made with all variety of soft fruits too. Both gluten free and dairy free plus no egg so this is vegan too. Never the prettiest of bakes but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in taste.
Check out this recipe
Gluten Free Apple and Blackberry Crumble
What is not to love with this gluten free apple and blackberry crumble. Even better when you use foraged fruit from hedgerows, free fruit always tastes better! Can even be enjoyed all year round if you have freeze the apple and blackberries when in season. Easily to make dairy free and vegan too.
Check out this recipe
Apple & Cinnamon Cake
Gluten Free and easily made egg and dairy free too. This Apple & Cinnamon Cake is a firm favourite of mine, it comes out delicious every time no matter what apple is in season. Why not try with a Bramley or a Cox, slightly different taste, same scrumptious results.
Check out this recipe

Gluten Free Plum Upside Down Cake Recipe

If you make it and like the recipe I would be eternally grateful if you popped back and commented leaving a star rating as this will tell search engines that this recipe is worth checking out and others will get to find it in searches.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Egg Free Plum Upside Down Cake

Gluten Free Plum Upside Down Cake

Glutarama
Deliciously simple cake to make with a bumper harvest of plums! Delicious eaten cold or warm with custard. Not just gluten free but dairy free and egg free too.
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Tea Time
Cuisine British
Servings 10 slices
Calories 180 kcal

Equipment

  • 20cm round cake tin
  • mixing bowl
  • silicone spatula
  • whisk
  • baking paper
  • cooling rack

Ingredients
 
 

  • 10 ripe plums amount will vary depending on the size of your plums
  • 130 g gluten free self raising flour
  • 130 g caster sugar
  • 75 g dairy free butter, melted allow to cool slightly
  • 130 ml dairy free milk I use soya milk
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice you could use apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Line a loose bottom cake tin with a circle of baking paper and grease the sides.
  • Carefully score each plum lengthways and twist to reveal the stone. This can be pinched out with your finger and thumb.
    TOP TIP: arranging the fruit with less gaps will achieve a better looking cake once turned out. Also remember the bottom of the cake will be the top so face the plums stone-side down first.
  • In a large bowl beat the dairy free milk, flour and caster sugar until thick and creamy, next add the melted (cooled) butter and vanilla extract.
  • Finally add the lemon juice and whisk into a thick silky cake batter. You will see the acid reacting with the baking agents to create little bubbles of air, try to keep as many of these as possible.
  • Pour the cake batter over the arranged plums.
  • Bake in the oven at 170°C | 150°C Fan | 325°F | Gas 3 for 40 mins.
  • Loosen from the edges and allow to cool totally before turning out upside down onto a plate.

Soggy Bottom?

  • If you're not a fan of soggy cakes, then pop the unturned cake under a hot grill for 1-2 minutes to toast it a little. This also adds a lovely warm colour to the cake.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Plum Upside Down Cake
Amount per Serving
Calories
180
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
7
g
11
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
5
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
3
g
Sodium
 
77
mg
3
%
Potassium
 
127
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
 
29
g
10
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
20
g
22
%
Protein
 
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
 
547
IU
11
%
Vitamin C
 
8
mg
10
%
Calcium
 
32
mg
3
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Dairy Free, Easy, Gluten Free, Plum, Simple, Upside Down
Have you tried this recipe?Let me know how it was & I will be super grateful. Take a picture & tag me @glutarama on your social media posts – I love seeing your photos more than you will ever know x
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Gluten Free Plum Upside Down Cake
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*disclaimer: I use affiliate codes on my website, the vast majority are to Amazon. If you click on any of the links or images in the post and make a purchase my family will benefit from a small % of that purchase at no extra cost to you.

For full transparency, in 2020 I made my first £25, and in 2022 I reached my next £25 (Amazon don’t transfer the money until you reach £25). Recently I got paid a whopping £27.10 for 2023.

So to date I have made £78.58 since I first started the scheme in 2017. It won’t pay the bills, that’s for sure but it does help to pay for ingredients or little treats to cheer me up!

17/08/2023 · Leave a Comment

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Hi I'm Rebecca, slightly bonkers but can you blame me! Mum to two teens with additional needs and a great combination of dietary requirements. With over 15 years experience of cooking gluten free from scratch. Please note: whilst we are not a vegan family, many of my bakes are vegan or have a vegan alternative as I cannot tolerate dairy or eggs. Welcome to my site you lovely person, now learn how to make anything gluten free with me!

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