Plum-Cardamom Upside-Down Cake

By David Tanis

Updated Oct. 6, 2025

Plum-Cardamom Upside-Down Cake
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes, plus cooling
Prep Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(63)
Comments
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Turn this easy to make (and easy to love) cake right-side up, and it’s a rustic beauty, generously made with any kind of plum. It keeps well and actually improves the longer it sits. So don’t give big servings. Have a reasonable sliver at the table after dinner and save a nice fat slice for breakfast.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

    For the Topping

    • Unsalted butter, for greasing pan
    • 1cup/220 grams packed light brown sugar
    • 2pounds plums, pitted and sliced into wedges (about 7 plums)
    • 2tablespoons lemon juice

    For the Cake

    • 1⅓cups/260 grams granulated sugar
    • 4large eggs, at room temperature
    • ½teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted
    • 1⅓cup/170 grams all-purpose flour
    • 2teaspoons baking powder
    • 1teaspoon ground cardamom
    • Pinch of salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

391 calories; 13 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 52 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 130 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Coat the bottom of the pan evenly with light brown sugar. Toss plum slices with lemon juice, then arrange in a single layer on the sugar, skin side down. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Put granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or in a sturdy mixing bowl if using a whisk). Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium until the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add butter. Increase speed a bit and continue beating until mixture is fluffy, another 5 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Sift together flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt. On low speed, add flour mixture to egg-sugar mixture. Stir briefly to incorporate into a smooth batter.

  4. Step 4

    Spread the batter over the plums in the prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

  5. Step 5

    Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then invert over a cake platter. Loosen and remove pan. Cool completely to room temperature.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
63 user ratings
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Comments

Nell

And what kind of plum? Three types are at my grocery store: very big black plums, medium size purple plums (round and slighty red skin) and small Italian prune plums. I just made the classic plum torte recipe (which does not specific what type of plum) and it was a total failure: the ripe purple plums I got stayed firm and did not cook down like in the picture. The result was: a boring white cake with hard plum halves on top. So before I do this recipe PLEASE let us know: WHAT KIND OF PLUMS?!

Lynn

“Generously made with any kind of pear” while probably true, plum is in the title so is this from a different recipe? Perhaps I’ll try with 6 of one, half a dozen if the other.

Meg

Plum or pear? Or both?

Michele

Bake at 335 degrees in toaster oven Add nutmeg, ginger and almond extract (½ t) cut sugar by 60 g. topping - 2/3 light and 1/3 dark brown and squeeze lemon over the plums once put in slivered almonds around sides once plums are set in spinkle slivered almonds on top when out of oven

Erin

I added about a Tsp cinnamon with the cardamom, and per other suggestions, put parchment down before the brown sugar/plums. It was really really good! It did take longer for the center to be done, but we may have beat it with the hand mixer too long. One idea for those that are saying it fell in the middle: When it says to sift the flour/baking powder/cardamom/salt together, I put those together all in a large measuring cup (or bowl or whatever you have). Then I sifted the flour mixture into the batter (Instead of sifting it into one container then dumping it into the batter as written, I actually sifted into the batter). Then all you need to do is give some good stirs & fold it all together. That may have helped keep it light and from collapsing. Who really knows. Baking is a fickle science! Especially in the dry high elevation Mountain West where I am!

Rivka, Napa CA

Made this cake as written. Used 4 1/2 very large plums from farmer's market found the amount of brown sugar to be too much causing a leak into oven floor so I will cut it in half next time. Baked the cake for 65 minutes which gave a deep brown to top but once the cake cooled and flipped, it looked amazing and the cake was moist, delicious and not too sweet. Easy to make especially if the butter is very soft which yielded a great thick whipped batter. Will certainly make it again and again.

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