Individual Plum Upside-down Cakes

Summer is slowly coming to a close and autumn is almost here. Plums seemed like the perfect fruit to use in a warm dessert. This recipe only makes four little cakes so don't feel bad if you eat two in one sitting :). Think of it as "there's fruit!". Upside down cake always seems so welcoming because of it's warmth and the sauce that's already there making the cake a little more sweet because of the natural fruit juices (and a little sugar).

You could probably use any fruit you wanted for these such as peaches or maybe even cherries. I would be concerned the cherries would just fall of though after you flip them out of the dish, but you never know. My husband reheated one in the oven for 10 minutes when he got home and it looked exactly the same as when I turned one out fresh after making them, steam and all. He says he really liked it. I know I really liked it :). These don't take much time to prepare and they're really easy and impressive to serve. Of course, you could always add some whipped cream to it to make it even more decadent. 

Individual Plum Upside-down Cakes

Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 3 large red plums (or 5 small), pitted and quartered (about 1/2 pound)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Dash of salt
- Cooking spray
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (3 ounces) lowfat milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract

Directions:
1. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add plums, and cook 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup sugar, cinnamon, and dash of salt. Cook 5-7 minutes or until plums are tender, stirring frequently. Remove plums from pan using a slotted spoon. Bring cooking liquid to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until liquid is very thick (consistency of jam).
2. While the cooking liquid reduces, arrange plums in the bottom of four 4-ounce ramekins coated with cooking spray. Pour reduced cooking liquid over plums. Let cool.

3. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt, stirring well with a whisk. Beat 2 tablespoons butter and remaining ¼ cup sugar with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add the egg, beating well until completely mixed. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat in almond extract
4. Pour batter over plums, spreading batter evenly. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around outside edge. Place a plate upside down on top of cakes. Invert cake onto plates; cool.

Printable recipe

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Magazine - September 2005

This recipe may be linked up to:

· Inside BruCrew Life - Trick or Treat Tuesday's

· Crazy For Crust - Crazy Sweet Tuesday’s
· Alli 'n Sons - Sweet Tooth Friday 
· DJ's Sugar Shack - Whatcha Whipped Up?

· Mrs. Fox's Sweets - Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party 

· Sweet as Sugar Cookies - Sweets for a Saturday 
· Mandy's Recipe Box - Totally Tasty Tuesday's

· A Pinch of Joy - Busy Monday Link Party 

· House of Hepworth's - Hookin up with HoH 

· Cups by Kim - Sweet & Simple Sunday  

· Couponing & Cooking - Mealtime Monday 

· What's Cooking, Love? - Showcase Your Talent Thursday 

· Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo - Anything Goes Linky
· Chef in training - Tuesday Talent Show

· Dwell on Joy - Dwell on Friday 

· Six Sister's Stuff - Strut Your Stuff Saturday

· Something Swanky: Desserts & Designs - Sweet Treats Thursday 

· A Slice of Southern - Southern Sundays 

· Me and My Sweets - My Sweet Party