Summer is the season for peaches and plums. As I taste samples at various fruit stalls of the Santa Monica Farmers Market, I lose control and buy at least 15 to 20 pounds of both fruits. What’ll I do with all that fruit? After making some preserves, I’m thinking of making this peachy plum upside down cake for my next pool party.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 35 to 40 minutes
Makes: One 9-inch cake

Ingredients (for preparing & placing fruit at bottom of pan):

2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil (for greasing)
One 9-inch springform pan
One 9-inch parchment paper circle (cut the parchment to fit inside bottom of pan)
Juice of 1 lime
2 medium peaches
2 large plums
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar (preferably unbleached)
1 extra peach (for garnishing cake)
1 or 2 extra plums (for garnishing cake)

Ingredients (for cake batter to pour over fruit in pan):

2 cups unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar (preferably unbleached)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cup milk (whole, 2% milk fat, 1% milkfat or nonfat)

Slice & Prepare the Peaches & Plums:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Grease and flour the sides of springform pan.

3. Place parchment paper circle to fit in bottom of pan; set aside.

4. Squeeze lime juice into a 2 or 3-quart bowl and set aside.

5. Meanwhile, peel the peaches, cut them in half and remove pit. Thinly slice the peaches and place them in bowl with lime juice, giving them a light stir (be careful not to break the slices). Set aside.

6. Thinly slice the plums (do not peel them) and add them to the peaches in bowl. Give them a light stir and set aside.

7. Brush the parchment paper in pan with vegetable oil and then sprinkle it with 1/3 cup sugar; set pan aside.

Prepare the Cake Batter:

1. In a 1-quart bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract (alternately, this step can be done with an electric hand mixer and regular bowl). Stir in the milk and mix well until batter is uniform.

3. Pour the batter over prepared fruit in pan.

4. Set the pan on a rack positioned in center of oven.

5. Bake the cake for 25 minutes.

6. After 25 minutes, test doneness of cake by inserting a sharp, pointed knife in its center. If knife comes out clean, the cake is done.

7. Since each oven heats differently, it may be necessary to bake the cake in additional increments of 5 minutes, testing doneness with knife each time.

8. When cake is done, transfer it (do not remove cake from pan) to a counter to cool.

9. Cool the cake in pan for 30 minutes.

10. After 30 minutes, invert cake onto a serving platter.

11. Remove sides of pan and peel off the parchment paper from cake.

Serve cake, garnished with mint leaf sprigs and additional slices of peaches and plums.

Optional: Garnish each cake slice with our 5-Minute Sweetened Whipped Cream recipe, previously published on this website (in Desserts, Creams & Sauces).

Text and Photograph ©2013 Nancy DeLucia Real