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–+ servings

Plum Upside Down Cake (Vegan + GF)

Easy plum upside down cake with juicy, tart plums nestled into soft, fluffy, perfectly sweet almond cake. Vegan, gluten-free, and perfect for brunch or dessert. Just 10 ingredients required!
Author Minimalist Baker
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Removing a slice of plum upside down cake from a plate
4.92 from 24 votes
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 10 (Slices)
Course Dessert
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 1-2 Days

Ingredients

  • 2-4 ripe plums or apricots*, pitted and thinly sliced into 1/4-1/2-inch slices (enough to cover the bottom of the pie pan)
  • 1/2 cup organic cane sugar (plus more for dusting pan)
  • 1/4 cup softened vegan butter (plus more for greasing // we like Miyoko’s)
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
  • 1 ½ cups almond flour (we like Wellbee’s)
  • 1/2 cup dairy-free milk (plain, unsweetened // we used almond milk)
  • 1/2 cup potato starch
  • 1/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and grease a 9-inch pie pan generously with vegan butter. Dust the bottom of the pan with 2 tablespoons of sugar.
  • Place the sliced plums in the sugar, arranging them in a circular pattern (see photo). Try to fill any large spaces with fruit.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the sugar and softened vegan butter for about 30 seconds on high. Next, add applesauce and almond extract (optional). Beat again on high speed until light, fluffy, and pale in color — about 30 seconds.
  • Add the almond flour and beat again until the mixture looks like cookie dough. Add the dairy-free milk and mix on medium-low speed until fully incorporated. Then add potato starch, brown rice flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix on medium speed until all of the flour is fully incorporated.
  • Pour the cake batter on top of the halved plums, smoothing the top and (gently!) ensuring each plum is covered with batter. Note that the batter will spread and the cake will rise as it bakes.
  • Bake the cake on the middle rack of your oven for 40-50 minutes until the top is golden brown, the plums are bubbling, and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool for 20 minutes.
  • When ready to flip the cake out of its pan, use whatever cake plate you plan to serve it on. Place the cake plate bottom side up on top of the pie pan. Carefully and confidently flip the cake onto the plate. Gently remove the pie plate, replacing any plum that gets left behind back into the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cake pairs well with dairy-free yogurt for a morning tea or brunch cake or with vanilla ice cream for dessert!
  • Best when fresh. Store leftover cake at room temperature lightly covered for up to 2 days.

Video

Notes

*Plums are our preferred fruit in this recipe, but apricots are also delicious. We don’t recommend peaches because they’re too sweet.
*Prep time includes letting the cake cool for 20 minutes.
*Inspired by Ina Gartin’s Plum Cake Tatin.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.

Nutrition (1 of 10 servings)

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 229 Carbohydrates: 27.4 g Protein: 4.1 g Fat: 12.8 g Saturated Fat: 3.9 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.1 g Monounsaturated Fat: 5.5 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 215 mg Potassium: 112 mg Fiber: 2.5 g Sugar: 14.4 g Vitamin A: 19 IU Vitamin C: 3 mg Calcium: 101 mg Iron: 0.8 mg