Summer is in full swing, and there is nothing better after a hot day than to relax with a piece of delicious gluten free upside-down cake! It’s sweet with plump plums and a moist, tender cake. Serve it at parties, barbecues, and potlucks, and it will disappear quickly!
Our plum tree has been producing an abundance of ripe, juicy plums this summer! We are super excited because, in the past, the squirrels get to them before we get to enjoy any fruit. So, not only am I really excited to share some awesome plum recipes, but I am even more excited to eat them.Â
You are going to fall in love with every bite of these ripe plums. They add so much flavor and go perfectly with the sugary sweet cake. One of the things I love about this gluten free plum cake is that it is also dairy-free, and there is a nut-free option as well, so it is great for those with food allergies.
If you love desserts as much as we do, don’t forget to check out my delicious gluten free dessert recipes. This cake is fluffy, and the plums’ flavors bake so nicely into the cake. If you need more recipe inspiration, I have over 100 incredible Gluten Free Cake Recipes on the blog.
Here is our little plum tree in a happy spot in our backyard. These are just a few branches because our tree grew like crazy in just a few months. I will have to prune it a lot in January because the branches are really thin and tall.
Plums and stone fruit make the best summer desserts. You will also love this Gluten Free Plum Galette recipe!
Allergen Information:
This recipe is gluten-free, oat-free, soy-free, and dairy-free.
This is one of my favorite gluten-free flour blends for cookies, cakes, pie crust, biscuits, and muffins! (Do not use this flour blend for yeast recipes.)
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I have not tested other flours.
- Almond Flour – I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your cake grainy. See the Substitutions section for a nut-free option.
- Cane Sugar
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Baking Powder and Salt – Use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Eggs – Use size large.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I used almond milk, but other dairy-free kinds of milk will work. I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- Coconut Oil – You can also use another type of oil, butter, or vegan butter.
- Plums
Substitutions:
- Make it nut-free! You can make this cake nut-free by omitting the almond flour and adding an additional ½ cup of gluten free flour blend.
- Make it gum-free! If you can’t have xanthan or guar gum, use my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend.
- Swap the coconut oil for another type of oil. I also have used canola oil.
- Swap the ripe plums for other types of fruit like strawberries, peaches, apricots, and apples.
Tips For Sucess
1. Don’t use a stand mixer. They tend to overmix the cake batter, leading to dense cake.
2. Let the cake batter sit for 10-15 minutes. This will help to soften the rice flour in the gluten free flour blend and eliminate the grittiness.
Step-By-Step Directions:
Step 1: Add all of your dry ingredients to a large
Step 2: Add your wet ingredients to the bowl and whisk. If the coconut oil is solid, which is common when it is cold, melt it in the microwave oven for 25 seconds.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix. This will help keep your cake light and fluffy! Overmixing the batter makes your cake denser.
🔑 Sandi says: Mix the batter until it is just barely mixed. Overmixing the batter will make your cake turn out dense.
Step 4: This is what your gluten free cake batter will look like. Now prep the plums and pan. Cut your plums in half and remove the pit.
📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the moisture of the batter. If your cake batter is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids.
Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
Step 5: I used a springform pan for this recipe, but you can use any cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. This will help you when it comes time to remove your cake from the pan.
Don’t forget, the number of plums you need will vary by how large they are. Our tree’s plums are tiny, so I needed to use more to cover the bottom of the springform pan.
Step 6: Pour the cake batter over the plums and spread it around to cover the plums evenly. Put a pan under the springform pan in case of leaks. Bake at 350º F for 45 minutes.
Step 7: When the cake is baked, remove it from the oven. Let it sit on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Loosen the sides of the springform pan to allow it to cool faster. Next, put a plate over the top of the cake pan and flip the cake over. You will know when this gluten free upside-down cake is done when you insert a toothpick in the center, and it comes out clean. As the cake bakes, you will notice the sides also start coming away from the pan.
Remove the bottom of the springform pan, then slowly (very slowly!) peel off the parchment paper. *Optional: dust the cake with powdered sugar.
If you love plums as much as we do, give this Gluten Free Plum Sorbet recipe a try, too!
Recipe FAQ:
Basically, an upside-down cake is when the cake itself is baked on the bottom of a baking pan, and then a layer of fruit is on top. When it’s time to serve the upside-down cake, you usually flip it so the cake is on top and the fruit is on the bottom.
Yes! Most upside-down cake recipes should be refrigerated after they have completely cooled. The plum juice makes This cake very moist, so you must refrigerate it.
The cake will last around 3 days in the fridge. If you prefer it to be warm, you can always toss it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Yes, you can freeze this plum cake recipe. After it has cooled entirely, wrap it with plastic or tin foil. Then, place in an airtight container and put in the freezer. It will last around 1 month.
Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or to 4 months in the freezer.
You may also love this easy Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake.
More Gluten Free Cake Recipes:
If you love this gluten free plum cake, you should try some of my other gluten free cakes.
- Gluten Free Clafoutis
- Easy Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake
- Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
- Gluten Free Honey Cake
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 cup almond flour * see note
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- â…› teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup almond milk or non-dairy milk
- 2 large eggs
- â…“ cup coconut oil melted
- 2 cups plums see note
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix.
- Wash and cut the plums in half, removing the pit.
- Line the bottom of a springform pan (or cake pan) with parchment paper.
- Press plum halves upside down on the parchment paper so the cut open side is facing down on the paper.
- Pour the batter over the plums and spread with the spoon to evenly distribute the batter.
- Bake the cake for 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick to see if it is done.
- Open the sides of the springform pan to allow cooling.
- Hold a plate over the cake top and flip the bake upside down so the cake bottom (without plums) is on the plate. Remove the springform pan bottom and slowly peel the parchment paper off the plums cake bottom.
- Allow finishing cooling. Optional: dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend, and Authentic Foods Multi Blend in this recipe. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the donut. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the donuts need to bake longer.
- This cake will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This is such an easy recipe! I felt like baking and hadn’t gone to the store. I subbed coconut sugar for the sugar, macadamia nut milk for the almond milk, added a little vanilla and used frozen cranberries I had in the freezer! It tastes amazing! I probably could have added more sugar to the cranberries – but I like things not too sweet and this works.
I love the idea of using cranberries, and I love how you made it refined sugar-free. Thank you so much for coming back to let us know that coconut sugar works in this recipe!
You’re welcome and THANK YOU for the recipe. I’m thinking of making it again with some frozen peaches. I’ll let you know how it works!
Hi……what size spring for. Pan did you use ?
Hi, it is 10 inches. You can use a smaller one if that is easier, you just need to monitor the bake time.
Wow! That looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!
You are so welcome Jennifer.