Plum Cake "Tatin"

Show: Barefoot ContessaEpisode: Photo Finish

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (96)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(96)

Cook Time:
1 hr 0 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 0 min
Total:: 1 hr 15 min

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Ingredients

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the dish
10 to 12 purple "prune" plums, cut in half and pitted
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-inch glass pie dish and arrange the plums in the dish, cut side down.

Combine 1 cup of the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it turns a warm amber color, about 360 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Swirl the pan but don't stir. Pour evenly over the plums.

Meanwhile, cream the 6 tablespoons of butter and the remaining 3/4 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream, zest, and vanilla and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and, with the mixer on low speed, add it to the butter mixture. Mix only until combined.

Pour the cake batter evenly over the plums and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a flat plate. If a plum sticks, ease it out and replace it in the design on top of the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Plum Cake "Tatin"
C Millburn, NJ 12-31-2009
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This beautiful tatin ROCKED!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I dared to make this for the first time to bring to a friend's home and was glad I did! I used orange slices for the fruit,... reduced the amount of syrup added to the oranges by a few tablespoons (since oranges are very juicy), and baked for 40 minutes - it came out gorgeous and delicious. The orange slices showed beautifully on the top. It is VERY sweet for my tastes, so next time I might reduce the sugar in the batter a bit. You will know the sugar syrup is right when it thickens and is a deep amber, as they say... ENJOY!!Read more
recipe Plum Cake "Tatin"
Ali Los Osos, CA 12-23-2009
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Very good!!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

This is the first cake that I have ever made from this website. I was very pleased with it. Everyone that has tasted some... loves it. I would advise people to keep an eye on the caramel sauce while it is cooking on the stove, though, because it burns quickly! I burned the first batch that I tried. Look out! :) Other than that, it is really good. People will love it!Read more
recipe Plum Cake "Tatin"
Kevin Britt, IA 11-24-2009
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Impressive and doable!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This cake is sure to impress. I had to cut down the water a bit on my second try because of very juice plums. I also... experimented a bit more with the carmelizing process, and each time it gets better and better! This will be the most popular dessert at my family's Thanksgiving gathering. Kevin in IowaRead more
recipe Plum Cake "Tatin"
Marian Alexandria, VA 10-13-2009
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Question about the sugar
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I have made this cake with both apples and Italian plums and I like the cake when I don't follow one direction, the direction... for caramelizing the sugar. The recipe currently calls for the candy thermometer to go to 360 degrees, but I can't even get close to that without the sugar burning. I can get it to around 310 - 320 degrees and it is a dark amber as the recipe describes and so I pull it off the flame and pour it over the fruit. Am I doing something wrong? Is the recipe written incorrectly for that step? I have it down now, but I have been scared of the candy thermometer in the past and this hasn't helped and I want to make sure that I am doing the right thing. Thanks to anyone in advance for replying to my review.Read more
recipe Plum Cake "Tatin"
April Plainfield, IL 10-12-2009
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Yummy, easy, impressive!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this the other day, and I admit i was very nervous to make it-it is afterall an Ina Garten recipe and she is the queen... of cooking in my book! I was so pleasantly surprised! It was a very easy recipe. My 3 year old daughter was able to help by putting the plums in the dish as well as her traditional helping of dumping ingredients in the mixer. Making the carmel sauce was very easy too-and i did not have a thermometor-i just went on the color of the liquid. The only substitution i used was orange zest instead of lemon as i didn't have a lemon and wasn't going to go out and buy one just for the recipe. My whole family loved it! It is very sweet, but if you have a sweet tooth you'll like it. The cake is a great base recipe and i'm going to see if i can make a similar cake w/ pineapple and brown sugar topping instead of plums and carmel sauce. Thanks Ina!Read more
recipe Plum Cake "Tatin"
Shelly Calgary, AB 10-01-2009
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Good but sweet
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

The flavour was good and the cake turned out well, but it was very very sweet. I guess I should have known by the amount of... sugar in the recipe, but.... I guess when I think French cooking (this is in her French cookbook) I expect the deserts not to be so sweet. My experience from my visits to France is that they use a lot less sugar in their baking. Read more