Plum upside-down cake

This was a new take on several upside-down cakes I've made.  They are a lovely way to use left-over fruit that you find beginning to wilt in your fridge or fruit bowl, including rhubarb or blueberries - and a greengage and blackberry one I made recently using this recipe was especially good.  The one pictured here I made using red and yellow plums, the red ones so shiny and bright they looked almost like juicy ripe tomatoes.  I've added yoghurt as it worked so well in the redcurrant and white chocolate muffins I made recently - it keeps the cake beautifully moist, and makes the texture more like a decadent pudding than a mere sponge cake.

Ingredients

50 g butter

50g soft dark brown sugar

10 plums, halved and pitted

4 eggs

7 oz margarine

7oz golden caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp almond essence

7 oz self-raising flour

Pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

75g ground almonds/ mixed nuts

200g Greek yoghurt

Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C.  Place a 9” round cake tin on a baking tray with a lipped edge (to catch any leaks from the cake tin). 
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Meanwhile, sprinkle the cake tin with brown sugar and arrange the plums sliced side down.  Pour the melted butter over the top of the fruit, and set aside.
3. Beat the eggs until fluffy and full of air.
4. In a separate, large mixing bowl, cream the caster sugar and margarine until pale and fluffy.
5. Beat in the eggs, then the vanilla and almond essence. 
6. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, and fold in along with the ground nuts.  Beat with the electric mixer if necessary.
7. Finally, fold in the Greek yoghurt, and pour the cake mixture over the fruit in the cake tin.
8. Bake for 30-40 mins or until a cake tester comes out clean.
9. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 – 10 mins, then turn out onto a cake stand with the fruit on the top side.  Sprinkle with icing sugar when ready to serve, with custard or crème fraîche.