A few weeks ago, Monroe reader Mary Huber asked for our help, explaining, “The prune upside-down cake my mother used to make was brought to my memory recently. I don’t have her recipe, and have searched, but haven’t come up with one. I’m guessing the recipe could date back to a span running from the 1930s to the 1950s.
“I’m wondering if one of your readers would have this recipe to help me walk down memory lane. It sure would be a blessing to be able to make this cake. Thank you.”
Well, thanks to Forum cooks, it turns out that Mary can not only count herself blessed, but blessed two times over.
Jan Nofziger of Edmonds writes, “The recipe that Mary Huber is looking for can be found in the old Betty Crocker cook book, the one that has been re-released and republished. In my old 1950 book, it is on page 223, and is one of three variations of upside-down cake.
“Basically, it uses prunes instead of pineapple – that’s all. It does call for cooked, drained prunes, but I find that the prunes I buy now are already pretty moist and plump, unlike those of years ago, and I’m not sure one would need to cook them. For the prune variation, lemon is used for the flavoring, and no cake mix is used, but a cake recipe is given.”
And next, thanks to Doris E. Matz over there in Langley, we have that exact recipe.
“I enjoy your column,” she says, “and I’ve cut out many of your recipes to try. I found a recipe for prune upside-down cake in my 1950 ‘Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book,’ first edition. I hope it is the one Mary Huber’s mother used to make. It sounds good. I love upside-down cakes, but always found the pineapple upside-down cake too sweet. I’ve recently made a pear upside-down cake, though, that turned out pretty good.”
Since upside-down cakes are always popular, and never seem to go out of fashion, and since Doris’s recipe includes directions for making three variations on this theme, we’ll have them all, right here and now:
Butter-sugar coating:
1/3cup butter
1/2cup brown sugar
Drained, cooked fruit (save juice for batter)
2eggs
2/3cup sugar
6tablespoons juice from fruit
1teaspoon flavoring
1cup sifted all-purpose flour or cake flour
1/3teaspoon baking powder
1/4teaspoon salt
Plain or whipped cream
First, prepare the pan: Melt the butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet or baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange drained cooked fruit in an attractive pattern on the butter-sugar coating.
Make the cake batter: In medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar, then beat in all at once the fruit juice and flavoring. Sift together the all-purpose or cake flour, baking powder and salt and beat into egg mixture all at once. Pour over fruit in pan. Bake at 350 degrees until a wooden pick thrust into center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Immediately turn upside-down on serving plate. Do not remove pan for a few minutes. Brown sugar mixture will run down over cake instead of clinging to pan. Serve warm with plain or whipped cream. Makes 1 cake.
Pineapple upside-down cake: Follow above recipe, using vanilla for the flavoring. Arrange slices of pineapple over butter-sugar coating, and garnish with maraschino cherries and pecan halves.
Prune upside-down cake: Follow above recipe, using lemon extract for the flavoring. Arrange very large, drained, pitted cooked prunes (not sweetened) over butter-sugar coating. Garnish with walnut halves.
Peach or apricot upside-down cake: Follow above recipe, using lemon and vanilla for flavoring. Arrange drained canned peach or apricot halves hollow-side down over butter-sugar coating with a blanched almond in center of each. Sprinkle moist shredded coconut around the fruit.
Note: For a simpler peach upside-down cake, use sliced cooked peaches for the fruit.
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