Upside Down Plum Lavender Gouda Cake

Today I'm partnering with Artikaas to create a unique and delicious summer cake!

Whenever I put together a cheese board, I always include gouda. Gouda has always been my favorite cheese because, well, it's so darn tasty! The rich nutty flavors pair so well with many different foods, both sweet and savory. So when I discovered Artikaas and their wide variety of cheeses, I couldn't help but be overly excited. Since 1890, Artikaas (pronounced "arti-koss"!) has been making Original Dutch Gouda for 6 generations without shortcuts, with respect for nature, and using only wholesome milk from family farms. The family-owned business is able to create clean tasting and creamy gouda cheeses because of how true they've stayed to their Dutch cheese-making roots. This family raises and milks their own cows on their Dutch farm and then uses that milk to make lusciously rich goudas for all of us cheese lovers to enjoy. It's a true taste of Dutch family tradition. One of their raw milk farmstead gouda cheeses that I was immediately drawn to was the lavender thyme gouda. The raw milk cheese has beautiful notes of lavender and thyme making it the perfect cheese for a sweet cake. Here enters my upside down plum lavender gouda cake! Serve it with lavender whipped cream for the ultimate summer treat.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Upside Down Plum Lavender Gouda Cake

Yields 1 10-inch cake

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake

Servings: 10

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Lavender whipped cream

• 1 cup heavy cream (250 ml)
• 1 ½ teaspoon dried lavender flowers
• ¼ cup powdered sugar (32 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Upside down plum lavender gouda cake

• 2 tablespoon butter, melted (28 grams)
• 3-4 plums thinly sliced into ¼ inch thick wedges
• ¾ cup butter, softened (170 grams)
• 1 ½ cup granulated sugar divided
• 3 large eggs
• ⅓ cup buttermilk (83 ml)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (148 grams)
• ½ cup yellow cornmeal (78 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup shredded Artikaas lavender thyme gouda (64 grams)

Instructions

• Make the lavender whipped cream. Heat the heavy cream in a small pot over low heat until it starts to steam but doesn't boil. Add the lavender and stir to combine. Remove the cream from heat and cool completely. Chill the cream in the fridge until cold, preferably overnight. Strain the lavender and whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, whipping until combined. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Prepare the cake. Add 2 tablespoon melted butter in a 10-inch cast iron pan or cake pan. Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar in an even layer on the butter. Slice the plums into ¼ inch thick wedges and arrange them in the pan slightly overlapped.
• Combine the ¾ cup softened butter with the remaining 1 ¼ cup sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating one egg before adding the next. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and mix until combined.
• Combine the dry ingredients together including the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter, stirring just until combined. Stir in the shredded cheese, mixing just until combined.
• Pour the cake batter on top of the plums in an even layer. Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
• Place a plate on top of the cake and carefully invert the cake. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature with the lavender whipped cream.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

The idea behind this upside down plum lavender gouda cake all started with cornbread. Cornbread is one of those savory breads with hints of sweetness. It just made sense to make it the base for a fruit cake that incorporates gouda. The cornmeal also wonderfully highlights the other two key ingredients, plums, and cheese.

What's amazing about the raw milk lavender thyme gouda is not only the creamy texture and lovely sweet floral notes but also the fact that the lavender keeps local bumblebee colonies thriving. The lavender is carefully grown in France without the use of pesticides or herbicides which help protect these insects and surrounding food crops. Adding thyme to the mix only heightens the herbaceous notes of this gouda, making it a favorite during spring and summer! The cheese is fantastic by itself but is versatile enough to pair it with seasonal fruits like in this cake.

Start making the cake by preparing the plums. Since this is an upside down cake, we need to arrange the plums in a baking pan before adding the cake batter.

Melt 2 tablespoon butter and pour it into an oven-safe dish. I personally prefer to bake the cake in a cast iron because the pan gives the cake a lovely crunchy exterior.

Sprinkle the sugar in an even layer on the melted butter and arrange the sliced plums on top. You want to slightly overlap the plums to create a beautiful pattern. I don't recommend adding more than 3 large plums or 4 medium ones or else the cake can become mushy.

Now it's time to make the actual cake batter. Cream together the softened butter with sugar until it's light and creamy. It takes about 3 minutes for the butter and sugar to look "whipped" and properly creamed.

Add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating the egg before adding the next. Next, add the buttermilk and vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. Then, add the grated lavender thyme gouda and stir until combined. You can purchase the cheese online at Peters Gourmet Market or use their store locator to see where it's sold near you. The cheese from Peters Gourmet Market has been cut fresh from a whole wheel so you know that the quality is outstanding!

Pour the cake batter directly on top of the plums in the baking dish and bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

You can serve the upside down plum lavender gouda cake on its own but if you want to go all the way, make lavender whipped cream. Heat heavy cream until it starts to simmer but not boil and add dried lavender. Let the cream cool with the lavender and chill it in the fridge until it's cold. Strain the lavender, then whip the infused cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Voila! Lavender whipped cream!

Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes, then carefully flip it over onto a serving plate. You don't want to wait until the cake completely cools or else it can get stuck to the baking dish.

Serve the upside down plum lavender gouda cake warm or at room temperature with a dollop of lavender whipped cream for the perfect summer treat! The notes of lavender and thyme play perfectly with the sweet juicy plums while the gouda compliments the cornmeal. A lovely combination of ingredients if I do say so myself!

Be sure to check out Artikaas for more information about their incredible family farm and recipe inspiration!