Upside Down Plum Cake

 My neighbor's Italian plum tree was full this year, so I picked a big bowl full and made jam and this cake. The jam is delicious but I absolutely LOVE this cake! Warm from the oven it is irresistible! But it is pretty darn fantastic warmed up a bit the next morning for breakfast, too... 😋 

plum jam

leftover plums from making jam

Butter a small 7" cake pan or small cast iron skillet.

Mix 4 Tablespoons +2 teaspoons milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and let sit.

Melt 6 Tablespoons of butter and mix with 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons brown sugar. Pour into bottom of cake pan.

Slice 4-5 Italian plums and layer them on top of the brown sugar mixture.

Mix dry ingredients and sift into a small bowl:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt

Beat together:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

Add:

1 egg

grated zest from 1/2 orange

1 teaspoon vanilla

Alternately add the dry ingredients and milk to butter mixture. Blend until smooth.

Carefully spread the cake batter over the plums in cake pan.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack until you can touch the pan. 

Turn over onto large plate.

Serve warm.

Jalapeno Popper Bread

This is a variation on my Bacon Cheddar Zucchini Bread recipe. A friend from church suggested it might be good with jalapenos in it. So I decided to try a bread with all my favorite jalapeno popper ingredients. Here it is...

Just like the other one, the dough is very thick. Much like drop biscuit dough. I'm guessing you could bake it like you would a biscuit, but I did mine in my mini loaf pans. 

3 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 cup grated cheddar (I suggest sharp)

1 jalapeno, finely chopped (you can remove or leave the seeds)

1/2 cup bacon bits

1 cup grated zucchini (do not peel but do remove the seeds before grating)

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 Tablespoon vinegar added. Let stand 15 minutes before using)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup butter, melted 

Mix dry ingredients together, including cheese, chili powder, jalapenos and bacon bits. 

Add remaining ingredients and stir until just well-mixed. Do not overmix. It will make the bread tough.

Press into greased bread pan of your choice.

Bake at 350 until golden brown on top and a tester comes out clean. Time will depend on size of pan.

Melt more butter to brush on bread.  

Brush with melted butter twice while baking and once more after removing from the oven.

Let cool on wire rack for 10-13 minutes before removing from pan.

Best eaten warm. But it does warm up fine in the microwave.

Bacon Cheddar Zucchini Bread

 This bread was born from my need to find something to do with the giant zucchini we came home to from our vacation! It will become a regular thing though...  I also used chives from my garden. Yum!

Just a warning... The dough is very thick. Much like drop biscuit dough. I'm guessing you could bake it like you would a biscuit, but I did mine in my mini loaf pans. 

3 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon dry dill weed

3/4 cup grated cheddar (I suggest sharp)

1/8-1/4 cup chopped chives or thinly sliced green onion tops

1/2 cup bacon bits

1-2 large cloves of garlic, grated or finely minced

1 cup grated zucchini (do not peel but do remove the seeds before grating)

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 Tablespoon vinegar added. Let stand 15 minutes before using)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix dry ingredients together, including cheese, dill weed, chives and bacon bits. 

Add remaining ingredients and stir until just well-mixed. Do not overmix. It will make the bread tough.

Press into greased bread pan of your choice.

Bake at 350 until golden brown on top and a tester comes out clean. Time will depend on size of pan. 

Melt some more butter. Brush with melted butter twice while baking and once more after removing from the oven.

Let cool on wire rack for 10-13 minutes before removing from pan.

Best eaten warm. But it does warm up fine in the microwave.