Easy Plum Upside Down Cake

If there is anything I am absolutely sure of, it's that my recipes are hardly ever simple. Delicious? Definently! Easy? Not so much.  They might be short but they usually require some weird ingredient or need an hour in the freezer (or a day). It's okay for sometimes but every once in a while you really do just need easy. The I have it in my fridge or pantry type of easy. So every once in a while,  I turn my world upside down and I come up with something so simple it's shocking. I even *gasp* use boxed cake mix.

Okay, it happens a lot. Not gonna lie. I break out the box more than I'll admit in my own kitchen. But c'mon, the boxed stuff tastes like childhood, both raw and baked. It's a tiny little chemical laden miracle. So when the world does turn over and I actually admit to using boxed cake mix, it's gotta be for something really special. (Don't worry guys, this cake does not disappoint.)

Well, it's the beginning of the month of Adar, where the world was literally turned upside down and the Jewish people narrowly escaped persecution and somehow managed to run the country all with G-d working behind the scenes to make it happen. We celebrate by turning our world topsy turvy and wear costumes, drink a ton of alcoholic beverages and actually venture outside and face traffic in Brooklyn for some strange reason. All the things responsible adults know never to do on a weekday. 

As any good faithful Jew knows, every holiday runs on basically the same premise: They tried to kill us, G-d saved us, let's eat! Purim is no different with it's traditional large meal made for family and friends to join together and fill up on things that make us happy: laughter, wine, meat and cake (obvs.).

This cake, despite using boxed mix has a wonderful texture, like a semolina cake which also has the added benefit of being an alcohol absorber (aside from being absolutely delicious). Also, the best part, it's upside down (it literally gets flipped upside down)! Making it the perfect dessert for the Purim meal.

The plums here are just a suggestion, they can be replaced with any stone fruit, (plums happen to have been on sale 🤷🏼‍♀️ .)

Also did I mention this recipe is a one pan, 8 ingredient deal? No? Oh well, I probably should have started with that instead of this whole Megillah. 😁 

Thank you Seasons for sponsoring this recipe!

Easy Plum Upside Down Cake 

Recipe:

6-8 plums sliced in half and pitted

1-2 sprigs thyme(optional), leaves only save some for garnish if desired

1/4 c butter or vegan butter

1/4 c light brown sugar or coconut sugar

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 c yellow corn meal or semolina flour

1/3 c apple cider or juice

1 egg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F

In a large bowl add the cake mix. Remove 1/2 c of the cake mix and discard (or save for another purpose).

In a 9 inch ovenproof skillet melt the butter over a medium-low flame . Pour 1/2 of the butter (2 tbsp) into the bowl with the cake mix. Sprinkle the brown sugar or coconut sugar in an even layer over the bottom of the skillet.

Place the plums, and skin side up, into the skillet in a pattern of your choosing. Add some thyme leaves on top of using. They may fall between the plums. Don't worry, it's fine. Even better that way. Allow the bottom of the plums to caramelize a little while you prepare the batter.

In the bowl with the cake mix and butter add the egg, corn meal, and apple cider until integrated.

Smooth the batter over the plums. Place the skillet in the oven and allow it to bake for 30-35 or until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the center.

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before using a knife to loosen the edges of the cake from the pan.

Then, place a large plate on top of the pan. Using a oven mitt, to keep your hands protected, flip the pan so that the cake falls on to the plate upside down. Be careful, some steam may escape during this process.

Allow the cake to cool completely on a cooling rack before topping with extra thyme if desired and serving warm or room temperature.

Note: Cake can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored covered tightly in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Dulce De Leche Churro Doughnut Holes

It's not very often where I get to brag about a recipe that only includes 5 ingredients. While I am firmly against the obnoxiousness of tasty videos that re-purpose cheese whip and boxed cake mix I can appreciate that every once in a while we need to cave and use pre-made ingredients out of necessity. When we must, using quality products is key. Okay here I am blabbering about quality ingredients that were about to caramelize, deep fry and coat in sugar, so I'm obviously not that serious about the most pristine foods but I do feel that it should be mentioned. And also tasty videos are usually obnoxious. Entertaining as hell, but obnoxious. 

Anyway, when Seasons contacted me and told me they have cholov yisroel condensed milk hitting the shelves I knew we had reason to celebrate. And since it's the holiday season we're gonna celebrate Chanukah style. Doughnuts! Also better than doughnuts, doughnut holes! Because they are small which means you can eat like 8 of them and no one will notice. And it's stuffed with dulce de leche- can you get better than that? Oh! Yes you can because it only takes 5 ingredients to make these. How's that for convenient?
You can add a pinch of cayenne to make a spicy version and add a bit of salt to balance all that sweetness!

Dulce de leche Filled Churro Doughnut Holes
Note: The dulce de leche can be made and stored in the fridge for 3 weeks ahead.
Tip! If you don't have a pastry bag or squeeze bottle try using a kids medicine dropper. You will have to pull up the dulce de leche and clean the tip before each insertion but it totally works!
Makes about 25 doughnut holes
Ingredients:

• 1 bottle condensed milk*
• 1 lb pizza dough or challah dough
• 6 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• Oil for frying
• Kosher salt (optional)  
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1. Remove all labels from the bottle of condensed milk.
2. In a large stockpot place the bottle of condensed milk on its side (so it doesn't bounce). Add water to cover it by 1-2 inches. Place on a medium-low flame and bring to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for about 2 hours. Check back every once in a while to make sure the water still covers the can by 1-2 inches. If it does not, add water.
3. After two hours, remove the bottle from the water carefully and allow it to cool completely before opening. When you are ready to use it transfer to a squeeze bottle or pastry bag fitted with a narrow round tip.
4. Fill a large wide pot 1/4-1/3 way with oil. Heat the oil over medium heat. The oil is ready when you drop a piece of dough into the oil and the oil bubbles around it and the dough floats to the top.
5. While you wait for the oil to heat, cut the pizza dough into 1 1/2 tbsp portions. Roll into balls and allow them to rest covered for 10 minutes.
6. In a wide bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and salt and cayenne, if using.
7. Prepare a cooling rack with a paper towel underneath so that you won't mess up the counter.
8. Add the dough balls about 3-4 at a time and allow for them to brown for about 30 seconds on each side or until they are golden brown. Remove the doughnuts with a slotted spoon and place on to the cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
9. Roll the doughnut holes in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
10. Using the squeeze bottle or pastry bag, insert the tip into the doughnut and squeeze until the doughnut feels heavy and the dulce de leche starts coming out on top. Repeat with remaining doughnut holes. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon sugar if desired.

*For cholov yisroel condensed milk visit Seasons
Thank you Seasons for sponsoring this post.

Peanut Butter Bars aka. Sorry I Missed I Love Reeses Day

If you could pick any candy bar in the world, but you could only have one for the rest of your life, what would it be? I mean, there are so many! How could you choose just one? Cookies and Cream bars, Rolos, Milk duds, Skor, Snickers, the list just goes on and on. Presuming you eat cholov stam and you know what I'm talking about. But truth is I have always had one love when it came to candy bars. Back in the day when I stopped at CVS on the way home from school, (or not so on the way home from anywhere actually because I would go out of my way to get there and look at all the nail polish collections they had on sale) I always knew if I only had $1.59 in my pocket after all my ridiculous purchases it was going toward a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. Sometimes I would switch it up a little bit and get a BIG cup, sometimes, even though I didn't celebrate the holiday I would rebeliously choose the Easter egg or X-mas tree. It's weird that those never tasted as good. Not because of anything heebie jeebie or whatever. Just cause the ratio of peanut butter to chocolate was off. 

But if we're talking ratios here I'd like to bring up the genius that is the Reese's mini. Okay, the concept is great and all but that isn't what impresses me the most. It's that perfect ratio of peanut butter to chocolate in your mouth all at once. That first time I took a bite and I was like, "Let the fat lady sing because it is OVA!" Or something like that.  

I've made my own peanut butter cups before. Truth is they are pretty easy to make and also super delish. But you can't exactly end a meal and be like, "one peanut butter cup for you, and one for you. Don't eat it all at once!" Cause that my friends, is called finageling people from their dessert. You don't want to do that, ever. It makes people angry. No matter how much they like peanut butter cups

That's where these guys come in. These beautiful bars have all the great taste of a peanut butter cup but they can be sliced in any size! This will make your family and friends happy with their dessert portions. It also has the added jazz of crunchy sugar and salt on top. So now it's fancy. You might think I'm joking about serving this for dessert but I'm not. I never joke when it comes to peanut butter cups. Unless I say I'm sharing mine with you. Then you know I'm joking. I never share my peanut butter cups. 

As an avid peanut butter cup fan, I am totally baffled at myself that I missed I love Reese's peanut butter cup day on May 18th. I apologize. To you, to me, to every person who loves Reese's peanut butter cups. I hope this recipe makes up for it.  

Thanks to Half Baked Harvest for the base recipe!