Humpday happiness right here ↓
I mean, who doesn’t need an Upside Down Pluot Cobbler to help get them through the week? I, for one, can tell you that I REALLY wish the fam and I hadn’t scarfed down this entire dessert in one sitting so I could still be enjoying a piece as I write this, but at least I came home to Santa Barbara with two bags full of stone fruits from my in-laws’ garden, so there will be another cobbler in my very near future. I hope the same is true for you!
I was actually inspired to make a cobbler by a peach one my mother-in-law made for us a couple of weeks ago. We walked into the house after a long day of travel and it smelled heavenly in there, and as soon as I took a bite I knew exactly why. It was the perfect mix of soft, crunchy, sweet and doughy and, although this isn’t her recipe here, this Upside Down Pluot Cobbler is equally as delicious, especially with the boatload of fresh pluots they gave me straight from their backyard.
I had never made a cobbler before, but after tasting my MIL’s, I knew I was up for the challenge. I wanted to keep it easy for this first go-around, so I trolled the Internet for a bit of inspiration. I really liked the idea of dumping everything – fruit topping and biscuit topping – into a baking dish at once and baking it altogether. Of course, I also had to make it photogenic, and I’d say this upside-down technique – with the pluots peeking through the center of the batter – did the trick!
My main inspiration for the biscuit-like batter came from this Paula Deen recipe for Peach Cobbler. But of course I couldn’t make it #basic and had to sprinkle drops of marzipan throughout. That extra kick of almond flavor compliments the pluots perfectly and is a welcome surprise when you bite into the finished product.
For the pluot filling, I simmered the fresh fruit over the stove with some sugar and water, plus a good dose of cornstarch to make the filling extra-syrupy and thick, perfect for oozing throughout the batter as the cobbler cooks.
For baking, first spread the biscuit batter throughout the pan (don’t forget the marzipan!), then carefully dump in the simmered pluots. The fruit may seem completely covered at first but have no fear, as your Upside Down Pluot Cobbler bakes, the pluots will peak through, just enough to give you a good little tease of the delicious tastes to come.
Of course, no cobbler of any kind, and especially no Upside Down Pluot Cobbler, should be served without some high-quality fresh vanilla ice cream, so be sure you have some on-hand before you embark on your little baking journey.
And don’t be shy to swap in other stone fruits for the pluots – nectarines, peaches and the like will all still pair beautifully with the marzipan, depending on what you happen to have on hand in your kitchen right now.
With less than an hour of baking time and a list of ingredients you can easily find at any grocery store, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be whipping up an Upside Down Pluot Cobbler this very evening. Not only is it mind-blowingly delicious but, with many schools starting up again next week, it’s the perfect treat to cap off a summer well-spent. Here’s to an ultimate end-of-summer treat!
This summer stone fruit cobbler has a wonderfully sweet and crunchy dough and a thick, oozy filling of perfectly ripe pluots.
- 1 1/2 pounds pluots (about 6-8), pitted and sliced
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted plus 1 tablespoon for greasing baking dish
- 3 ounces marzipan
- Vanilla ice cream, to serve
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12- by 8-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon melted butter and set aside.
First, make the pluot filling. Combine pluots, sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and stir until pluots break down and begin to form a syrupy mixture, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in cornstarch, breaking up any large clumps. Set aside while you make the batter.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the self-rising flour, almond meal, sugar, milk and ¼ cup melted butter.
Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish. Break marzipan into small balls and sprinkle over the top of the batter.
Next, pour in the pluot filling so that it fairly evenly spreads throughout the batter, but is a bit more condensed in the center. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45-55 minutes, or until the top of the cobbler is a beautiful golden brown.
Cool just slightly before serving with vanilla ice cream.
