Healthier Plum Upside Down Cake

So I was home alone and bored. When I'm bored, I experiment with my baking. And I just happened to have a plethora of plums lying around for some reason. So I googled what I could do with plums. Not many recipes came up. Then I thought, just treat it like I would another stone fruit favorite of mine, peaches. Alas, this recipe was born from a peach upside down cake I already knew and cherished. I hope it's to your liking.

PLUM UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Don't these plums just look so perfect? I love when I go into the grocery store and see some amazingly beautiful produce. Is that weird?

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 6 tablespoons margarine, divided
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
- 4 red plums (about a pound) pitted and cut into about 12 wedges per plum
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg, ginger, and allspice)
- 1/4-1/3 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Place 3 tablespoons of your butter or margarine into an 8 inch cake pan and stick it in the oven while its preheating to melt the butter (should take about 3 minutes, but keep an eye on it!)
2. Cut up all of your beautiful fruits

3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of brown sugar and the orange zest over the melted butter
4. Layer the plum slices overlapping all the way around the edge of the pan, and then again in the middle. Try to make it as pretty as possible because this will end up being the top of your cake (it doesn't have to be perfect, I'm horrible with this kind of presentation stuff)

5. In a large bowl, combine the remaining butter and brown sugar, applesauce, and egg. Add the yogurt and vanilla until completely integrated.
6. Combine all the dry ingredients and the nuts together in a small bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and spoon into the cake pan. The batter should be thick.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake rest in the pan for 5 minutes on the counter before de-panning.
8. Run a paring knife around the edge of the pan to make sure nothing is stuck, then place a plate on top of the pan and flip carefully onto the plate.
9. Serve immediately or at room temperature. By itself, with whipped cream, or with ice cream. It is good any and every way