By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus cooling
- Rating
- 4(457)
- Notes
- Read community notes
You can use any kind of berries — fresh or frozen — for this jammy twist on the classic pineapple upside-down cake. Just note that adding all or mostly blueberries and strawberries will create a sweeter topping than mixing in more acidic blackberries and raspberries. Caramelizing the brown sugar in a skillet before adding the fruit gives you a particularly deep, complex flavor. Because of the moisture in the topping, you’ll need to bake this cake a little longer than other, similar butter cakes. You want the surface to be well browned all over, with dark brown edges that yield a slight crunch. Underbaked cake will be soggy, and apt to fall apart.
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Ingredients
Yield:1 (10-inch) cake
- 4tablespoons/56 grams unsalted butter
- ⅓cup/71 grams light brown sugar
- 1tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (see Tip)
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3cups fresh or frozen mixed berries (about 1 pound), quarter the strawberries, if using
- ½cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
- 1tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2large eggs, at room temperature
- ½cup/118 milliliters sour cream or plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- ¾teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼teaspoon baking soda
- 1½cups/195 grams all-purpose flour
For the Fruit Topping
For the Cake
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Step
2
Make the topping: In an oven-safe 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, lemon juice and salt, and whisk until the brown sugar melts, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step
3
Let cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to smell like caramel and darkens slightly, about 1 minute longer. (Don’t walk away or the mixture may burn.) The mixture will clump and separate, but that’s OK.
Step
4
Add fruit, gently tossing to coat with the caramel. Remove from heat and arrange fruit into an even layer on bottom of skillet. Ignore any sugar clumps; they will dissolve during baking.
Step
5
Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest until thoroughly combined. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add sour cream and whisk until well mixed. Sprinkle in baking powder, salt and baking soda into the batter, one at a time, and whisking vigorously after each addition.
Step
6
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in flour until just incorporated. The mixture will be lumpy, but that’s OK. Don’t overmix. Scrape batter into the skillet over the fruit and spread evenly.
Step
7
Bake until the surface is deeply browned all over (with darker brown edges) and the fruit is lightly bubbling along the sides of the skillet, about 35 to 45 minutes, rotating halfway through. A toothpick inserted into cake will come out clean.
Step
8
Once the cake is out of the oven, immediately run a butter knife or offset spatula around the edge of the skillet. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to cool slightly. Carefully invert cake into serving platter. If some berries stick to bottom of skillet, gently remove using offset spatula or knife and place back onto cake. Let cake cool until the fruit topping sets, at least 30 minutes to 1 hour, before serving. Cake is best served on the day it is baked.
Tip
- Since you’ll need the lemon juice for the topping and the grated zest for the cake, it’s best to zest the lemon before you cut it and juice it.
Ratings
4
out of 5
457
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Cooking Notes
Joanna K.
I would not defrost the fruits,I never do it and it works fine.
Darcie D
I had frozen blueberries in the house, and that's it for berries. Into the carmelized sugar they went, but they started putting out masses of liquid quickly. I used 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tsp water to thicken them up before putting the batter on top, and it worked.
julianne
Used 1/2 vanilla extract 1/2 lemon extract, we like it tart! I’d suggest a layer of foil in the oven under the pan as I had some spillover
Narayan
Any suggestions if I don't have a 10 inch skillet? I have an 11 inch skillet. And some round cake pans. . . Thanks!
Mimi
Very curious about the science behind sprinking in the baking powder, salt and baking soda into the batter, one at a time, and whisking vigorously after each. Usually the dry ingredients are mixed into the flour mixture and added to the wet mixture as one. Anyone know what the method in the instructions accomplishes?
Elizabeth
If using frozen fruit, should you defrost it before using? Thank you.
Barbaraben
No vanilla extract in the house today so I used almond extract. Excellent substitution!
Cat Lady
I made this with about 1 cup GF AP flour and 1/2 c almond flour. I only had nonfat Greek yogurt, so that's what I used and it seemed to work out fine. It was delicious! I served it with whipped cream.
Tracy
Cast iron pans are perfect for upside down cakes.
mary ann
WARNING! Step-3 is dangerous! I followed it as closely as possible--stirring constantly and removing from heat as soon as the color darkened. Nothing about the mixture seemed the slightest bit burned. But my finished cake, which was made with organic frozen wild blueberries and looked GORGEOUS beyond belief, just went into the garbage bin! The fruit topping had a somewhat bitter taste which had to have been from that step. So, I'm going to try again, without step-3! Seriously disappointing!
kate
Delicious! Very tender cake and perfect amount of berries. I served it with sweetened whipped cream.
Darcie D
Used only blueberries (frozen), and added a bit of anise oil - maybe 1/4 tsp, as it is strong - to the batter along with the vanilla and some orange rind.Note that I did have to thicken up the frozen blueberries, which melted immediately and started putting out way too much liquid on hitting the carmelized sugar. Used cornstarch/water slurrie to thicken before adding the cake batter.
Brian
Is it still fruit topping if it's on the bottom? Asking for a friend.
Carol
I'm sorry to only give it 4 stars, because it truly was lovely. But once it was all made--and it turned out beautiful, just like the picture--I realized it was nothing more than a cobbler, but with cake rather than biscuit or pie dough, both of which my mom used as I was growing up. The lovely thing is that it's now occurred to me I can make blackberry or blackberry/raspberry (what I used) pie or cobbler all year long using frozen fruit, and it'll taste glorious! But no cake...
Marian
I make this in a 9 inch round cake pan. It’s also fine to use the traditional method of assembling the cake batter. I make a LOT of cakes and this recipe is quite good as is, but is also adaptable and forgiving!
Ditte
Simple cake. Made it for my son's 19th birthday. Easy and quick to make. Just a step above the pineapple variety which I always make for my older daughter's birthday.I used frozen mixed berries and it worked perfectly. I like it because it's not cloyingly sweet like many cakes. Add vanilla ice cream or sweet whipped cream for a dress up and added sweetness.
APR
Are you supposed to drain the liquid from the berries after you mix? Mine with fresh raspberries, blackberries and strawberries is very soupy.
Cindy S
Step 3 is absolutely necessary to caramelize the sugar. You may have gone too far with this step that would account for the bitter/burned flavor. As you said, try it again!
Carla
Used yogurt, untrained frozen berries. I liked the method for the batter. Interesting. The texture of the cake was moist and just the way I like it. Will use a bit more lemon zest next time.
g509
Made with huckleberries as written except did not flip over. We ate it right out of the skillet with a scoop of ice cream.
Dani
I followed all the instructuions and the cake looked great. But it was dense, a bit like a scone, and not flavorful. Will look for different and healthier version with less butter.
GoNico
I keep trying other cake recipes with my husband's favorite flavors, but the only one he really wants--and asks for by name--is this one. Something about the texture and the light but unique flavor has got him (and me) hooked! NOTES: -Don't overbake! -Too much water in the fruit is bad. -More caramel topping would be better (or make some as a side). -If you make the topping in a separate pan, be sure to get *all* of it out of the pan--or may be worth it to just add a bit more sugar&butter.
lisa
Delicious. Made batter with 1/2c olive oil and a bit of grand marnier. Cut sugar to 3/4 c. No lemons so followed directions using orange zest and juice. Making it for a dinner party now, will serve with whipped cream.
Cat
My teenagers loved this (so did I). Made it with blackberries and blueberries in stainless steel oven safe skillet. Baked for 40 minutes. Perfect!
J. from Buffalo.
I've made this 4 or 5 times and it's always come out very, very well. I've used sour cream, fat free Greek yoghurt, regular whole fat yoghurt, too. The texture is a little moister with the yoghurt, but you can't lose. I have used a lot of different types of berries, too. The last time I made it was with blueberries and cranberries, and that worked very nicely. I think part of the problem that others might have is with the skillet. I use a 12 inch stainless steel skillet--not a cast iron.
CHR
Made this a couple of days ago with a mix of frozen berries (did not defrost). Baked about 53 minutes, and it turned out very well. Perhaps, another time, would bake a couple of minutes extra, as the cake was super-moist. Not too much for us, but wondered if the texture should have been slightly dryer. Don't be put off by comment that cake is best eaten on the day made. It's still perfectly delicious several days later, if kept in the fridge.
Rick Ls
Put a sheet pan on the shelf below to catch any drips
You dont need a skillet
My skillet is more for my savory foods, so instead o used my Dutch oven! Mine is a stoneware pot so it works perfectly for making caramel, and I always get an even bake. The flipping process at the end is a big tough but if you have a pie dish or a dish that fits inside the Dutch oven, you’ll manage. I used a pie dish and it was a liiiittle bit of a tricky process but the cake is in tact and delicious all the same!
Carol
I'm sorry to only give it 4 stars, because it truly was lovely. But once it was all made--and it turned out beautiful, just like the picture--I realized it was nothing more than a cobbler, but with cake rather than biscuit or pie dough, both of which my mom used as I was growing up. The lovely thing is that it's now occurred to me I can make blackberry or blackberry/raspberry (what I used) pie or cobbler all year long using frozen fruit, and it'll taste glorious! But no cake...
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