Recipes for upside-down cake date to the early 20th century. And while a pineapple and maraschino cherry-topped cake may be the most famous variation of the topsy-turvy dessert, it isn't the original. Recipes featuring apples or cherries, often called skillet cakes, can be found in turn of the (19th to 20th) century cookbooks, according to foodtimeline.org.
One of our favorite things about upside-down cake is that, while they are sweet, they aren't cloyingly sweet the way traditional frosted cakes can be.
Bakers needn't limit themselves to just pineapple. Almost any fruit can be used to make an upside-down cake.
Apricots, peaches, plums, cherries, bananas, blueberries and blackberries are all excellent choices. And there's no rule the cake has to be basic white or yellow. Pears and spice cake. Blueberries and lemon cake. Peaches and cornmeal cake. Bananas and chocolate cake. The possibilities are endless.
Apricot-White Chocolate Upside-Down Cake
6 apricots, fresh or canned
1 package white or yellow cake mix PLUS ingredients needed for preparing cake according to package instructions, except milk
Orange juice
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or 2 (9-inch) cake pans; set aside.
If using fresh apricots, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add apricots and cook 15 to 30 seconds. Drain in a colander. When apricots are cool enough to handle, remove skins and cut each in half along the seam. Remove pits; set aside.
Prepare cake mix according to package instructions, substituting orange juice for the milk. Fold the white chocolate chips into batter.
Pour melted butter into the bottom of prepared pan and swirl to coat. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Arrange apricot halves over sugar. Spread cake batter over apricots. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for sheet pan or until a tester inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the edges of the pan, then invert on to a large wire rack and cool completely.
Makes about 16 servings.
Recipe adapted from Melissa's Everyday Cooking With Organic Produce by Cathy Thomas
Bananas Foster Upside-Down Coffee Cake
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, softened, divided use
1 1/2 tablespoons rum
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 ripe bananas
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided use
2 eggs, separated
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups baking mix such as Bisquick
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Whipped cream, optional
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange chopped pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until fragrant and toasted, stirring once or twice; set aside.
Melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over low heat. Stir in rum. Sprinkle brown sugar over rum mixture and remove from heat.
Sprinkle pecans evenly over brown sugar mixture. Cut bananas in half. Peel. Cut each half, lengthwise into 3 slices. Arrange banana slices in a spoke pattern over pecans.
In a mixing bowl, beat remaining 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar on medium speed until blended. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add milk, sour cream and vanilla, beating just until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine baking mix and cinnamon. Add to mixing bowl and beat just until blended.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter. Spread batter over bananas in skillet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in skillet on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a serving plate. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Recipe adapted from Classic Southern Desserts from the editors of Southern Living
Kiwi-Coconut Mini Upside-Down Cakes
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
Brown sugar, for sprinkling
2 to 3 kiwis, peeled and cut into 12 (1/4-inch) slices
1/2 cup salted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup orange juice
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Coat the wells of a muffin pan with butter or line with paper liners and coat liners with butter.
Toast coconut in a skillet over medium-low heat until lightly golden; remove to a plate to cool.
Sprinkle a little brown sugar in the bottom of each muffin well. Top with a slice of kiwi.
In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well.
In separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
Add the flour mixture, alternating with the orange juice, to the creamed butter and sugar, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined. Divide batter between muffin wells. Top with toasted coconut. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Makes 12 mini cakes.
Recipe adapted from food52.com
Peach-Cornmeal Skillet Cake
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature, divided use
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 fresh peaches, pitted and sliced
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
⅔ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup buttermilk
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt 1/4 cup of the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is fairly smooth, adjusting the heat as necessary to keep mixture from burning. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Arrange the sliced peaches in a spiral over the melted sugar; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the remaining butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating on medium after each until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and continue to beat for another minute.
Slowly add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Be careful not to beat any longer than necessary. Mix just until flour is completely incorporated.
Spread the batter over the peaches. Gently shake pan to settle the batter into the nooks and crannies. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool cake in skillet on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson
Berry Upside-Down Cake
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries or a combination
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 1/3 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
Whipped cream, for serving, optional
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (8-inch) cake pans with parchment paper. Coat parchment with baking spray or butter and sprinkle with a little sugar. Divide berries between the pans. Sprinkle berries with a little sugar; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the 3/4 cup sugar, the self-rising flour and lemon zest and mix well. Add the vanilla and lemon extracts, butter, milk and eggs, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Batter will be thick.
Spoon batter over berries, gently spreading to cover.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate or cake platter. Remove parchment paper. Cool completely or serve slightly warm.
Makes 2 (8-inch) cakes.
Rum-Scented Mango Upside-Down Cake
1 1/2 cups mango nectar (see note)
1/3 cup rum
2 pounds ripe mangoes
3/4 cup butter, softened, divided use
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small saucepan, combine the mango nectar and rum and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until mixture has cooled to room temperature.
Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the mangoes.
Heat a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 tablespoons of the butter and the brown sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture forms a bubbly paste, about 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and arrange mango slices over melted sugar.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine the ginger, remaining butter and granulated sugar and beat with an electric mixer until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour, alternating with the cooled mango nectar-rum mixture, mixing just until combined.
Spoon batter over mangoes, then spread with a spatula to smooth. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool cake in skillet on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter. If any mangoes stick to the skillet, gently remove them and return them to the cake.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Note: Look for mango nectar with the gourmet juices or the Hispanic foods. Can substitute peach nectar.
Recipe adapted from The New Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook by Ellen Brown
Food on 05/14/2014