Upside Down Cakes

I was unaware of my reputation as the guy who makes upside down cakes until my coworker's best friend's wife remembered me as the young man who showed up to the barbecue with a cherry upside down cardamom cake. Then over a year later, mentioned the same cake to me at a holiday party, and apparently hadn't stopped talking about it till then. Additionally, the other day when I was messaging my my cousin in Italy, she mentioned the peach upside down cake I made on a whim after dinner one night last summer... apparently my cakes are leaving an impression. Coincidentally, on both of these occasions, both of my upside down admirers are named Maria. So this post is for the Marias in my life.

It's a position I hold dear, and I feel like now I have a title to uphold, and if I make a cake that's not up to the standard of my spitting image of golden perfection, then what? I guess I'll just give up baking forever, crawl into a hole, and never be seen again holding a plate of seasonal caramelized fruit upside down cake.

I had one problem though. My secret was that there was no recipe to my cakes. In general I just made a basic oil and yogurt cake because I knew if I used these ingredients, no matter what, I'd be left with a result that was soft and moist. But this was inconsistent on my part because each cake was slightly different. So in dedication to the Maria's, I decided to finally sit down and write a more concrete recipe. Normally I make my upside down cakes with an almond meal and olive oil because it always results in the tenderest and moistest base for the fruit to lay on. The process of making this cake is also super easy and only takes a few minutes. With no real equipment other than a bowl and a whisk, this cake is a staple recipe for when I'm in a rush or don't feel like cleaning my entire kitchen. When you peel back the parchment and are left with a fruit bejeweled upside down cake, friends, family, and Maria's will ask you for the recipe and never stop talking about it, just like they did with me. Passing my curse and reputation… on to you. Cheers! 

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This cake is a choose your own adventure when it comes to what fruit you prefer or have on hand, and how you want to flavor the cake. I enjoy using stone fruits because they bake well and leave a visually stunning pattern when you arrange them in the pan. Some flavor combinations I make again and again are cherry and cardamom, apricot and almond extract, peach and blueberry with cinnamon, and blueberry lemon, but use whatever sounds good to you! I'm currently thinking of also developing a chocolate version because I feel like chocolate almond and ginger cake with pears might be good, but that to be determined. (Coming soon I guess)

Fruits:

• Apricot

• Peach

• Plum

• Blueberry

• Cherry

• Rhubarb

Extracts and add ins:

• Vanilla extract

• Almond extract

• Citrus zest

• Cardamom

• Cinnamon

• Powdered, zested, candied ginger

Almond Olive Oil Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

100g eggs (about 2 medium eggs) 

200g sugar

70g oil 

150g greek yogurt 

Optional extract or add in

100g AP flour 

80g Almond or other nut meal 

Pinch of salt

9g Baking Powder 

Optional powdered spice

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line the bottom of a greased 9in pan with parchment and sprinkle lightly with either white or brown sugar. Tightly arrange fruit of choice along the bottom of the pan. Set aside.  

2. In a large bowl combine the eggs and sugar and whisk until smooth and pale.

3. Slowly drizzle in the oil in increments at a time, whisking after each addition to homogenize the oil into the eggs and sugar. Add in the yogurt and whisk until smooth. 

4. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and thoroughly mix, making sure the baking powder is not in clumps and is evenly incorporated. Sifting is recommended.

5. Add half the dry into the wet mixture, and lightly whisk to barely combine, then add the remaining dry and finish mixing until smooth. 

6. Pour over the fruit and strongly tap the pan flat against the counter a couple times to release air bubbles to allow the batter to sink in between the fruit.

7. Bake the cake for 32-40 min. Make sure the cake is fully cooked, it can be deceiving, but it's better to allow 1 or 2 more minutes in the oven than expected. Don't worry, it won't dry out, thats the crutch of oil based cakes.  

8. Allow the cake to cool on the counter until the pan is warm to the touch. Draw a knife around cake to loosen it from the pan, and place a serving platter over the top. Invert the cake to release the pan and gently peel back the parchment to reveal the upside down fruit. 

9. This cake is best served after it reaches room temperature for a couple hours and the crumb has time to fully set. It holds well in the fridge overnight.