Berry Upside-down Cake

Cookbook Fruit Cake

Upon graduating high school at 17, I received as a gift a large orange suitcase and left home to find my way in the world. Knowing how much I loved this cake, my mom gave me her recipe for it before I ventured off into the unknown. It was the first cake I made when I was on my own and I continue to make it today. It is like a best friend to me. One of the things I love most about it is that I can make it with berries and then move on to plums and peaches as they come into season. The fruit caramelizes on the bottom or top (depending on which way you want to look at it), making for a flavourful, soft, moist cake. It never fails to be enjoyed at family gatherings — including by Oliver, our granddog. This doubles as a coffee cake for breakfast, if there’s any left.

July 19, 2024

Instructions

½ + 1/3 cup salted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1½ cups fresh berries or peeled and sliced soft fruit
2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ tsp table salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 medium eggs, at room temperature, well beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup 2 per cent milk

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

In a 9-inch round pan, melt 1/3 cup of the butter in the oven, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the melted butter. Arrange the berries or fruit over the sugar mixture.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream the sugar and the rest of the butter together. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until creamed.

Add about half the flour mixture and mix to incorporate. Add about half the milk and mix to incorporate. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and milk.

Pour the batter over the berries or fruit.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean, approximately 65 minutes. Immediately invert onto a serving plate by putting a serving plate upside down on top of the cake pan, carefully flip- ping both the pan and plate over, and then gently remov- ing the cake pan.

This is best served immediately, but you can store it wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

This is delicious served warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Excerpted from The Krause Berry Farms Cookbook by Sandee Krause. Copyright © 2024 Sandee Krause. Photographs by Heather Cameron. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.