Berry Upside Down Cake... Recipe
I know when I return home from a trip there will be things in the kitchen that I'll have to over-look. The kitchen will appear to be clean, but in my absence not once will the counters have been wiped, or the floors swept, and no matter how many pounds of bacon/sausage have been fried on the stove, it will not have been de-greased. There will always be a pile of mail on one counter and on another counter will be all of the dishes/utensils the mister had no idea where to put...he's only lived in this house for 20 years so how can I expect him to know where we keep the colander? Or the potato peeler? Or the mixing bowls? I say nothing. I bite my tongue, thank him for doing such a good job and watch him beam proudly...it's very much the same as me patting Caesar Beezer The Wonder Dog on his head while saying, "Good Boy! Good Boy!" Except the mister doesn't wag his tail.
The mister and the boy are walking petri-dishes - that's a given - so I know when I return from a trip I will have to don a haz-mat suit and scour the kitchen. However, the laundry room is another matter..before I leave, the mister and the boy are given strict instructions about laundry...they can do whatever laundry of their own that they like but they are NOT to touch my stuff! So imagine my surprise/horror when I discover a load of laundry was left in the washer and had started to mildew...a load that was way too large for the washer AND the water setting was on LOW!!! I D I O T S !!! Laundry is one thing but RE-laundering is above my pay grade! I adjusted the settings, removed HALF the clothes, added detergent and bleach to remove the stench of mildew and ran the load again...it was only when I removed the clothes from the washer that I discovered several articles of mine were in there! Hell hath NO furry like a woman who's unmentionables have been washed with men's dirty yard clothes!!! Gives new meaning to the phrase, "There's no place like home!"
This is an old-fashioned cake...no frills...just down-home goodness in every delicious, buttery-berry- bite. I used blueberries and strawberries, but any berries will work, blackberries are especially good! The berries are mixed in brown sugar and butter and are baked in the bottom of a cast-iron skillet... when the cake is done it's inverted onto a plate, so all of that buttery goodness, along with the juices from the berries seep downward into the moist crumb of the cake. The sides of the cake, from being baked in a skillet, will be slightly crispy and chewy - think caramelized from the butter and sugar against the hot sides of the pan...mind-blasting! I have nothing but rave reviews for this!! I'm giving it 5 dangs on the Dang Meter...it's dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good...and if you want to serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream alongside...well, toss in another dang just for the heckovit!
Berry Upside Down Cake - Inspired by Ann Thibeault and Canadian Living's Blueberry Upside Down Cake, August 1983
(I must thank Thibeault's Table for posting this recipe - if you haven't visited Ann's blog before you really should - she has GREAT recipes!! Her photographs will make you drool...She also makes and sells amazing maple cutting boards. Ann lives on the West Coast of Canada...so we're practically neighbors! My version of Berry Upside Down Cake differs from Ann's, I have noted the differences below, but either way, this is a dang good cake and one you should make today!
You can bake this in a 9-inch square cake pan but I would urge you to use a 9-inch cast-iron skillet so the sides will crisp, just one more thing to love about this cake!)
For the topping:
- *1/2 cup melted butter (Ann used 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (Ann used 2 cups blueberries)
- 1 cup strawberries, stems removed, sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- For the batter:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (Ann used 3/4 granulated sugar, no brown sugar)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, I did not add the cinnamon)
- 3/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the topping by melting 1/2 cup butter; pour it into the bottom of a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and stir to combine. Add in blueberries and strawberries, coat well. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream 1/2 cup butter with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, if using. Add flour mixture, alternating with milk, to the cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour and beating just until combined. Spread batter evenly over berry layer. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in skillet, then invert onto a flat cake plate. Serves 8.