There must be a downside to upside-down cake, but what could it possibly be? The upside is easy: Upside-down cake is so darn good, no matter what kind you make.
And there are plenty of kinds. There’s pear-ginger upside-down cake, and butterscotch-apple upside-down cake, and pineapple upside-down cake, to name a few.
Fruit, spices, brown sugar and butter or margarine-when they cook together at the bottom of the pan, topped by the cake batter, the result is a mix of flavors too tempting to turn down.
It comes out best when baked in a non-stick skillet, so the cooked and cooled cake can be easily inverted onto a plate.
You’ll need willpower in extra measure to eat just one piece. And that, it seems, is the only downside to this upside-down treat.
BUTTERSCOTCH APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 to 35 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
From “Joie Warner’s Apples.”
3/4 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, thinly sliced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon each: baking powder, ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon each: ground allspice, salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whipped cream
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a 9- to 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar has melted. Arrange apples in the sugar in one layer. Set aside.
2. Beat together the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the granulated sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Beat just until blended.
4. Spread the batter over the apples. Bake until golden and a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack 30 minutes before unmolding onto a plate. Serve warm with the whipped cream.
Nutrition information per serving: 424 calories, 4 g protein, 25 g fat, 35 g carbohydrates; 321 mg sodium, 99 mg cholesterol.
FRESH PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 35 to 40 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Adapted from “Light and Hearty,” by Jeanne Jones.
1 pineapple
2 tablespoons margarine
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/4 cups frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons each: ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white plus 1 egg
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola or corn oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup whipped cream
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove rind from pineapple. Cut into quarters and remove the core. Slice into 1/2-inch pieces.
2. Put margarine, brown sugar and 1/4 cup pineapple juice concentrate into a 9- to 10-inch non-stick skillet, and place over medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbly, remove from the heat. Arrange the pineapple in concentric circles in the pan without overlapping; reserve the remaining pineapple.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Beat the egg white with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Remove from the bowl. Add the whole egg, granulated sugar, oil and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1 cup pineapple concentrate. Beat in the flour just until mixed. Fold in the beaten egg white and nuts.
4. Spread the batter over the pineapple and bake until golden and a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack 15 minutes before unmolding onto a plate. Serve with pineapple and whipped cream.
Nutrition information per serving: 479 calories, 6 g protein, 22 g fat, 63 g carbohydrates, 203 mg sodium, 48 mg cholesterol.
PEAR-GINGER UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 40 to 45 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Adapted from “A Piece of Cake,” by Susan G. Purdy.
Topping:
5 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 ripe pears, cored, each cut into 8 slices, sprinkled with 1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely minced candied or crystallized ginger
Cake:
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon each: ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1. For topping, melt butter with brown and granulated sugars in a 9- or 10-inch non-stick skillet. Stir until combined. Stir in maple syrup. Add pears and ginger, stirring to coat with the sugar. Cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. For cake, heat oven to 325 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl of electric mixer; beat until fluffy. Beat in the maple syrup, eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beating just until blended.
3. Spoon the batter over the topping (which will look very liquid). Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
4. Let the cake cool 15 minutes before inverting onto serving plate.
Nutrition information per serving: 471 calories, 5 g protein, 18 g fat, 67 g carbohydrates, 317 mg sodium, 97 mg cholesterol.
