Deliciously gooey upside-down cakes are super easy to prepare, and make a beautiful, crowd-pleasing statement on the dessert table. Here are seven of F&W’s best upside-down cake recipes to make for your next dinner party.
Don’t forget to use pastry pro Justin Chapple’s awesome new trick to achieve parchment paper cake pan-lining perfection!
1. Spiced Upside-Down Apple Bundt Cake
This cake gets topped with a nicely salty streusel of pecans and toasted rolled oats.
2. Prune Upside-Down Cakes
Chef Naomi Pomeroy likes cooking with dried fruit because it’s easy to keep on hand. “Fresh fruit goes bad so quickly,” she says. She poaches dried, local plums, then mixes them with a brown sugar caramel to make a topping for individual olive-oil cakes. Peach slices or apple chunks also work well.
3. Lemon Upside-Down Cake
This versatile cake is wonderful when it's made with almost any type of fruit, from figs and blood oranges to pineapple. The lemons in this version add a bitter note that's a lovely contrast to the gooey brown-sugar topping.
4. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Be sure to serve this updated classic with homemade buttermilk ice cream.
5. Maple-Apple Upside-Down Cake
This is one of the best upside-down cakes ever—the maple syrup infuses both the apples and the cake, making the dessert taste like a stack of apple pancakes.
6. Plum Upside-Down Cake
This pretty cake from pastry chef Joanne Chang is moist and buttery, with plenty of sweet and tangy caramelized plums on top.
7. Ginger and Pear Upside-Down Cake
Brown sugar and honey make this pear dessert the perfect treat during the fall holidays.
Related: More Gooey Desserts
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