Recipes Desserts Cake Lemon Cake Lemon Upside-Down Cake 3.7 (3) 5 Reviews Cal Peternell likes teaching recipes that are extremely versatile, like this one. The cake is wonderful when it's made with almost any type of fruit, from figs and blood oranges to pineapple. Peternell usually uses sweet Meyer lemons from his neighbor's tree. Regular lemons are tasty too and add a bitter note that's a lovely contrast to the gooey brown-sugar topping.Plus: More Dessert Recipes and Tips By Cal Peternell Cal Peternell Cal Peternell was the head chef of Chez Panisse for 22 years. He is the author of four bestselling cookbooks, including the award-winning Twelve Recipes (2014). Cal hosts the Cooking by Ear podcast where he invites listeners to cook along with him and kitchen guests such as Frances McDormand, Mira Nair, and Alexander Payne.Experience: Cal Peternell was inspired to pursue a career in cooking while living in Italy with his wife. His professional culinary journey began in San Francisco, where he worked at BIX and Loretta Keller's Bizou. From there he cooked at Lydia Shire's BIBA and Chris Schlesinger's The Blue Room in Boston, before helming the kitchen at Chez Panisse. Cal shifted his attention to writing cookbooks, focused on teaching home cooks how to not only cook well but to take pleasure in the process. His first book gave readers a kitchen manual of essential building blocks to help them develop core skills and confidence. Cal's second and third books provided recipes for celebrations and get-togethers and introduced healthier, more economical, and sustainable ways of cooking. He carries the theme of sustainability into his latest book Burnt Toast and Other Disasters (2021) in which he offers practical advice and kitchen hacks to salvage food-gone-wrong and turn lackluster ingredients into delicious meals. In addition to writing cookbooks, Cal hosts the podcast Cooking by Ear where he invites listeners to cook along with him and kitchen guests such as Frances McDormand, Mira Nair, and Alexander Payne.Education: Cal studied painting at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 8, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Cal Peternell likes teaching recipes that are extremely versatile, like this one. The cake is wonderful when it's made with almost any type of fruit, from figs and blood oranges to pineapple. Peternell usually uses sweet Meyer lemons from his neighbor's tree. Regular lemons are tasty too and add a bitter note that's a lovely contrast to the gooey brown-sugar topping. Photo: © Thomas Heinser Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins Yield: 1 9-inch cake Ingredients 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 2 thin-skinned lemons, sliced paper-thin crosswise, seeds discarded 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 large eggs, separated 3/4 cup whole milk 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar Sweetened whipped cream, for serving Directions Preheat the oven to 350°. Set a 9-inch nonstick cake pan over moderate heat. Add 4 tablespoons of the butter and when it is melted, stir in the brown sugar until dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Arrange the lemon slices in the melted brown sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and the egg yolks, one at a time. At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the milk. In a stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at high speed until firm peaks form. Fold one-third of the beaten whites into the batter, then fold in the rest. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a plate. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream. Rate it Print