I thought upside down was one word. ย I was wrong.
You knew it wasn’t one word. ย You’re smarter than me.
Let’s learn a lesson… because I just learned it, and I want to share it with you.
Upside down is two words when you write something like “Oh crap… that pie just landed on the floor upside down!” ย Adverb nation. ย Wait… right?
Upside-down is hyphenated when it’s used as an adjective like, “Oh crap… ย Joy is totally obsessed with strawberries right now, and that Strawberry Upside-down Cake looks major.” ย Upside-down describes the cake… working overtime in adjective land.
… And this… this is why I’m not an English teacher.
Class dismissed.
I shoved this cake in my mouth on Sunday morning as I was rushing off to church.
I wasn’t late.
Ok… I wasn’tย that late.
My point is that this cake is super easy to throw together on a Sunday morning.
And! ย It’s best eaten warm (when you’re in a hurry).
The cake batter is a simple brown sugar and sour cream cake. ย It’s sweet and moist, with a delicate but sturdy crumb. ย How’s that for food words?
Easy, uncomplicated, summer weekend dessert.
If you wanted to experiment with other berries for this recipe, I’d totally support you!
Strawberry Upside-down Cake with Cardamom
makes: one 8-inch cake
For the Topping:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup sliced strawberries
For the Cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2/3 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
I used an 8-inch round with 3-inch tall sides. ย You can also use a 9-inch round with 2-inch sides.
Place butter in the cake pan and place in the oven. ย When butter is melted, remove pan from the oven. ย Using two pot holders, tilt the pan around and around, coating the sides of the pan with butter. ย Once sides are coated, set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom. ย Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed. ย Cream until slightly pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. ย Stop mixer, scrape down the bowl with a spatula, and add egg and vanilla extract. ย Beat for 1 minute.
Turn the mixer off, scrape the bowl, and add the dry ingredients. ย Beat on low speed while adding the sour cream. ย Beat until the batter just comes together. ย Batter will be pretty thick. ย Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish incorporating ingredients with a spatula.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar into the melted butter in the cake pan. ย Sprinkle strawberry slices over the butter and sugar in a single layer. ย Spoon batter over the strawberries and spread evenly with a spatula. ย Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cake rest for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the cake and inverting the cake onto a cake plate. ย Serve warm with sweetened sour or whipped cream.
340 Responses
[…] and I added chocolate chips (but no nuts because I’m nutty enough). The second recipe was Strawberry Upside-Down Cardamom Cake. Hubby had a co-worker who shared some of the spices he brought back from a holiday overseas. One […]
If I halve this (yes, half an egg…) could I use a 6″ tin?
Could you use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
You sure can!
hi joy! i made this yesterday for easter and it was a hit. i wanted to let you know that i tried it with some substitutions to make it vegan, and it turned out great. i subbed vegan cultured butter (miyoko’s creamery brand), three tablespoons of aquafaba for the egg and equal amounts of coconut cream for the sour cream. i probably should’ve baked a little longer to compensate for the swaps (maybe ~10 minutes) — it was a little gooey in the middle, but to be honest, that part was pretty delicious, too! i mixed up the leftover coconut cream with a little more brown sugar and vanilla for a whipped topping. i have just been starting to delve more into vegan baking, so i was really happy with how this turned out! thanks for the great recipe!
Do you think I could use figs for this? Made it with strawberries and it was great but not sure how the brown sugar + butter will work with sliced figs! Thanks!
I haven’t tested it, but let me know if you do