Sunday Supper: Summer Berry Upside-Down Cake

I made this for Tony's Fathers' Day BBQ, and it was so good I had to make it again. Lots of people asked me for the recipe, and I realized that I fiddled with the original enough that I needed to re-write it so people could reproduce my results. I think I am going to start posting occasional recipes on this blog space, so I will call it the Sunday Supper feature, since I tend to put the extra special effort into my dinner on Sunday night for my family.

Summer Berry Upside-Down Cake

Special equipment you will need:

A 10-inch, well seasoned cast iron skillet

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

For the topping:

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
3 cups mixed berries. (I used one cup each blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries)

Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat until foam subsides. Add the sugar, stir to incorporate, and let it cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Add the berries in an even layer and take off the heat. Do not stir.

For the cake:

1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened.
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of one lemon

1/2 cup half and half

Sift together in a separate bowl
1 3/4 cups cake flour (not all-purpose)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon


In a mixing bowl, blend butter and sugars with a mixer until it is lighter in color and creamy. Add eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla and mix. Add sifted mixture and half&half in turns and mix until blended. Spoon batter over berries in an even layer. Bake 30 minutes, until top is golden brown and springy to the touch.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in the skillet for at least 10 minutes before loosening with a knife around the edges and inverting onto a serving plate. (Turn skillet and plate while pressing them together as one unit)

Serve wedges warm or room temperature with fresh whipped cream.