Amaretto Cherry Upside-Down Cake

This amaretto cherry upside-down cake is the perfect way to use ripe summer cherries in a dessert that will have everyone demanding seconds.

Amaretto, ripe cherries, and a moist yellow cake with subtle hints of almond make this upside-down cake a decadent dessert that you’ll want on repeat.

Upside-down cakes are my current hyperfixation. There’s something very thrilling and fun about not knowing what the top of the cake will look like until the very end. I’ve been on a bit of an amaretto kick lately, and I needed a different way to use amaretto that didn’t involve a sour cocktail. I was flipping through a few old cookbooks when I saw upside-down cakes galore. I gave it a whirl, and this version has been a huge hit ever since. The original recipe uses canned cherries and suggests making a sauce with cornstarch that you spoon over the cake at the end. I prefer to add the cornstarch straight to the cherries so the sauce makes itself as it bakes. Just be sure to serve the cake on a platter large enough for the extra sauce!

How to make this amaretto cherry upside-down cake

What you need

• Cherries: You’ll need a yield of 1 pound of pitted cherries. I recommend buying 1½ pounds as the pits and stems will take down the total yield weight. You’ll soak the cherries in amaretto liqueur, sugar, and cornstarch. If you don’t have amaretto, you can omit it or use brandy.
• Sugar topping: You’ll make a sugar topping with brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup.
• Cake: The cake is made with just butter, sugar, egg, cake flour, baking powder, salt, milk, almond extract, and vanilla extract.

How to make it

• Step 1: Combine the cherries with cornstarch, sugar, and amaretto in a bowl and toss to coat.
• Step 2: Melt butter in a small pot and add brown sugar and corn syrup. Cook for about 5 minutes and then pour into a prepared cake pan. Smooth it into an even layer. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Step 3: Make the batter by creaming butter and sugar in a bowl. Add an egg and mix until fluffy. Alternate adding the dry ingredients–cake flour, baking powder, and salt–with milk. Finish with almond extract and vanilla extract and beat until just combined. Don’t over-mix the batter!
• Step 4: From there, assemble the cake. Arrange the cherries on the prepared sugar topping in an even layer. Arrange them cut-side down. In an 8-inch round cake pan, you’ll likely have 2 even layers of cherries. Pour half of the cherry liquid from the bowl over the cherries. You can use all the liquid, but it will yield a much saucier cake! From there, simply spoon the batter on top and smooth it into an even layer.
• Step 5: Transfer to the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Step 6: Let the cake cool for at least 30 to 60 minutes before attempting to turn it onto a serving platter! To flip the cake, simply place a plate on top and carefully flip everything over in one motion. Use a butter knife to tap the bottom of the cake pan to encourage a gentle release of the cake. Once the cake has been released, you can slice it up and serve with whipped cream on top!

Amaretto Cherry Upside-Down Cake

This amaretto cherry upside-down cake is the perfect way to use ripe summer cherries in a dessert that will have everyone demanding seconds.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Share on Facebook

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Inactive time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 372kcal

Equipment

• 9-Inch Round Cake Pan
• Electric hand mixer
• Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

Cherries:

• 1½ pounds red cherries (stemmed, pitted, and halved; you’ll need a yield of 1 pound cherries after pitting)
• ¼ cup amaretto liqueur
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup light brown sugar (or use granulated sugar)
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Batter:

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 6 tablespoons whole milk
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

For serving:

• Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the cherries:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
• Place the halved cherries in a large bowl. Add the amaretto, sugar, and cornstarch. Stir to combine and set aside.

Cook the sugar:

• Lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan. Set aside.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a small pot over medium heat. Once melted, add ½ cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons corn syrup. Stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture darkens slightly in color.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth it into an even layer. Transfer to the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Make the batter:

• Sift 1 cup cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt into a small bowl. Set aside.
• Using an electric hand mixer, cream 4 tablespoons butter with ½ cup granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg and beat until smooth.
• Add half the dry ingredients and beat with the mixer until just combined. Add 3 tablespoons of milk and beat until incorporated. Add the remaining dry ingredients and the remaining 3 tablespoons of milk, ½ teaspoon almond extract, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until just combined. Don’t over-mix!

Assemble the cake:

• Remove the cake pan from the refrigerator. Arrange all of the cherries, cut-side down, in single layers. Spoon half of the excess liquid from the bowl over the cherries. See Note 1.
• Spoon the batter over the cherries and smooth it into an even layer.

Bake the upside-down cake:

• Transfer the cake to the oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let the cake stand for at least 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature.

To serve:

• Place a large plate over the cake pan and carefully flip the cake onto the plate. Use a small butter knife to tap over the pan to encourage the release of the cake. Once the cake has been transferred to the plate, cut and serve with whipped cream on top. Enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: You can pour all the excess liquid from the bowl over the cherries, but it will make a lot of excess sauce. Just be sure to use a platter large enough to hold the sauce when you turn over the cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 372kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Sodium: 223mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin C: 6mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @triedandtruerecipes or tag #triedandtruerecipes so I can feature you in my feed!

Recipes you may like:

Cherry Chocolate Upside-Down Cake Fig Upside-Down Cake Raspberry Mocha Upside-Down Cake