Bright and fruity lemon-blueberry upside-down cake is the perfect treat for picnics, barbecues, or a quiet dessert on the porch on a warm summer night.
Lemony, bright, and perfect with sweet blueberries, this upside-down cake is a dreamy dessert.
You know I’ve been obsessed with upside-down cakes! I love the combination of fresh fruit, a light, moist cake, and an irresistible layer of caramel. This cake comes together with minimal effort (as far as baking projects go) and tastes delicious as an after-dinner treat. Featuring a layer of almonds in caramel, lightly sweetened blueberries, and a simple lemon cake, it’s a dessert you’ll savor all year long.
Fresh lemon zest and lemon juice add the perfect brightness to this sweet treat. Serve it with a big dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and this will be a hit for anyone you serve it to!
How to make this lemon-blueberry upside-down cake
What you need
- Blueberries: You’ll coat fresh blueberries in sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest.
- Caramel: The caramel layer is made with just butter, light brown sugar, heavy cream, and sliced almonds.
- Lemon cake: The cake is made with butter, brown sugar, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cake flour, baking powder, salt, and milk.
How to make it
- Step 1: Make the caramel. Melt butter in a small saucepan and add the brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes until it begins to deepen in color and turn light brown brown. Remove from the heat and add heavy cream. Whisk until smooth and then add the almonds. Pour the caramel into a prepared cake pan and smooth it into an even layer. Refrigerate until needed.
- Step 1: Prepare the blueberries by washing them and coating them in sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest.
- Step 3: Prepare the batter. Cream butter and brown sugar together. Add an egg and beat until fluffy. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Begin by adding half of the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, and salt – and half of the milk, beating until just combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and milk and beat until smooth.
- Step 5: Assemble the cake. Pour the blueberries over the almonds and press gently into a tight layer. Pour the cake batter on top and smooth into an even layer.
- Step 6: Transfer the cake to the oven and bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Step 7: Allow the cake to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes before inverting onto a plate.
From there, you can slice the upside-down cake and serve it with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Lemon-Blueberry Upside-Down Cake
Bright and fruity lemon-blueberry upside-down cake is the perfect treat for picnics, barbecues, or a quiet dessert on the porch on a warm summer night.
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Servings: 8
Calories: 344kcal
Ingredients
Blueberries:
- 10 ounces blueberries
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Almond-caramel layer:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Batter:
- ¾ cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
For serving:
Instructions
Prepare the caramel:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a parchment paper round. Set aside.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small pot over medium heat. Once melted, add ½ cup light brown sugar. Stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture darkens slightly in color. Remove from the heat and add the heavy cream. Whisk until smooth. Add the almonds and stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth it into an even layer. Transfer to the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Prepare the blueberries:
- Place the blueberries in a bowl. Cover with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Stir to coat.
Make the batter:
- Sift ¾ 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 light brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg and beat until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until just incorporated.
- Add half the dry ingredients and beat with the mixer until just combined. Add half of the milk and beat until incorporated. Add the remaining dry ingredients and the rest of the milk. Beat until just combined. Don’t over-mix!
Assemble the cake:
- Remove the cake pan from the refrigerator.
- Arrange the blueberries in the cake pan in an even layer. Press them gently into the caramel to create a tight layer. Avoid breaking them too much.
- Spoon the batter over the blueberries and smooth it into an even layer.
Bake the upside-down cake:
- Transfer the cake to the oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. The cake should still be warm to the touch when you invert it.
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 inverted onto the plate, peel away and discard the parchment paper. Cut the cake and serve it with vanilla ice cream on top. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 221mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin C: 8mg
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What would you think of pistachio-caramel layer?
Sounds delish!!