I made this blueberry upside down cake for my brother as a goodbye and good luck cake. He is now in Europe, and will be gone for many months. I felt a cake that is made upside down is appropriate when someone is putting their life in a bag and travelling to the other side of the globe.
Because I am hi-lar-ious I told him that when he comes back I’ll make him a cake that’s up the right way.
I highly recommend turning your life upside down from time to time. I tend to do it quite frequently.
The first time I did it, I was 21 and moved to London. I call it my girl-meets-world tour. But it was a bit more girl-gets-a-slapped-in-the-face-by-the-world tour. I’d never even lived out of home before in my small home city of Perth. I ended up back in Perth six months later broke and somewhat dazed.
Then I moved to Melbourne a few years later. And a few years after that back to London. Now I’m in Melbourne again. Phew. I’d really like to go to New York next… if anyone would like to sponsor me? Americans make it tricky with all your visa restrictions.
And I’ve been well and truly upside down a few times. I’ve had my bag stolen, forgotten my passport, ended up homeless in the middle of the night, hospitalised with allergies, and so broke I’ve had to call Mum for a loan. Twice. Thanks Mum.
Anyways, this cake is clever because you put the topping in the cake tin first, then the cake batter, cook it up, turn it over and voila! Cake! Upside down can work.
So good luck o’brother of mine. I’ll make you another cake soon, but not too soon.
Notes: This cake makes one 8-inch cake that is about 3 inches high. However I did not have an 8-inch cake pan that was that deep, so not to be deterred, I made two makes that were about 8 inches wide and 1 1/2 deep. That’s why mine look smaller. The downside was that two cakes means two tops so I had fewer blueberries on my cakes. But it still tasted awesome. When you make yours, and you have the proper size tin, you’ll end up with a more concentrated layer of blueberries on top.
Ingredients
For the topping:
2 tablespoons (25 grams) unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup blueberries
For the cake:
115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) 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 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup sour cream
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Grease a tin that is either 8-inches round with 3-inch tall sides. Or you can also use a 9-inch round with 2-inch sides. See my note above for what I used.
- Place butter in the cake pan and place in the oven. When butter is melted, remove pan from the oven. Using two pot holders, tilt the pan around and around, coating the sides of the pan with butter. Once sides are coated, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Using electric beaters cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed. Cream until slightly pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract. Beat for 1 minute.
- Add the dry ingredients and stir until the batter just comes together. Batter will be pretty thick.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar into the melted butter in the cake pan. Sprinkle blueberries over the butter and sugar in a single layer. Spoon batter over the strawberries and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre 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. Serve warm with sweetened sour or whipped cream.
Makes: One 8-inch cake that is about 3 inches high
Healthy? Cut into 12 slices, it’s 260 calories a slice.
Storage: In an airtight container or you can cut up and freeze as a school/work snack.
Source: Altered from Joy the Baker’s strawberry upside down cake with cardamon.
That looks divine even at 8 o’clock in the morning. Thanks for sharing!
That’s me – springing out of bed to make a cake at 6am (not!). 🙂
What a perfect cake for a major life change. Mike and I typically do the flipping life upside down thing every 4 years. It’s always an adventure. 🙂
And with kids in tow, I think that’s awesome! By the way, I took your advice and made buttermilk biscuits. They are a hit! I’ll be posting them soon. You don’t really see them in Australia either, do thanks for the heads up.
Very nice!
So pretty! I love all those caramelized blueberries on the top 🙂 Your travel experiences sound like an adventure!!
It does give me a hankering to go travel again!
beautiful! upside down cake is just plain fun.
Hehe, I love your reason for making an upside down cake 🙂 So sweet of you to bake something for your brother. My brother and I don’t really get along too well…at least I’d never bake him a going away present. I’d probably celebrate on my own. Hehe, jk.
Hehe – I have people like that too. Generally if I bake for someone, they should be pretty happy with where they stand in my life. I think that’s the rule for most bakers? 🙂
How beautiful! A wonderful goodbye treat for your brother. Love the thought process behind it, too 🙂 Can’t wait to see your right-side up cake upon his return!
Thanks! I’ll try make my right way up one equally as appropriate.
What a lovely, summery little cake(s). Sounds like you have had some adventures. I have always played it very safe and stayed fairly close to home. Now, at 42, I wish I had had more excitement early on. I think you have done it all right. 😉 I wish your brother a good trip and a safe return.
Yum!!!! 🙂 I love how adventurous you are– life is all about the memories we make! Good luck with New York!!!
That looks and sounds so good!
Thanks! Blueberries photograph really well 🙂
this looks lovely! I’ll make it tomorrow.
ohhh Aimee ur life sounds so similar to mine, I fear I’m imitating u or u me or something!! I’m a Sydney girl, moved to Melbourne, then to London, then Spain, then had my bag stolen (3 times no less), hospitalised twice, got stranded, moved back to London, now in Melbourne again! Don’t know HOW many times I called mum for a loan!! But it’s character building stuff, right?! Or something like that!
Anyway your recipes are all scrummie & I make at least one of them each week 🙂 keep up the good work! x
Sounds like very similar journeys! But why do they always have to involve having our bags stolen and ringing mums for loans?? 🙂 Part of the adventure I guess. I’m so glad the recipes are useful, that’s made my day. Have a lovely weekend! x