Strawberry Upside Down Cake
This Strawberry Upside Down Cake combines a soft, moist vanilla cake with a cream cheese swirl and a layer of strawberries that get jammy when baked. This cake is eye catching and super easy to make. This cake can be made in one bowl and only takes about 10 minutes to mix together.
Is there anything better than fresh strawberries during the summertime? Strawberries are probably my favorite summertime fruit. Combine them with cake and I am sold!
This Strawberry Upside Down Cake is one of the easiest cakes to make. Not only does it look beautiful, and catch your eye with its bright ruby red color, but it also tastes absolutely delicious. The strawberries, I think, are the perfect fruit to use for an upside down cake. The juices from the strawberries are released as they bake, creating a delicious syrupy/jammy layer. For this cake, I paired it with a soft, fluffy vanilla cake and a cream cheese swirl. This cake is a great summery dessert, but would also make a great addition to your weekend brunch table. Either way, it won’t last long!
The details
Mise en Place
Before I begin making any cake, or food in general, I like to make sure I have all my ingredients. What’s worse than being halfway through baking something when you realize you’re out of a key ingredient!? Not that it has happened to me before…
Anyways, I feel it helps to measure everything out and have it ready to go. It also makes it easy when mixing the cake since everything is already measured out.
making the cake
The first thing you’ll want to do when making this Strawberry Upside Down Cake, is to prepare your cake pan. Line the bottom ofa 9-inch pan with a circle of parchment paper, then spray the sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray. The parchment paper bottom makes the cake a breeze to remove from the pan after it bakes.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar evenly on the piece of parchment paper, then arrange the strawberries, cut side down on top of the sugar. I like to do this first to allow the strawberries a little bit of time to begin releasing their juices. The sugar helps the strawberries release their natural juices, which will create the delicious syrupy/jammy layer when baked.
Before I mix the cake batter for the Strawberry Upside Down Cake, I like to mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature. You can always microwave it for 20-30 seconds to soften it. I like using either a handheld or stand mixer to mix the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Set aside while you make the cake.
For this cake, you don’t need any fancy mixers. Just a bowl and a whisk. You’ll mix together the oil, milk, sugar, sour cream, eggs and vanilla until combined. Then, sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Mix just until combined.
bake the cake
Pour half of the cake batter on top of the strawberries. Use a spoon to evenly dollop the cream cheese over top of the batter, then pour the remaining cake batter on top of the cream cheese layer.
The Strawberry Upside Down Cake bakes in a 350F oven for 40-45 minutes. I found for this cake it was easiest to tell that it was done when carefully touching the center of the cake. The center of the cake will spring back when it is fully baked.
Don’t open your oven door until close to the 40 minute mark. If you open the oven door too soon, it can cause the temperature in the oven to drop and cause a sunken middle in the cake. (trust me, this has happened to me before!) I like to turn on the oven light to keep an eye on my cake as it bakes.
cool the cake and serve
Cool the Strawberry Upside Down Cake on a wire cooling rack in the cake pan for 1 hour.
To serve, run a paring knife around the sides of the cake to loosen from the pan. Place your serving plate on top of the cake. Flip the cake pan over, so that the cake comes out onto your serving plate. Carefully peel parchment paper off of cake. Serve and enjoy!
If you’re looking for more strawberry recipes to make, here are a few you may enjoy.
strawberry recipes you may enjoy
- Strawberry Shortcake Cake
- Berries and Cream Buns (substitute the raspberry jam for strawberry, if desired)
- Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
If you make this Strawberry Upside Down Cake, let me know what you thought in the ratings and comments below. I always appreciate your feedback! Also, make sure you tag me @simplebakingwithpep on instagram and check out the baking video for this cake as well as some fun behind the scenes. It makes me so happy to see your creations on social media! Also make sure you find me on youtube to watch the full baking video for this cake.
Print
Strawberry Upside Down Cake
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
This Strawberry Upside Down Cake combines a soft, moist vanilla cake with a cream cheese swirl and a layer of strawberries that get jammy when baked. This cake is eye catching and super easy to make. This cake can be made in one bowl and only takes about 10 minutes to mix together.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, halved
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Cake
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Swirl
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 inch pan with a circle of parchment paper on the bottom. Spray the bottom and sides of the pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar evenly over bottom of pan. Arrange the strawberries, cut side facing down on top of the sugar in pan. You may have to cut some of the strawberries into smaller pieces to fit entirely in pan.
3. Make the Cream Cheese Swirl. In a medium bowl with a handheld mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Beat until mixture is smooth and combined. Set aside.
4. Make the Cake. In a large bowl, add the vegetable oil, milk, sour cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Add in the baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour, Mix just until combined.
5. Pour half of the coffee cake mixture into the prepared pan. Using a spoon, spoon dollops of the cream cheese mixture over the entire top of the batter. Pour the remaining half of cake batter over top of the cream cheese.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. To test for doneness, carefully touch the top of the cake. If the center of the cake springs back, it is done baking. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 1 hour before removing from the pan. Use a paring knife to run along the sides of the cake to loosen from the pan. Place your serving plate on top of the cake pan, then flip the cake pan over. Carefully peel the parchment paper off the cake. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- This cake uses sour cream in the batter. Since sour cream is thick, it is able to deliver moisture without thinning out the batter. This results in a cake crumb that is tender, fine crumb that is incredibly moist.
- You can substitute Greek yogurt as a one to one replacement for the sour cream, if desired. Make sure you use full fat Greek yogurt. The Greek yogurt has a similar tangy taste as the sour cream, and creates a similar texture as the sour cream.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
