City Bakery Apple-Raspberry Upside-Down Cake

Are you picking up on a theme this month? I'm posting all the cakey things I made in December that didn't really fit in the goody plate groove. Plus we are getting into birthday season at my house so should just get used to lots of cakes and cupcakes in the next few months.

I felt like making this cake was a huge risk. I don't have a lot of upside-down cake experience and I really didn't know how it would turn out, much less taste. And I've never had City Bakery's original so I can't compare.

Luckily, and I do feel in some ways it was truly luck, it was magnificent. Really beautiful, moist vanilla butter cake topped with this warm halo of festive fruits. We served it at room temperature with whipped cream and it was divine. As a further measure of it's acceptability, we served it to company and all the kids liked it.
City Bakery Apple-Raspberry Upside-Down Cake
Fruit Topping:
1 1/2 cups diced peeled apples (I used a combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious)
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cranberry or apple juice
2 T cornstarch

Cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 T sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Generously spray a 7-inch cakepan or an 8-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the paper with more nonstick spray. Place pan on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (seriously, do - the topping may leak a bit.)

2. For fruit topping, toss all ingredients in a medium bowl and then spoon into prepared pan.

3. For cake, in a mixer bowl cream butter with sugar until well-blended and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and blend well. Fold in dry ingredients and blend well. Spoon batter over fruit in cakepan.

4. Bake until firm and cake springs back slightly when gently pressed with fingertips, 50 to 65 minutes. Cool 15 minutes and then invert cake onto a serving plate. Carefully peel off parchment paper circle. Serve just warm or at room temperature.

Recipe from A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman

Click here for printable recipe