Upside-Down Cakes: Beyond the Pineapple
Are upside-down cakes on their way back up?
Last week Melissa Clark at the New York Times confessed to being on an upside-down baking kick, inspired by her own recipe for upside-down caramel apple muffins, and she proposed a theory about why this style of cake is the best match for fruit.
She says fresh fruit baked inside the batter can sometimes release too much juice, leading to a mushy cake, and topping a baked cake with a compote doesn’t deeply combine the flavors. But baking batter on top of a jammy layer of fresh fruit compote leads to a fuller integration of cake and fruit, not to mention a beautiful final presentation.
• Read the article: Upside-Down Improv – New York Times
When you start playing around with fruit and cake combinations, the options are endless. Clark continued her upside-down streak with a plum polenta cake that sounds perfect for an early fall breakfast or mid-afternoon snack. Now that autumn fruit is showing up at the markets, we’re thinking about coming up with our own seasonal upside-down cake combos, like apples with spice cake or pears with gingerbread.
Get the recipes:
• Upside-Down Caramel-Apple Muffins – New York Times
• Plum Polenta Upside-Down Cake – Melissa Clark
Are upside-down cakes a part of your repertoire? What are your favorite fruit and cake combinations?
(Image: Faith Durand)