Strawberry Upside Down Cake for my Best Friend's 21st Birthday

Hi everyone!

I hope you all are having a wonderful 4th of July.  I know my friend Megan is because her 21st birthday is tomorrow!  She is having a big bash tonight, and of course, I was happy to make her a cake.  Her favorite cake is strawberry.  I wanted to do something a little unique, so I made a strawberry upside down cake.  I love pineapple upside down cake, but I’ve never had strawberry upside down cake. I was super excited to make this cake.

Unfortunately, my cake didn’t turn out as beautiful as the one on the website where I found the recipe.  You can look at how this cake should turn out at http://pieceofcakeblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/strawberry-buttermilk-upside-down-cake.html

I can only think of 2 things that possibly went wrong.  Either I didn’t boil the caramel for long enough or I didn’t whip my egg whites long enough.  I think the cake is still edible though, and it’s not too ugly, right?  Anyways, I hope Megan appreciates this cake even if it’s not completely perfect because it’s a pretty involved recipe and it was baked with lots of love!

Strawberry Buttermilk Upside-Down Cake
via http://www.pieceofcake.blogspot.com

Although this cake will keep nicely in a cake dome for a few days at room temperature, it’s best eaten the day it’s made. Serve with some unsweetened whipped cream and die of summer happiness.

Serves 8

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

2/3 cup light brown sugar

2 pints strawberries, patted dry, hulled and halved

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 350°F. Have ready a 9-inch nonstick cake pan. If your pan is not nonstick, spray it generously with cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, combine 4 tablespoons of the butter, the brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir over high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 2 minutes. Pour the caramel into the bottom of the cake pan and spread into an even layer. Arrange the strawberry halves over the caramel in a circular pattern, leaving little to no space between the berries.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and the egg yolks. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour mixture with the buttermilk in three batches. When just a few streaks of flour remain, fold the batter by hand until smooth.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar to firm peaks. Stir about a quarter of the beaten whites into the batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest of the whites until the batter is smooth and well-blended. Pour the batter over the fruit and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting it onto a serving platter. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with unsweetened whipped cream.

XOXO,

Jamie

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