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Cherry Upside-Down Cake Recipe

This Cherry Upside-Down Cake is sooooo soft! And you can use just about any kind of fruit! | NatashasKitchen.com

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This cherry upside-down cake was a big hit with my family. Plenty of compliments and it went very fast! My Dad was especially smitten by it. I always thought it’s the best compliment when my parents love something I make. This cherry cake is sooooo soft; like a cross between angel food cake and pound cake.

The sweet tart cherries that get caramelized by the brown sugar as they bake are the crowning glory of this cake. Serve this with lightly sweetened whipped cream or a hefty scoop of vanilla ice cream and your guests will ask you why you only made 1 cake instead of 3. ;).

The beauty of this cake is you can use almost any kind of fruit on top! Think pineapples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, blueberries,… 

This Cherry Upside-Down Cake is sooooo soft! And you can use just about any kind of fruit! | NatashasKitchen.com

For the Topping:

1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 cups (14 oz) fresh cherries, pitted and halve

Cherry Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients for The Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour *measured correctly
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened at room temp
2 large eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk, luke warm
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Cherry Upside-Down Cake-2

How to Make Cherry Upside-Down Cake:

What you’ll need: 9″ wide cake pan with 2″ tall sides.
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter sides of cake pan and place cake pan on the stove over low heat. Melt 4 Tbsp butter in the cake pan then add 3/4 cup brown sugar, stirring until well combined. Spread over the bottom of the pan and remove from heat. Place cherries, cut-side-down over the butter/sugar mixture, pressing down lightly to stick.

This Cherry Upside-Down Cake is sooooo soft! And you can use just about any kind of fruit! | NatashasKitchen.com

2. Stir together 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium bowl.

Cherry Upside-Down Cake-3

3. In a large bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to beat together 1 cup sugar and 8 Tbsp butter until light and fluffy (5 minutes on high). Mix in 2 egg yolks (1 at a a time), beating well after each then beat in 1 tsp vanilla. Add 1/2 cup luke warm milk and mix on med/low speed until well blended. Add flour mixture and continue to mix on low speed until blended.

This Cherry Upside-Down Cake is sooooo soft! And you can use just about any kind of fruit! | NatashasKitchen.com

4. In a clean bowl, beat 2 egg whites with 1/4 tsp cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Fold gently into batter in two additions, folding just until incorporated. Transfer batter to cake pan and even out the top with a spatula. Bake 55 min at 350˚F.

This Cherry Upside-Down Cake is sooooo soft! And you can use just about any kind of fruit! | NatashasKitchen.com

Cool in pan 10 minutes then run a dull knife around edges of cake to loosen cake. Transfer to serving platter by placing platter over cake and inverting directly onto platter. Let stand 5 minutes then serve warm or at room temp.

This Cherry Upside-Down Cake is sooooo soft! And you can use just about any kind of fruit! | NatashasKitchen.com

Credits: This recipe was adapted from the Bon Appetit Cookbook by Barbara Fairchild.

Cherry Upside-Down Cake Recipe

4.91 from 42 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
This cherry cake is sooooo soft; like a cross between angel food cake and pound cake. The sweet tart cherries that get caramelized by the brown sugar as they bake are the crowning glory of this cake. Serve this with lightly sweetened whipped cream or a hefty scoop of vanilla ice cream. The beauty of this cake is you can use almost any kind of fruit on top!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8 slices

For the Cherry Topping:

  • 1/4 cup 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 cups 14 oz fresh cherries, pitted and halved

For the Cake:

What you'll need:

  • 9 " wide cake pan with 2" tall sides.

Instructions

How to Make Cherry Upside-Down Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter sides of cake pan and place cake pan on the stove over low heat. Melt 4 Tbsp butter in the cake pan then add 3/4 cup brown sugar, stirring until well combined. Spread over the bottom of the pan and remove from heat. Place cherries, cut-side-down over the butter/sugar mixture, pressing down lightly to stick.
  • Stir together 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium bowl.
  • In a large bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to beat together 1 cup sugar and 8 Tbsp butter until light and fluffy (5 minutes on high). Mix in 2 egg yolks (1 at a a time), beating well after each then beat in 1 tsp vanilla. Add 1/2 cup luke warm milk and mix on med/low speed until well blended. Add flour mixture and continue to mix on low speed until blended.
  • In a clean bowl, beat 2 egg whites with 1/4 tsp cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Fold gently into batter in two additions, folding just until incorporated. Transfer batter to cake pan and even out the top with a spatula. Bake 55 min at 350˚F.
  • Cool in pan 10 minutes then run a dull knife around edges of cake to loosen cake. Transfer to serving platter by placing platter over cake and inverting directly onto platter. Let stand 5 minutes then serve warm or at room temp.

Notes

Credits: This recipe was adapted from the Bon Appetit Cookbook by Barbara Fairchild.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cherry Upside-Down Cake
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

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This Cherry Upside-Down Cake is sooooo soft! And you can use just about any kind of fruit! | NatashasKitchen.com

I just love cherry season, but this cake is still great even after the cherries are gone. I think I’ll try peach and raspberry next ;). Are you as excited about fresh summer fruit as I am?!!

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the creator behind Natasha's Kitchen (established in 2009), and I share family-friendly, authentic recipes. I am a New York Times Best-Selling cookbook author and a trusted video personality in the culinary world. My husband, Vadim, and I run this blog together, ensuring every recipe we share is thoroughly tested and approved. Our mission is to provide you with delicious, reliable recipes you can count on. Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy you are here.

Read more posts by Natasha

4.91 from 42 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  • Dave
    June 11, 2024

    I haven’t made this yet, but I think the cherries should be placed cut-side up so the uncut side is visible on the cake.

    Reply

  • Anam
    June 9, 2024

    Hi Natasha!
    Is cream of tartar necessary in this recipe or can I substitute it for something else?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      June 9, 2024

      Hi Anam, the cream of tartar helps stabilize the egg whites while beating. I haven’t tested any substitutions in this cake. Typically a good substitute for cream of tartar is lemon juice or white vinegar in equal amounts.

      Reply

  • Anam
    June 6, 2024

    Hi Natasha!
    Would I be able to change the cherries to pineapples to make it a pineapple upside down cake?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 6, 2024

      You can use almost any kind of fruit on top! Think pineapples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, blueberries,…

      Reply

  • Brian Gilchrest
    March 2, 2023

    Love your recipes.
    My mom and aunt always made a pineapple upsidedown in an iron skillet. How would I adjust your recipe to fit a 12″ iron skillet?
    BRG

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 2, 2023

      Hi Brian! Thank you. I’m glad you’re loving them. To be honest, I have not make cake in a skillet so I am not sure what adjustments may be needed. Please let us know if you experiment.

      Reply

  • Jack
    August 23, 2022

    Hey Just a quick question. Do you think that this cake would feed 12 people? I have an event coming up and wasn’t sure if it would be enough.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      August 23, 2022

      Hi Jack! This recipe serves 8. If you’re serving this to adults, I would recommend doubling and making 2 of them or making it in a larger pan.

      Reply

  • Kathy
    July 11, 2022

    This is one of our favorite desserts. Bakes perfect every time and I have made it a half a dozen times. Very good recipe and easy to follow. Thank you!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      July 12, 2022

      Hi Kathy! I’m happy to hear that. Thank you for your feedback and wonderful review.

      Reply

  • Ken
    January 19, 2022

    Every month I fix a dessert for our HOA board meeting and this delicious cake is, by far, the favorite dish I have brought. I added a couple of spoonfuls of homemade apple butter to the cherries and it was awesome. Thanks, Natasha.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 19, 2022

      Wow! That’s so thoughtful! Thank you so much for sharing this great feedback with me, Ken!

      Reply

  • Chris
    August 7, 2021

    Like other, I also baked for 45 minutes. Also used plums from a local tree. Delicious!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      August 8, 2021

      Glad you loved it, Chris!

      Reply

  • Mona Baptiste
    July 10, 2021

    We went cherry picking and I was looking for something to do with all the cherries I had. I thought I’d give this a shot. I used the wrong pan but it still cane out. It was moist and delicious. Huge hit with everyone who tried it.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 10, 2021

      I’m happy to hear it still turned out, Mona! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

      Reply

  • Irina
    May 1, 2021

    The cake is delicious. But I will never forget how I baked it. I used the wrong baking pan (with removable bottom). It started leaking and created a lot of smoke. And as a result fire alarm went off and firefighters arrived:(

    Reply

  • Tammy Stagman
    April 2, 2021

    I wouldn’t leave this in the oven 55 minutes. I kept checking and it was getting awfully dark, so I took it out at 47 minutes. We haven’t tried it yet. I’m hoping it isn’t dry. It looks good other than dark. I have a glaze I will make for it.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      April 3, 2021

      Hi Tammy, it worked perfectly for us with that amount of time. I’m curious if your oven is calibrated to the right temperature.

      Reply

  • Dave Shaw
    January 13, 2021

    I’m trying to figure out if you’re using tart cherries, like Montmorency, or sweet cherries such as Rainier or Bing cherries. Thank you for any help you can give.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      January 13, 2021

      Hi Dave, we used sweet bing cherries for this.

      Reply

      • Annie M
        July 1, 2024

        Glad you clarified that you used bing cherries. We have a family orchard that grows sweet cherries and every year I look for recipes that uses sweet cherries. Most are too sweet (cherry pie was not poplular)) but an upside down cake might work! Thank you for sharing!

        Reply

  • KGaylin
    August 1, 2020

    My cake turned out darker than the photo on this page but the fresh cherries were darker in color to start. I followed the recipe exactly with one addition…I added 1/2 tsp almond extract to the batter as almond and cherry go so well together. Absolutely delicious!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 1, 2020

      I’m so glad you enjoyed that Karen! Thank you for the great review!

      Reply

  • Shirley
    July 16, 2020

    I have made this today,it was the most moist and light cake I have made,truly a beautiful cake to eat,I have not stopped eating it,made with cherries is definitely better than pineapple upside down cake 100% yummy

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 16, 2020

      That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!

      Reply

      • Shirley
        July 23, 2020

        I definitely have Natasha,
        I’m making it again today everyone loved it,seriously yummy thank you and I am definitely going to follow you and cook more of your recipes,
        Stay safe best regards

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          July 23, 2020

          Aww that’s the best! Thank you for sharing that with me! I’m so happy you discovered our blog!

          Reply

  • sevda Goldstein
    June 15, 2020

    Hi Natasha
    I just finished baking this cake and made my self a cuppa, it is sooo yummy. I had to make it cholesterol free and it turned out the best. thank you so much for sharing your yummy recipes.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 15, 2020

      That’s just awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!

      Reply

  • L
    June 11, 2020

    Hi Natasha! I know this is an older recipe of yours, so I was wondering if you have ever gotten the chance to make this with strawberries instead. Any modifications you’d recommend? Thanks!

    Reply

  • Kelly
    May 27, 2020

    This is a great recipe. I made it with my toddler and used a springform pan so I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but the texture of the cake is exactly right…very soft and light. I made two small changes…I added about one tbsp rum to the batter and I used half vanilla and half almond extract. I think it needs these flavors.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      May 27, 2020

      That’s a great tip, Kelly. Thanks for sharing that with us and for your good comments. I appreciate it!

      Reply

  • Lana
    April 27, 2020

    what is a good substitute for butter

    Reply

    • Natasha
      April 27, 2020

      Hi Lana, I honestly have not experimented with anything else so I can’t make that recommendation without testing.

      Reply

  • Lana
    April 25, 2020

    Hi its Lana this is random but can i use plain white rice flour for fudgy brownies?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      April 25, 2020

      Hi Lana, I honestly don’t know. You might have to google search the answer for that one.

      Reply

  • Linda Secord
    April 12, 2020

    Wow turned out great though I was a little worried as I used can cherry pie filling but it worked!! looks messy from the top it all drizzled down but now I have like a sauce yum yum!!
    wish I could enter a picture here.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      April 13, 2020

      Sounds yummy! You can share a photo next time on our Facebook page or group.

      Reply

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