More Upside-Down Cakes

Topping:
½ cup apple, cherry or cranberry juice
½ cup dried cherries
3 tablespoons butter
2⁄3 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
1 red D’anjou pear, barely ripe, sliced
½ cup pecan halves

Cake:
1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1⁄3 cup butter, softened
2⁄3 cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
½ cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. To prepare the topping, pour juice into a small saucepan and bring to a boil; add dried cherries. Set aside.
3. Melt butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 9-inch metal pie pan over medium heat. Turn off heat. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter, patting it down with your fingers. Pour maple syrup over brown sugar mixture—do not stir.
4. Drain cherries, reserving both juice and cherries. Arrange pear slices, cherries and pecans over sugar mixture in skillet.
5. To prepare the cake, sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. In another bowl, beat butter with a mixer until smooth. Gradually add granulated sugar and continue beating until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in vanilla and egg.
6. Pour reserved cherry-soaking liquid into a measuring cup, and add buttermilk to equal 2⁄3 cup.
7. Alternately add 1⁄3 of flour mixture and 1⁄3 of buttermilk mixture to butter mixture, beating gently in between. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk mixtures. Do not overbeat.
8. Drop batter gently, by spoonfuls, over prepared fruit and topping, spreading lightly.
9. Bake about 45 minutes or until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately run a knife around the inside edge of the skillet. Let cake cool 5 to 10 minutes, then place a flat serving plate larger than the skillet on top of it. Invert, allowing the skillet to rest a few minutes for the topping to settle. Gently remove the skillet. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve 8.

Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, Relish a Classic Dish, Sept. 2007.

Per serving: 390 calories, 12g fat, 5g prot., 68g carbs., 2g fiber, 280mg sodium.

Cooking spray
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1⁄3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
¼ cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 1⁄3 cups reduced-fat buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Spray a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Pour in melted butter. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Scatter berries over sugar.
3. Place butter, oil and sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Beat in egg and extracts.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beating at low speed until just combined.
5. Pour batter on top of the berries. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until top is golden brown and the sides are bubbly.
6. Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes, and invert onto a serving plate. Serves 8.

Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, "Flipping Out," Relish Classic Dishes, April 2008.

Per serving: 290 calories, 13g fat, 25mg chol., 5g prot., 43g carbs., 2g fiber, 320mg sodium.

2 lemons
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2⁄3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup whole almonds
1½ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1⁄3 cup butter, softened
2⁄3 cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups reduced-fat buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Finely grate lemons; set zest aside. With a sharp knife, remove white pith from lemons. Thinly slice, discarding seeds.
3. Coat a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Pour in melted butter. Arrange lemon slices in a concentric pattern over butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and slivered almonds.
4. Place whole almonds, reserved lemon zest and ginger in a food processor; pulse until slightly moist and combined.
5. Place butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add egg and extracts; beat until blended.
6. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating at low speed after each addition.
7. Stir in almond mixture.
8. Pour batter on top of lemons. Bake 45 minutes, until top is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes, and invert onto a serving plate. Serves 8.

Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, "Flipping Out," Relish Classic Dishes, April 2008.

Per serving: 410 calories, 21g fat, 60mg chol., 8g prot., 52g carbs., 3g fiber, 350mg sodium.

Topping and Fruit:
1 cup dried apricots, quartered
2/3 cup apricot or peach juice, heated
½ cup fruit-only apricot spread
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

Cake:
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

Chocolate Swirl:
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 ounce semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. To prepare topping and fruit, place apricots in a heatproof bowl; pour boiling juice over them. Soak 45 minutes. Drain, reserving juice and fruit. Combine juice with fruit spread.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Coat a 9- or10-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Pour in melted butter. Sprinkle brown sugar over butter, pressing with fingertips. Spoon juice mixture over sugar; top with apricots.
4. To prepare cake, place butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg.
5. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Spread two-thirds of the batter over fruit.
6. Add cocoa and chocolate to remaining batter. Drop chocolate batter, by spoonfuls, over vanilla batter. Swirl batter with a knife tip, being careful not to stir apricots.
7. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until vanilla portions of cake are golden brown. Remove from oven, cool 10 minutes, and invert onto a serving plate. Serves 8.



Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, Relish Classic Dishes, April 2008.

Per serving: 440 calories, 14g fat, 60mg chol., 6g prot., 78g carbs., 2g fiber, 380mg sodium.