Thank you summer for all the great fruits you produce. Baking a cake in the middle of summer may sound crazy because it’s hot, but when I have beautiful sweet apricots and cherries I can’t resist making my favorite Apricot Cherry Upside Down Cake.
Celebrate summer with an upside down cake
Summer stone fruits are simply the best. They are sweet, juicy and flavorful, and are perfect for baking. What are your favorites… peaches, nectarines or maybe plums? One of my favorites is apricots and I love the flavor of apricots best when they are cooked or baked. I was at the farmer’s market at the end of the day and bought a large bag for $2.00, score right, but then I realized I have a lot of apricots, a perfect time to bake a cake.
Upside down cakes are perfect for showing off fruit after all the fruit is what’s on top. The vanilla-scented cake itself is very moist and flavorful and the best part of this cake is flipping it over to see the buttery caramel covering the fruit and dripping down the sides of your cake.
You can definitely use canned cherries but today I had these beautiful fresh cherries which means they have to be pitted. And, I learned my lesson, get a cherry pitter to make your life easier.
For the apricots cut in half remove the pit and slice into large sections. And, the best part, no peeling.
All upside-down cakes start with melting butter and sugar in your cake pan. I personally always make my upside-down cakes in an iron skillet, why, because I remember my mom doing that and I thought it was so cool to make a cake in a skillet.
Now you can have some fun putting the fruit on top of the melted butter-sugar mixture. The fun of making the upside-down cakes is making a pattern with the fruit so when you flip the cake over you can see your beautiful work of fruit art.
Pour the batter over the fruit and bake.
Now get prepared to do what you may think is impossible. You are going to take this screaming hot pan and flip it over onto a serving plate. Please put your fancy oven mitts on, get your serving plate ready, and take your time. Put the serving plate on top of the skillet, pick up the skillet by the handle, and put your hand on top of the serving plate, now flip. You can do it!!!
Aaah, done! Now watch that sweet buttery caramel as it glazes the fruit and drips down the sides of the cake.
Do you love pineapple, here is a recipe for Grilled Pineapple Upside Down Cake I think you will like.
Apricot Cherry Upside Down Cake
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Ingredients
Glaze and Fruit Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 3 tbls. butter
- 3 apricots, pitted
- 1 pint cherries, stemmed, pitted and halved
Cake Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 each eggs
- 1 ½ cups AP flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
Getting started
- Heat the oven to 350°. You will need a 10-inch iron skillet or a 10-inch cake pan.
- Cut the apricots in half and remove the seed and slice, Pit the cherries and cut them in half.
Make the Glaze
- Melt the butter and sugars in the iron skillet over medium heat until melted and bubbly. Remove from the heat. If using a cake pan, melt the butter and sugars in a skillet or saucepan then pour into the cake pan. Careful, this will be hot.
- Top the glaze with the fruit in a circular pattern any way you like. I prefer starting with the apricots slices in the center of the pan and then adding the cherries around the apricots. I used 16 apricot slices.
Making the Cake
- In a large mixing bowl add the softened butter and the sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Measure the flour, salt, and baking powder together, then stir to combine. Mix the vanilla and milk together in a measuring cup.
- Beat in the half the flour then all the milk on medium speed, then the rest of the flour. Mix just until the flour is mixed in.
- Pour the batter over the fruit and smooth with a spatula.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
- Remove cake from oven and let sit for 10 minutes.
- With oven mitts, place a serving plate over the skillet and gently flip the cake upside down onto the plate. The cake will still be hot so be careful. Leave the skillet or pan upside down on the plate for a minute until the cake and topping have been released.
- Serve this cake warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for three days.
Notes
Nutrition
This summer I hope you have time to celebrate with friends and family and share a delicious meal with a beautiful and delicious dessert using all the fruits summer has to offer us.
Danielle Wolter
I have fallen in love with this cake a bit. cast iron desserts always tend to be my favorite, and the apricots and cherries in this sound incredible!
Jere Cassidy
It’s fun to bake in cast iron and I think everything tastes just a little better.
Stine Mari
Wow, what a delicious looking cake! That buttery apricot cherry top looks like glazing perfection. I love apricots too, but mostly when it’s baked or prepared in some way, so this looks like something I’d love!
mydeliciousmeals
Yum, yum, yum!! Such a wonderful summer cake! My kids will enjoy making this. Thanks for sharing!
Adriana Lopez Martin
What a lovely idea, enjoy pineapple upside-down but I think this apricot is even better. Looks so tasty and moist. No doubt that using seasonal fruit is the way to go.
Jere Cassidy
I still love pineapple upside down cake but I am venturing out and enjoying other fruits and the results are delicious.
Alexis
Oh, this cake looks absolutely delicious. I love peaches and cherries. We will definitely be making this dish for our next celebration.
Linda
Never thought of using cherry pitter for this but girl, this cake screams summer. Can I get a big slice, please?
Jere Cassidy
I realized cherry pitters are a must-have kitchen tool. Unfortunately, we ate the whole cake, but the next time I make one I will save you a slice.
Linda
This motivates me to turn on the oven – a wonderfully perfect way to use summer fruit that’s at its peak right now!
Danielle
I used to love upside down cake when I was at school. I really should try making it myself.
Brian Jones
What a great sounding summer dessert, those flavours are all perfect together.
Natalie
I love summer fruit cakes! This apricot and cherry cake looks so moist, fragrant and delicious! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Jere Cassidy
I hope you try this cake, it is so delicious.
Kristine
Well first of all, this cake is just gorgeous! But also sounds delicious and perfect for a summertime treat. I love the combination of cherries and apricots, two of my favorites!
Jere Cassidy
Thank you, Kristine, for the kind comment. Cherries and apricots go together so well.
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats
I love anything cherry! This flavor combo is perfect!