08/15/2026
🍒 Lou made a delicious cake that we thought y’all would love the recipe to. Happy baking! Tag us if you make it! DM us for the recipe
Fresh Cherry Upside-Down Cake
Think buttery caramelized cherries + very moist vanilla-almond cake.
Makes: one 9-inch round cake
Bake: 350°F for about 40–48 minutes
Ingredients
Cherry topping
* 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
* ½ cup packed brown sugar
* 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
* ½ tsp vanilla
* Tiny pinch salt
* Optional: 1 Tbsp bourbon or amaretto
Cake
* 1½ cups all-purpose flour
* 1½ tsp baking powder
* ¼ tsp baking soda
* ½ tsp salt
* ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
* ¾ cup granulated sugar
* 2 large eggs, room temperature
* ¾ cup pineapple Greek yogurt
* 1½ tsp vanilla extract
* ¼ tsp almond extract — highly recommend this with cherries
* 2–4 Tbsp milk, only if needed
Make it
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 9-inch round cake pan. I would put the pan on a sheet pan while baking in case the cherry juices bubble over.
2. Make the cherry layer. Melt the 4 Tbsp butter and pour it into the bottom of your cake pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over it. Add the vanilla and pinch of salt.
3. Arrange your cherry halves cut-side down over the brown sugar. Pack them pretty tightly—they’ll shrink during baking. If using bourbon or amaretto, drizzle the tablespoon over the cherries.
4. Make the batter. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. In another bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar for about 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
6. Mix in the pineapple Greek yogurt, vanilla and almond extract. It may look slightly curdled at this point; that’s fine.
7. Fold in the dry ingredients just until combined. Don’t overmix. The batter should be thick but spreadable. If it’s extremely stiff because your Greek yogurt is particularly thick, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
8. Carefully spoon the batter over the cherries rather than dumping it all in the middle. Gently spread it to the edges so you don’t disturb your cherry pattern.
9. Bake 40–48 minutes, until the center springs back and a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter.
10. This part matters: let it cool in the pan for only 10–12 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge, put your serving plate over the pan and confidently flip the whole thing over.
11. Leave the pan sitting upside down for about 30 seconds, then slowly lift it off. Spoon any cherries or caramel left behind back onto the cake.