Cherry Upside Down Cake.

The batter gets this amazing golden crust during baking and the sugar/cinnamon topping maintains a certain textural balance by melting into the batter in some places and not doing so in others.

This recipe really is so easy, it’s almost impressive.  I have adapted the batter from an Ina Garten recipe and Ina does what she does best which is to create great flavors with relatively few ingredients.  So easy a caveman could do it! (sorry…I couldn’t resist saying that).

However, where I modified the recipe made alot of difference for me.    Her recipe calls for a granny apple and cranberry pie-like filling.  For my taste, the filling was too tart so I made a substitution with cherry pie filling and I think it tastes much better.  Truthfully, you can use any fruit pie filling because they are all complimented by the delicious batter.  My mother’s favorite is blackberry…so I always stock up when it is in season.

Now, if you are a purist…you can make homemade cherry pie filling.  I used canned filling because I quite like the taste of it and when I am entertaining and can find a way to make my life easier after all the shopping, cooking and cleaning…I am taking that route.

It is an every day favorite or just perfect for the holidays…either way, it is a sure fire EASY crowd pleaser.  Enjoy!

All American Easy Upside Down Cherry Cake

• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 can of pie fruit filling of your choice or home made pie filling of your choice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the butter, vanilla, and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.

Pour the pie filling evenly into a 10-inch glass pie plate. Pour the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Delicate Crust on Top with Light and Airy Cake Batter Below.

The cake batter is truly amazing.  It develops this thin, delicate crust while baking and with the cinnamon and sugar on top, it is heavenly tasting all while the cake itself is flavorful and airy.

Amazing Taste.

You can see here that the crust is slightly flaky which helps give it some great taste and texture.