Cherry Bourbon Upside Down Cake – Recipe!

Fresh cherries are one of my favorite things during the summertime.  I look forward to enjoying a bright beautiful bowl to snack on every year, and when my dad comes to town, I like to prepare him a cherry dessert because they are his favorite too.  Cherry Bourbon Upside Down Cake is made in a skillet and it’s loaded with fruitful taste, and topped with a creamy yellow cake batter that ends up as the base, when inverted onto a plate.  The bourbon is slight in this recipe, so it’s safe to say — that any age would enjoy this luscious dessert.

Pitting cherries is the most time consuming part of this recipe, but with a good cherry pitter — it’s done pretty quickly.  You can use frozen defrosted cherries, but I prefer the fresh while in season — save those for the off-season to enjoy around the holidays.  Cherries are cooked in a bit of butter and then splashed with bourbon and cooked until the liquid is reduced — it takes just a few minutes.  The batter is made easily in a stand mixer with classic yellow cake ingredients.  Top the batter over the cherries in the skillet and it’s off to the oven for baking.  After a few minutes of cooling, invert onto a plate and voila’ — it’s time for a delightful summertime cake.

Ingredients

Cherry Topping

2 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

pinch of salt

1/4 cup bourbon

Cake

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk or milk + 1 teaspoon white vinegar

(Serves 6-8)

To Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large iron skillet, add butter and place over medium heat.  When melted, add brown sugar and stir until combined.  Cook for 1 minute.
2. Add pitted cherries and stir.  Top with bourbon and cook for 3 minutes until liquid has reduced slightly.  Turn off heat and set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar for 3 minutes.  Scrape down sides of bowl and add egg.  Mix for 1 minute.  Add dry ingredients and mix on low, while adding buttermilk until combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Spoon batter over top of cherries in skillet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center is slightly puffed.  Remove and let cool 10 minutes before loosening edges with a knife and inverting onto a cake plate or platter.  Serve, slice and enjoy!