Lemon & Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

It is that time of year here in South Florida. Blueberry season!  Our wonderful produce supplier delivered 48 quarts of blueberries last week and I began another adventure to find wonderful recipes to use them up fast enough.  Fortunately, blueberries freeze quite well so I did not have to use all 48 quarts in one day.  I also was able to share some with family and friends but still had plenty I wanted to use.  Here are some awesome recipes I tried that tasted absolutely fabulous!

Lemon & Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

This was my first attempt at this and as usual I made several modification for my personal taste. I actually read several recipes and then when I felt I understood the science behind it went into the kitchen to make something totally different.  When I brought this to to the video crew at church they set a new record; the entire cake was gone in under five minutes.  I should have made two!

Blueberry topping


3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Lemon-almond butter cake

3/4 cup cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 ounces almond paste (scant 1/2 cup), broken into small pieces
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, room temperature
3 large eggs, room temperature

For blueberry topping:


Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine brown sugar and butter in 8-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides (preferably nonstick). Place cake pan over medium heat and whisk constantly until butter and sugar melt and mixture is smooth and bubbling. Using pot holders, remove pan from heat; cool 15 minutes. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over.

Note: if you are taking this cake as a gift these are great : Bake and Give pans You can give things in the pan or in this case I ripped the paper pan off the cake before I gave it - so much easier than a metal cake pan!

For lemon-almond butter cake:

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Combine almond paste, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon peel in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until almond paste is broken into very small pieces, about 1 minute. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, beating until mixture is smooth and scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well and scraping sides of bowl after each addition. Add flour mixture and beat just until batter is smooth. Spoon batter in dollops over blueberries in pan; spread evenly with offset spatula to smooth.

Bake cake until deep golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 43 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 1 minute. Run small knife around cake to loosen. Place large platter atop pan. Using oven mitts or potholders and using both hands, hold platter and cake pan firmly together and invert; shake gently, allowing cake to settle on platter. Cool at least 20 minutes.

AMAZING!!!