The 15 Best Ingredients For Truly Unique Upside-Down Cakes

It's about time that you make an upside-down cake with something other than pineapple or cherries. Although tart pineapple, candy-like maraschino cherries, and brown sugar syrup are a flavorful combination, it's worth expanding your horizons beyond these traditional ingredients. The basic idea of an upside-down cake is to make a syrupy mixture, then put it in the base of a cake pan — along with fruit, nuts, and other components. Then, you make cake batter and pour it over the top, gently spreading it in the pan, so you don't disrupt the other ingredients.

Upside-down cakes certainly have a signature, distinct look, but that doesn't mean you can't upgrade them. Whether you want to stay semi-traditional and make yours with fruit, or you want to venture out, these ideas are here to help. The unique ingredients included here supply the cake with a delightfully unexpected taste and appearance. Many also harmonize with different cake flavors, allowing your creativity to shine.

Fruit isn't the only thing you can use for your upside-down cake topping. You can use nuts, such as pecans, as they supply a nice crunch that softer ingredients don't provide. They also offer an earthy flavor that works well with many types of cake. And, if you want them to have a pronounced toasty flavor, you can cook them in the oven beforehand. Use whole pecans and intricately layer them in the dish before pouring the cake mix over them. Alternatively, you can make your pecan upside-down cake topping by first chopping the nuts into smaller pieces, then sprinkling them in the pan. 

Some ingredients you can pair with pecan upside-down cake include cherries, brown butter, or cinnamon. Use them in the cake mix or in the syrup that will be mixed with your nuts. Another fantastic idea is to mix tasty pecans with a caramel-like sauce, then drizzle these items on top to create a dessert reminiscent of sticky buns. You can enjoy this as a dessert, or alongside your morning coffee.

Use strawberries for a sweet and fruity upside-down cake. Not only do they taste delicious, but they also give the sweet treat a charming appearance. In terms of look, fresh strawberries turn out best because they are brighter and hold their shape better than frozen ones. Place them in the pan carefully, so they look nice when you flip the dessert to reveal the underside.

However, frozen fruit works perfectly fine, too, preferably IQF (individually quick freezing) strawberries, since they don't stick together in clumps. It's best to put them in the pan directly before you bake them, rather than wait for them to thaw because they become mushy. If you use dried strawberries, choose the freeze-dried ones rather than the dehydrated, chewy ones that might have a funky texture. You can use this strawberry upside-down cake topping as a base for chocolate, lemon, or honey cake mix — since the flavors harmonize well. For the sugar and butter syrup, mix in fresh chopped basil to bring out the best qualities in the fruit.

Peaches are a versatile ingredient to include in desserts. You can combine them with other ingredients if you wish. If you don't, the flavor of peaches is enough to appreciate by itself. For optimal results, use fresh or canned peaches. Fresh ones will take more time. Canned ones are pretty convenient since companies chop them for you, and you don't need to worry about the skin or the pit.

However, some manufacturers might store their peaches in juice or syrup, which you must drain. Otherwise, it makes for a soggy cake. You can also take advantage of frozen peaches and thaw them in a strainer, allowing any excess juice to drain. If you want a sophisticated upside-down cake, include bourbon by putting it right into the buttery syrup, then adding the peaches last. Utilize assorted spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in the syrup or cake mix for a more classic peach dessert.

If you don't know the significant differences between peaches and apricots, you might wonder how each tastes in a dessert. Although these are both types of stone fruit, they have unique properties. Peaches are much larger and sweeter than apricots, so they give the dessert a honeyed taste, compared to apricots, which provide a lovely tart flavor. Peaches are also much juicier, which is why you must be careful with the moisture content in the topping.

Use fresh or frozen fruit for an autumnal apple upside-down cake. Frozen apples don't need to thaw, so hold off on removing them from the freezer until you need them. If you take them out too early, they become watery. 

When preparing your apple pieces, you don't have to cut them into large wedges. You can chop them into small cubes or rings if you remove the seeds first. Fresh apples work best because they are firmer, but certain types will give you the best results. Some of the top-tier varieties for baking include Fuji, Granny Smith, and Gala. You can make the cake fancier by fanning the apple slices and making a design with them.

Cinnamon and other baking spices pair wonderfully with the apples. You can put these in the syrup mixture or the cake portion of the dessert. However, banana or ricotta cakes are impressively scrumptious with apples, too.

Although bananas are a softer fruit than other options on this list, they're fantastic in upside-down cakes for display and flavor. You can slice them into small rings and create a design, or simply cut them lengthwise and cover the bottom of the dish with them.

Concerning cake flavors, they pair well with chocolate or peanut butter cake. But of course, if you want to go simpler and make a vanilla cake, that will also work. There are many ways to experiment with this ingredient, such as making a bananas Foster-style upside-down cake with rum. Or, make a fun banana split-inspired cake with cherries and a chocolate drizzle. Arrange all of the components on the bottom of the cake pan. When you flip it out, it looks like a baked version of a banana split that you can top with ice cream.

If this ingredient sounds good to you, but you only have unripe bananas, there's a hack that helps ripen bananas quickly. All you need to do is put the whole, unpeeled banana on a pan, bake it for 45 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and then let it rest for 30 minutes. Then, it is ready for use in your baking endeavors.

Blueberries work well in fruity desserts, such as lemon or strawberry cakes. Additionally, if you use a yellow cake mix, the upside-down cake will taste like a blueberry muffin. Both options are great, it all depends on what you prefer. 

Making a blueberry upside-down cake doesn't require much preparation at all. Since the blueberries are already relatively small, you don't need to chop them. If you use fresh berries, rinse them and allow them to dry first. You can also use frozen blueberries which are usually pre-washed.

Add some lemon zest to complement the berries when you make the cake's syrup mixture. You need just enough to enhance the fruit's flavor. The berries turn soft and remain juicy after you bake them, so you don't need to worry about them drying out. Also, blueberries' color makes the cake look extra appetizing, so they're beneficial for multiple reasons. This type of upside-down cake is hard to mess up. 

You can use apricots for your upside-down cake, whether you want to chop fresh apricots into cubes or use canned apricot halves. With fruit slices or halves, it's easy to take your time and make a pattern that makes the cake stand out. Alternatively, you can use dried apricots. When you do, it might remind you of fruit cake. You can make a fruit cake-inspired upside-down cake using chopped dried apricots, pineapple, raisins, and other ingredients that people typically use in the traditional dessert. 

Spiced or white cake batters are fantastic options in this case, because they allow the apricots to take center stage. Serve your cake with a hefty scoop of ice cream on top. The creamy ice cream perfectly balances the tart fruit. 

When you compare the nutritional profiles of fresh versus dried apricots, the dried fruit is richer in vitamins and minerals, due to the drying process they go through. For instance, dried apricots have around three times more fiber than raw, fresh ones. They also have vitamin A, vitamin E, and potassium — according to Apricot Power. However, nutrition is just a bonus when you eat apricots. They already taste great.