Cherry Olive Oil Upside-Down Cake

My favorite organic fruit vendor showed up at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market last weekend with his first crop of cherries, and I couldn’t be more excited about it! Cherries were a favorite of my mom’s (she’d make a beeline to the ice cream shop for the first batch of cherry vanilla every year), so with Mother’s Day coming up this Sunday it felt like the perfect time to share this wonderful cake recipe in her honor. I’ve always been a fan of upside-down cakes and olive oil cakes, so I combined the two for a really special treat. The cake is tender and moist (thanks to the olive oil), with a light crumb that you don’t usually expect from a cake that’s both vegan and gluten-free. The caramelized cherry topping really elevates this cake and makes it worthy of a special occasion like Mother’s Day.

I used a combination of superfine almond flour, millet flour, and coconut flour for the flour base – if you don’t have millet and you’re not sensitive to oats, you can substitute oat flour (do an equal swap *by weight*). Since I wanted to keep this cake vegan I used flax in place of the eggs, and it’s a pretty powerful binder so there’s no need for an additional gluten replacer like xanthan gum or psyllium husk. The flour blend is really light and fluffy, and makes for a beautiful cake.

Many upside-down cake recipes call for you to cook sugar and butter into a caramel sauce for the topping before you make the batter, but that step isn’t necessary here. We’ll simply layer the vegan butter, coconut sugar and cherries into the pan; as the cake bakes, the topping will cook down and caramelize on its own.

Pitting the cherries is the only labor-intensive aspect of this recipe. I don’t really believe in kitchen uni-taskers, but a cherry pitter also works great for olives so the one I bought a few years ago turned out to be a worthwhile purchase. Though a cherry pitter definitely makes things easier, you can get the job done without one. I’ve got a primer for you here – it’ll walk you through the options.

Now let’s get your cake baked! (Don’t forget to preheat the oven and prep your pan first; you can use olive oil or vegan butter to grease the pan.)

Drizzle the melted vegan butter or shortening over the bottom of the cake pan, and tilt the pan until it’s evenly coated. (Pro tip: I don’t have a microwave so I measure the butter into a heat-proof bowl and put it in the oven during the preheat; it melts in a couple of minutes that way.) Sprinkle the coconut sugar over the butter.

Place the cherry halves cut-side down in the pan, tucking them in tightly so that the surface of the cake will be a solid layer of caramelized cherry goodness once baked. After the first layer is complete, scatter any remaining cherries around the pan; if you use an 8-inch pan you’ll definitely have extra cherry halves. Set the pan aside while you prep the batter.

Whisk the ground flax and water in a small bowl and set it aside to thicken. At first the flax will sink to the bottom and it will look like this.

But after a few minutes, voila! The ground seed hydrates, and you have a nice thick flax gel.

While the flax is gelling, whisk the wet ingredients, sugar, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl until all the sugar is dissolved. Side note here: be sure to use a high-quality EVOO for this recipe – it should be fragrant and fruity or citrusy, not at all bitter. My preferred brand is California Olive Ranch. It has a gorgeous deep golden color with hints of green, and you can see that color coming through in the wet mixture.

Add the flax gel – see how thick it is now?

Either whisk it in vigorously or us electric beaters on medium-high speed to mix until the wet base is frothy, then combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, whisking to distribute, and add them to the wet mixture. Beat on medium-high speed for about a minute until the batter is glossy and smooth.

Pour the batter over the cherries in the pan, using a spatula to scrape out any batter that clings to the bowl.

Gently shake or tap the pan if needed to smooth out the batter into an even layer. Set the pan on a baking sheet to catch any leaks or drips during baking, and pop it into the oven to bake for about 65-70 minutes, until the edge of the cake is nicely browned and the sides have pulled away from the pan. I recommend rotating the pan 180 degrees after about 35 minutes to ensure that the cake bakes evenly. (FYI, the center of the cake will still be a bit soft even when the edges are browned. You may be tempted to keep baking the cake to firm up the center, but do’t do that – the center will set up as it cools.)

See how the side of the cake turned a nice brown and pulled away from the pan? That’s what you’re going for. Leave the pan on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes, then run an offset spatula or the tip of a thin knife all the way around the side of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Leave the cake in the pan for another 15 minutes to set up; you can tell when it’s ready to flip if the center feels just firm to the touch. Don’t stress if it sinks a bit in the center – that can happen with olive oil cakes, particularly when there’s no egg for added structure.

Now here’s the part that requires a bit of coordination: set another cooling rack upside-down over the cake pan. Slide one hand under the bottom cooling rack, and hold the top rack firmly in place with your other hand. In one quick and smooth motion, flip the entire stack over and set it down. Now, the cake pan will be upside-down on a cooling rack and you can carefully lift it off the cake. If the parchment is stuck to the cherries, peel it off and discard.

Check out that gorgeous browning and caramelization! Let this stunning cake cool completely before handling it, then transfer it to a serving platter, cut it into slices, and serve. I like to offer some soft coconut whipped cream with it as a topping. Enjoy!