Upside-down cake

Probably the most cooked recipe in our house through summer now, especially by my daughter Mila who found this recipe – we use any fruit that is ripe and ready and that we have in abundance – peaches, nectarines, pineapple, plums and any berry works! The favourite is strawberry but they were all divine. I love the texture of the cake in this recipe especially, it balances the sweetened baked fruit so well.

We pretty much double the recipe below now every time (as pictured), to make a larger cake and use up more ripe fruit – plus the small cake does not last! We use a 23cm size tin and the cake and fruit are thicker and higher and cooking can be the same - watch it closely and test with a skewer at 50 minutes, and cover the top with foil if browining too much.

Pictured: Upside-down cake with strawberries

3 tbsp butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 ½ cups strawberries in slices –  any berry or stone fruit will work very well – you could even use tinned fruit and drain the juice, peaches would be delicious

50g butter - softened

¾ cup white sugar

3 tsp grated orange rind 

1 egg

1 ½ cups self-raising flour

½ cup milk

Turn oven to 180 °C/350 °F.

Soften the 50g butter to room temperature.

Grease a 20cm round tin.

Melt the 3 tbp of butter in a small pan, stir in the brown sugar and spread evenly into the tin.

Arrange the strawberry slices neatly into the tin on top of the sugar mix.

In a large bowl - beat the 50g butter, sugar, egg and rind until smooth.

Sift in the flour and mix it in with the milk – mix well but gently. Do not overwork, as soon as it is mixed it is ready.

Carefully spread it over the strawberries  in the tin.

Bake 45- 50 minutes.

Turn the tin upside down onto a plate for serving.

Leave for 2 minutes, then carefully lift up the tin.

Serve warm or room temperature with cream.

Serves 6, or 12 if doubled