Upside Down GRAPE Cake with Pecans

Another upside cake for me.

There must be a psychological reason why I bake things upside down......but we won't try to figure it out.

This cake was perfection, and yes, I used grapes!

When I make this everyone asks are these "grapes"?

Yes they are grapes!!!!

I have many baking recipes on the blog using grapes. They are found in many Italian fall desserts and focaccia, and you never have to worry about them being out of season.

Once you know how to make the basic topping for these type of cakes, the world is your oyster.

My usual go to is 2/3 cup of brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of butter, melted in the cake pan to form a caramel.
Then you set the fruit into the mixture. Easy!

Make whatever batter you like, here, I made the simplest of batters and I think I will always use this one.

I hope you try it.

Upside Down Grape Cake w/ Pecans:

for the topping:

1/2 stick (4 tbsp) butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup or more of red seedless grapes
2 tablespoons chopped pecans

for the batter:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 cup sugar
zest of a lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 cup AP flour and 1/2 cup of almond flour)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the sides of a 9" cake pan.

Melt the 4 tbsp butter with the brown sugar in a heatproof 9" cake pan (I do this on the stove, but you can do it in the oven).

Using a silicone spatula, swirl the brown sugar around until the butter is melted and you have a nice thick brown gooey mixture.

Turn off heat and quickly add in the grapes, as many as you can, to cover the caramel.
Add the chopped pecans to any holes or spaces in between the grapes.

Make the batter by adding in dry ingredients to the wet (not rocket science).

Pour and smooth the cake batter over the grapes and pecans.

Bake for 40 minutes.
Let rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cake.

Carefully invert the cake onto a cooling rack.

This cake freezes beautifully and it is fantastic!

Enjoy.