Apricot Upside-Down Cake with Honey Ricotta
This cake is deceptively easy to make and lovely to look at (and eat). Butter and brown sugar form a sweet syrup in the bottom of the cake pan that sliced ripe apricots get nice and soft and melty in. A thick vanilla cake batter goes on top and the whole thing gets flipped over after it’s baked and cooled to reveal a gorgeous, built-in apricot topping. The hint of cornmeal in the cake gives it a really lovely bite. You can sprinkle it with powdered sugar to enjoy it simply, or top each slice with a generous dollop of honey ricotta for a slightly salty-sweet topping that pairs beautifully with the sweet and tart cake. I took it one step further and drizzled the slices with homemade apricot syrup in the picture below. This makes one 9 inch cake, which keeps well in the refrigerator but is absolutely best enjoyed fresh.
Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 more for the pan syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
8-10 medium apricots, cut in half and then into 1/4” slices
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup medium-grind cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Honey Ricotta
8 ounces ricotta cheese (I like Galbani)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon table salt
Directions
Before you begin, prepare your honey ricotta by whipping together the ricotta cheese, heavy cream, honey, and salt in a small bowl until smooth. It won’t form smooth peaks like whipped cream, but shouldn’t be liquidy either. Set it in the fridge while you prepare the cake.
Preheat your oven to 350F and put 2 tablespoons of butter into a 10 inch cake pan. Place it in the oven as it preheats to let the butter melt.
When the butter has melted completely, remove the pan from the oven and add the brown sugar. Use a spoon to stir the butter and sugar until it creates a thin paste on the bottom of the cake pan.
Place the apricots in the cake pan one at a time in a ring along the outer edge, then in concentric circles until there’s no empty space left. Set the pan aside.
In a large bowl, cream the remaining butter and granulated sugar until light. Add the egg, milk, and extract(s) and mix well.
Stir in the sifted dry ingredients until no streaks of flour remain, careful not to overmix.
Spoon the batter on top of the apricots in the cake pan and smooth it out as much as possible.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, remove when the top is dark golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with few to no crumbs.
Run a butterknife around the edges of the cake and let it cool for at least 30 minutes.
Invert the cake pan over a plate and pat and knock on the bottom of the cake tin until it releases.
Once the cake comes out, top each slice with a dollop of the honey ricotta and enjoy!
