Blueberry Upside Down Cake

Discover a delightful twist with this blueberry upside-down cake recipe. Fresh, juicy blueberries caramelised to perfection, topped with a light, fluffy sponge. A simple yet impressive dessert, perfect for any occasion.

Upside-down cakes are so yummy. Simply pouring cake batter over fresh fruit and baking gives you a super moist cake with tons of flavour and a really delicious-looking topping. 

Baking with blueberries can be tricky. They sink and burst, and overcook, and it can be hard to get a moist blueberry cake recipe with fresh blueberries. 

An upside-down cake makes it simple. 

This Blueberry lemon upside-down cake is perfect with an afternoon cup of tea or as a simple dessert. 

Why I Love Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

I love this upside-down blueberry cake because:

• Lemon blueberry upside-down cake is sweet, moist and refreshing.
• Blueberry upside-down cake recipes look incredible. All of those lovely blueberries piled on top of a fluffy sponge. 
• It’s easier than it looks. 
• Adding a little lemon really highlights the flavours.
• Once you can make an upside-down cake you can start to use different fruits and flavours.

When I make my easy blueberry upside-down cake recipe I use:

Blueberries

Lemon 

Butter – I typically use margarine, but butter at room temperature is fine too. 

Light Brown Soft Sugar

Caster Sugar – Granulated or golden caster sugar would be fine for the cake batter too. 

Vanilla Extract

Eggs

Self-Raising Flour

Baking Powder

You’ll Also Need

I use a large mixing bowl, silicone spatula, electric hand whisk and a microplane grater to prepare my cake mix. 

Then I use a ten-inch round cake tin (25cm to be more precise) to bake. 

My tin is shallow, loose-bottomed and fluted. I find this particular tin easier to work with, but any will do really. You might need to adjust quantities or times to compensate if yours is a different size. 

I do recommend a loose bottom, and a shallow tin will make it easier to flip over. 

How to Make Blueberry Upside-Down Cake – Step-by-Step Instructions

Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step One

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan-assisted).

Step Two

Mix the brown sugar, butter and lemon juice so it’s a smooth paste. 

Step Three

Spread into the bottom and around the sides of a 25cm cake tin. 

Step Four

Pour in the blueberries and spread out evenly. 

Step Five

For the sponge, mix the butter and caster sugar. I use an electric hand whisk, but you could do it by hand if that’s how you usually make a sponge cake. 

Step Six

Add the vanilla and grated lemon zest.  

Step Seven

Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. 

Step Eight

Add the flour and baking powder. 

Step Nine

Whisk until smooth. 

Step Ten

Pour the cake batter over the blueberries and spread out evenly. 

Step Eleven

Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes, using a skewer to make sure the centre is cooked. 

Step Twelve

Leave to cool fully in the tin before flipping and easing out. 

I flip mine in the tin, before easing the sides of the tin off, leaving just the loose bottom on the blueberries. Then, I run a large, sharp knife under this, so it just slides off easily. It’s easier when it’s cool. 

Serving Suggestions

You can absolutely serve this blueberry cake as it is. 

But blueberries can be a bit tart, so I like to add a dollop of whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or for something healthier, some natural yoghurt – which is what you can see in my photos. 

Other Recipes 

If you like this Easy blueberry upside-down cake you should also try:

• Pear Upside-Down Cake
• Blueberry Flapjacks
• White Chocolate and Blueberry Muffins
• Blueberry and Lemon Loaf Cake