upside-down cake
Noun: A cake that is baked with a layer of fruit and a sweet sauce (often containing butter and sugar) placed in the bottom of the pan. After baking, the cake is inverted onto a serving plate, so the fruit layer becomes the top.
This term is used to refer specifically to the finished dessert. It describes the cake by its distinctive preparation method and final appearance.
- For dessert, she served a delicious upside-down cake made with pineapple and cherries.
- The recipe for peach upside-down cake is a family favorite.
- He carefully flipped the pan to reveal a perfectly caramelized upside-down cake.
The term is a compound noun that functions as a single unit. It is often modified by the type of fruit used (e.g., pineapple upside-down cake, apple upside-down cake).
- Upside-down (adjective): Having the top where the bottom should be; inverted.
- The picture was hanging upside-down.
- Inverted cake: A more literal, less common synonym.
- Tarte Tatin: A specific French dessert, an upside-down caramelized apple tart, which uses a similar technique but is typically made with pastry rather than cake batter.
This is a culinary term. The defining characteristic is the technique of placing the toppings at the bottom before baking and inverting the finished product. "Pineapple upside-down cake" is the most classic and well-known variant.
- batter baked atop a layer of sweetened fruit then turned upside down so fruit is on top