Gluten-Free Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

This gluten-free blueberry upside-down cake is assembled with berries at the bottom and lemon batter above them. After baking, the cake is inverted so the fruit becomes its top. Sugar mixes with the berry juices during baking, so there is no separate caramel-making step.

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Use a solid cake pan

A solid nine-inch round pan contains the blueberry juices. A springform join can let them escape. Line and grease the base thoroughly, including the parchment surface, so the fruit layer has a better chance of releasing in one piece when you turn the cake out.

Pack the blueberries closely

Spread the fruit across the sugar in a single tight layer before adding batter. Large empty spaces allow batter to move beneath the berries and interrupt the finished fruit surface. Dollop the batter over the top and level it gently instead of dragging the berries around with a heavy spreading motion.

Keep the batter smooth

Room-temperature eggs and yogurt are easier to combine with the creamed butter mixture. Add eggs one at a time and alternate the dry mixture with yogurt as directed. Almond flour is a separate ingredient here; this cake is gluten-free but not nut-free.

Do not wait until it is cold to invert

Give the baked cake its short rest of about fifteen minutes, then turn it out while still warm. Leaving it in the pan until completely cold can make the fruit layer harder to release. Use a serving plate large enough for the cake and its berry layer, and handle the hot pan carefully.

Gluten-free ingredients and allergens

Use the listed flour weights and distinguish individual bread flours from a plain gluten-free blend. Follow each xanthan or psyllium instruction rather than changing binder amounts automatically. Check packaged ingredients and use clean tools and surfaces to limit gluten cross-contact. Other allergens are listed separately; gluten-free does not mean dairy-free or nut-free.

Contains: Almond, egg and milk.

For dough preparation hygiene, see FDA guidance on handling flour safely.

Serving and storage

Keep covered in a cool, dry place for 2–3 days; refrigerate in a warm kitchen.

For another gluten-free idea, browse gluten-free berry yogurt cake. You can also explore the DayTasty recipe collection.

Olivia Hayes

Gluten-Free Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

Bake gluten-free blueberry upside-down cake with a jammy fruit crown and lemon crumb. Includes a solid cake pan and warm inversion guidance.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Rest before inversion 15 minutes mins

Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Blueberry layer

• Softened unsalted butter for greasing the pan and parchment
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 370 g fresh blueberries

Lemon cake

• 150 g granulated sugar
• Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
• 70 g unsalted butter softened
• 35 g neutral oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 180 g plain gluten-free flour blend
• 50 g almond flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum; omit if already in the blend
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 75 g full-fat plain or Greek yogurt room temperature

Method

 

1. Heat a conventional oven to 350°F / 180°C. Grease a solid 9-inch round cake pan, line its base with parchment and butter the parchment generously. Do not use a springform pan for this formulation.
2. Spread the 50 g sugar across the base. Pack the blueberries tightly in one even layer over it.
3. Rub lemon zest into the cake sugar. Beat in softened butter, oil and vanilla until lighter. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each.
4. Combine the gluten-free blend, almond flour, baking powder, xanthan and salt separately. Mix half into the butter mixture, then add yogurt, then the remaining dry mixture. Stir until smooth.
5. Dollop batter over the berries and spread gently without moving the fruit. Bake 45–50 minutes, until golden and a tester comes out without raw cake batter. Shield with foil if the top colors too quickly.
6. Rest in the pan about 15 minutes. Loosen the edge if necessary and carefully invert onto a serving plate while still warm. Remove parchment and serve warm or cooled.

Notes

Invert after about 15 minutes in the pan, while still warm; allow additional cooling before serving.
Keep covered in a cool, dry place for 2–3 days; refrigerate in a warm kitchen.
Contains: Almond, egg and milk.
Use the specified flour and binder amounts. Check packaged ingredient labels and avoid gluten cross-contact.