Gluten-Free Strawberry Upside-Down Cake

This gluten-free strawberry upside-down cake puts a glossy strawberry layer over a tender vanilla sponge. Follow the ingredient weights and visual cues below, then use the recipe card for the full method.

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A strawberry topping made in the pan

This gluten-free strawberry upside-down cake begins with fruit underneath the batter. After baking, the cake is inverted so the glossy strawberry layer becomes the top. You do not need to cook a separate caramel for this version.

Sugar and the fruit juices mingle during baking, surrounding the strawberries with syrup. The cake beneath is a vanilla sponge made with a combination of melted butter and neutral oil. It can be served warm or cooled to room temperature.

Use a solid cake pan

Choose a solid nine-inch round pan rather than a springform pan. Strawberry juices can leak through a removable base. Butter the pan, line its bottom with parchment and generously butter the parchment too.

This preparation is part of the release method rather than an optional decoration step. Keep a large serving plate and oven mitts ready before the cake comes out of the oven, since inversion happens after only a short rest.

Pack the fruit cut side down

Sprinkle sugar evenly over the prepared base and arrange halved strawberries with their cut faces against it. Packing them close together helps create a continuous fruit layer when the cake is turned out.

Use smaller pieces to fill gaps between the halves. Remove the green tops before weighing and arranging. The goal is to cover the base with fruit rather than leaving large patches of bare sugar beneath the sponge.

Whisk a smooth vanilla batter

Combine sugar, eggs, milk, melted butter, oil and vanilla in one bowl. Mix the gluten-free flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt separately before whisking them into the liquid ingredients.

The finished batter is fairly runny, so it can flow over the packed berries. Do not add extra flour simply to thicken it. Weigh the flour and omit the added xanthan gum if the blend already contains xanthan or other binders.

Bake before attempting the flip

Bake at 350°F / 180°C for thirty-five to forty minutes. The cake should be golden and risen, with no wet batter on a tester. If the top colours too quickly, cover it loosely with foil while the centre finishes.

Rest the cake in its pan for only five to ten minutes. A much longer rest can make release more difficult. Loosen the edges if needed, place the plate securely over the pan and carefully invert using oven mitts.

Reveal and slice

Lift away the pan and peel off the parchment gently so the strawberry layer stays in place. Let the cake settle before cutting a wedge. A sharp knife helps pass through both the fruit and the tender sponge.

Vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream are optional accompaniments. Keep them separate until serving. For another presentation technique, our gluten-free pumpkin roll shows a filled sponge rolled into a spiral.

Storage and ingredient checks

Keep the cake in a closed container in a cool, dry place for two to three days. Store any cream or ice cream separately according to its label. The cake contains eggs and dairy even though its flour is gluten-free.

Check the flour blend, vanilla and baking powder for suitability, and keep the work area separate from wheat flour. A gluten-free recipe still needs careful handling of all packaged ingredients.

Gluten-free ingredient checks

Read packaged ingredient labels and protect the preparation area from gluten cross-contact. For an explanation of packaged gluten-free claims in the United States, see the FDA guide to gluten-free food labeling. This recipe is not automatically free from other allergens.

Gluten-Free Strawberry Upside-Down Cake recipe card

Olivia Hayes

Gluten-Free Strawberry Upside-Down Cake

Vanilla sponge topped with a close-packed layer of juicy baked strawberries after a simple inversion.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Strawberry layer

• Softened butter for greasing
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 450 g fresh strawberries tops removed and halved

Vanilla cake

• 150 g granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 120 g whole milk room temperature
• 45 g unsalted butter melted and cooled until warm
• 35 g neutral oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 200 g plain gluten-free flour blend
• 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum; omit if the blend contains xanthan gum or other binders
• 1/4 tsp salt

Method

 

1. Heat a conventional oven to 350°F / 180°C. Butter a solid 9-inch / 23 cm round cake pan. Line the base with parchment and generously butter the parchment. Avoid a springform pan because fruit juices can leak.
2. Sprinkle 50 g sugar evenly across the base. Arrange strawberries cut side down, packing them closely. Cut some into smaller pieces to fill gaps.
3. Whisk 150 g sugar, eggs, milk, melted butter, oil and vanilla together.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt separately. Whisk into the wet mixture until smooth; the batter will be fairly runny.
5. Pour over the strawberries. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until risen, golden and a tester comes out clean. Loosely cover with foil if it browns too quickly.
6. Let stand in the pan for only 5–10 minutes. Loosen the edges if needed, then carefully invert onto a large plate while still hot. Lift the pan and peel away the parchment.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature. Optional: add vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Notes

Keep in a closed container in a cool, dry place for 2–3 days.

GLUTEN-FREE NOTE
Check flour, raising agents and optional toppings and prevent cross-contact. Contains eggs and milk.

Time fields are estimates. Follow the detailed baking range and allow additional time for cooling or setting as directed. Egg sizes refer to US large eggs.

Find more published bakes in the DayTasty recipe index, or contact our editorial team with a question.