There is a magical place in Quebec, about 6 hours by car North East of Montreal, called Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean which is famed for one beautiful blue, round, delicious fruit: the Blueberry. The sandy soils of this region are a perfect habitat for this shrub. Blueberries abound and they are the small flavor-packed wild variety.
This fruit of course has been the source of inspiration for wonderful dessert recipes in Quebec, like this Blueberry Upside Down Cake . This cake is addictive. I made this cake for a pot luck at work. I made a small one on the side for a Saturday tête-à-tête diner too. I got rave reviews, many went for seconds and one colleague went for thirds!
Ξ Blueberry Upside-Down Cake Ξ
from Thibeault’s Table, originally from Canadian Living Magazine, August 1983
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups blueberries (fresh or Frozen)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
3/4 cup milk
In 9 inch square cake pan, combine melted butter and brown sugar; spread evenly on bottom. Spread blueberries evenly over top. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift or mix together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon if using. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Spread batter evenly over blueberry layer.
Bake in 350°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out on to large flat plate.
Beautiful recipe. Thank you.
Evelyne, Glad you liked this cake. It has been a family favourite for 30 years.
~Ann
very nice cake !!Pierre
Evelyne, this is phenomenal. I never thought of making blueberry upside down cake. I need to make this for my mom who love blueberries like crazy (and I got the same gene). She’ll thank you for sure… I literally eat a big bowl of blueberries as snack. Kind of gross but I am that crazy!!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
@DWei it is called upside down because it is baked in the pan upside-down, with the butter, sugar and fruit caramelizing. When left to cool a bit after baking just flip it and the bottom becomes the fruity and syrupy top, already decorated.
Scrumptious, Evelyn! I have to say this blueberry cake looks absolutely gorgeous 🙂 Hope you’re having a great start to the New year. Have a lovely day!
That, looks so good. Though I never quite figured out why they’re called upside-down cakes. What’s the point of flipping them?
Evelyn, this is a superlative treat! Upside-down cakes are simply not common enough! I love how you’ve packed as many blueberries as physically possible on top.
I actually made something similar on my blog back in ’08, but I used blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, and they all mushed together in a way that made it look pretty ugly – not to mention my photos were soooo nad lol Yours looks beautiful, so mouth-watering, and the photos are superb. Also, did I ever tell you how much I adore raclette cheese?
Wow, look at all those blueberries, an excellent cake!
Oh my gosh, there are just so much blueberries that they have become an uncountable noun! They even gave me goose bumps just by looking at them!:p
Not that it was scary, but seriously, you have been really generous with the berries!:D
The upside down cake really sounds like a very interesting notion, I rarely see them around the bakeries here:)
Oh my, this looks delicious. I love blueberries and this is a recipe I’m going to have to make one of these days. Love the upside down idea!
Mmmmmm…this looks fabulous!!! The melted butter and brown sugar must provide a delicious glaze for the blueberries. I love Thibeault’s Table…she has wonderful recipes.
This is the first time I am seeing a photo of a blueberry upside down cake – great feast for the eyes, and for the stomach from what I read!
Oh Evelyne, I must confess that I never seen upside down blueberry cake…and it sure looks awesome…so pretty and must taste delicious.
Hope you are having a wonderful week 🙂
Whoa! What a great change up from the traditional upside down cakes! I bet those blueberries are amazing when they burst!
Damn, that looks good! Not surprised someone went for thirds!
The cake looks amazing Evelyne! Look at that color! Unfortunately blueberries in Brazil or here in Korea are rare and very expensive.