Strawberry Upside-Down Cake Is the Summer Dessert I Make on Repeat

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It all starts with a boxed mix.

strawberry upside down cake
Photo:

Kelsey Hansen

Prep Time:
15 mins
Bake Time:
40 mins
Cool Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 20 mins
Servings:
16
Yield:
16 pieces

This strawberry upside-down cake is easily one of my favorite summer desserts. I love the combination of sweet, juicy berries and yellow cake. My favorite part, however, is that the whole thing starts with a boxed cake mix. It's so easy, which is perfect for a non-baker like me. Here's how to make the best strawberry upside-down cake recipe.

Strawberry Upside Down Cake Ingredients

You only need a handful of ingredients to make this strawberry cake recipe.

  • Sugar: Just 3/4 cup of granulated sugar is all you'll need to sweeten up the strawberries.
  • Cornstarch: This helps thicken up the strawberry mixture and ensures the finished cake isn't too moist.
  • Strawberries: You'll need 6 1/2 cups of sliced strawberries for this strawberry dump cake recipe. That works out to be about 1 1/2 pounds of whole strawberries.
  • Vanilla Extract: We love the flavor combination of vanilla and strawberry. You can use almond extract if you prefer.
  • Cake Mix + Eggs, Oil, and Water: Choose a box of yellow cake mix and be sure to grab all the ingredients you'll need to make it according to the directions on the box.
  • Lemon: We're using both the zest and juice to flavor the cake.

How to Make Strawberry Upside Down Cake with Cake Mix

Like classic pineapple upside-down cake, this recipe starts with fruit on the bottom. Once baked, the cake is then inverted to serve. Here's a quick look at how to make this strawberry upside-down cake recipe.

  1. Prepare the Fruit: Mix the strawberries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla. Once combined, pour the mixture into your baking dish.
  2. Make the Batter: Prepare your cake mix according to package directions and pour over the strawberries.
  3. Bake and Serve: Once baked, allow the cake to cool before flipping it onto a serving dish.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 6 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, halved or quartered if large (about 1 1/2 pounds)

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

  • 1 (15.25 to 16.25-ounce) package (2-layer-size) yellow cake mix, plus ingredients on box to make cake

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; set pan aside.

  2. In a large bowl combine sugar and cornstarch. Add strawberries, vanilla, and lemon zest; toss to coat evenly. Transfer strawberry mixture to prepared pan spreading evenly.

  3. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Beat in lemon juice until combined. Pour cake batter over strawberry layer and smooth evenly.

  4. Bake about 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen sides of cake; invert onto a serving plate. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cooled.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

188 Calories
1g Fat
43g Carbs
2g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 16
Calories 188.2
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1.4g 2%
Saturated Fat 0.5g 3%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 239.8mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 43.1g 16%
Dietary Fiber 1.8g 7%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 1.7g 3%
Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
Vitamin C 41.9mg 47%
Calcium 80.9mg 6%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 126.1mg 3%
Fatty acids, total trans 0.1g
Vitamin D 0IU
Alanine 0.1g
Arginine 0.1g
Ash 1.5g
Aspartic acid 0.2g
Caffeine 0mg
Carotene, alpha 0mcg
Choline, total 5.7mg
Copper, Cu 0.1mg
Cystine 0g
Energy 788.2kJ
Fluoride, F 3.1mcg
Folate, total 39.4mcg
Glutamic acid 0.5g
Glycine 0.1g
Histidine 0g
Isoleucine 0.1g
Leucine 0.1g
Lysine 0.1g
Methionine 0g
Magnesium, Mg 12.7mg
Manganese, Mn 0.3mg
Niacin 1mg
Phosphorus, P 118.8mg
Pantothenic acid 0.2mg
Phenylalanine 0.1g
Phytosterols 8.5mg
Proline 0.2g
Retinol 0mcg
Selenium, Se 1.4mcg
Serine 0.1g
Starch 0g
Theobromine 0mg
Threonine 0.1g
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.5mg
Tryptophan 0g
Tyrosine 0.1g
Valine 0.1g
Vitamin A, IU 9.5IU
Vitamin A, RAE 0.7mcg
Vitamin B-12 0mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.1mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 2.5mcg
Water 68.6g
Zinc, Zn 0.2mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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