last updated on October 30, 2026
This blackberry upside down cake is undoubtably my favorite kind of upside down cake. We start with an incredibly moist white cake with a hint of lemon that makes it fresh and vibrant, all topped with fresh blackberry that cooks upside down to perfection. The blackberry is slightly tart, making it the ideal balance to the moist lemon cake.
why is it called an upside down cake?
It gets the name because after these cakes are baked, they’re flipped upside down served like that! So, we put everything we want to be on top of the cake (when it’s finished) in the bottom of the pan, essentially making it so we bake the cake upside down, thus the name.
ingredients needed for the blackberry upside down cake
- butter
- sugar
- lemon zest
- vanilla
- eggs
- flour
- baking powder
- salt
- plain greek yogurt
- blackberries
how to make the blackberry upside down cake
prepping the blackberries
Wash and dry your blackberries. Thoroughly grease an 8-inch square pan. Place the blackberries in the bottom of the pan, covering the entire bottom surface. Sprinkle a bit of sugar over the top of the blackberries.
making the batter
The cake batter is straightforward to make. We combine all of the wet ingredients except the greek yogurt. Combine the dry ingredients in another bowl then alternate adding the dry ingredients and the greek yogurt. You’ll have a thick, smooth batter.
baking the cake
Transfer the batter to your prepared pan, then into the oven. Bake until an inserted toothpick removes cleanly. Invert the pan to remove the cake within 10 minutes of baking. Let the cake cool completely and enjoy! I love to top each slice with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
other fruit you can use
If blackberries aren’t your thing, there are lots of other summer fruits you can use! Raspberries, blueberries, even strawberries. Those would all be so wonderful. I’m partial to the blackberries because I love the tart bite they give on top, but any of those others would work wonderfully. If you use raspberries or blueberries, you don’t need to change the method at all. If you use strawberries, just slice them into smaller pieces first, in half or fourths depending on how big they are, and go from there.
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blackberry upside down cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh blackberries
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar + 1 tbsp for prepping the pan
- zest of two lemons
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, softened + 1 tbsp for greasing the pan
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240 g) plain greek yogurt at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Start by prepping the pan. Use 1 tablespoon of butter to thoroughly grease an 8-inch square pan, making sure to get all the edges and corners as well.
- Wash and dry the blackberries. Line the bottom of the pan with blackberries so the entire bottom surface is covered. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly across the blackberries. Set the pan aside.
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar, releasing the lemon oils. Add the butter and use a stand mixer or hand mixer to mix for 2-3 minutes until fully combined and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients — flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the larger bowl. Mix until just under combined. Add half of the yogurt and mix until just combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and yogurt. The batter should be very thick.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 45-65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Within the first 10 minutes of being out of the oven, carefully flip the pan over onto a cooling rack and slowly lift the pan up. Let the cake cool for at least 20 minutes, or until completely cooled.
- Keep any extra cake in a sealable container.
it looks amazing!! i’m definitely trying it this summer. i just wonder: why the yogurt isn’t mixed with wet ingredients but at the end? thank you!
it helps the ingredients combine evenly! it’s a thick batter, so if you add all the dry ingredients at once at the end, it may be hard to evenly incorporate all of the dry ingredients.
I just made this, instructions were perfect and recipe was easy. Mine did bake for a full 55 mins but it turned out incredible!! I will be making this again
yay i’m so glad you enjoyed!!!
This is an amazing recipe! I made it with freshly picked blackberries. I followed it as written and it took a full 55 minutes to cook through. Thank you!
yay so glad you enjoyed this one! and how perfect with fresh picked blackberries!
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!
i hope you enjoy!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
yes, it keeps for a few days! i think it keeps best in the fridge — it helps the blackberries to not ooze as much liquid.
Hey! Does this work with sour cream instead of Greek yogurt by any chance?
yes! totally fine to sub sour cream for the greek yogurt.
Any special instructions for high altitude baking? I’m at 4,650’ El.
should be fine! i made it recently at 3500′ and it worked great.
Are there any suggestions for replacing lemon zest?
any other citrus! grapefruit, lime, orange. or you can omit it completely if you’d like.
Can you make your recipes printable??? Easier to print out and go shopping with.
hi! yes, there is a print button, but it’s currently not displaying correctly. on the recipe card, next the “pin recipe” button, there’s a blank white button. if you click that, it will take you to a printable version of the recipe!
Do you know if this recipe would work with gluten-free all purpose flour?
i haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but that should be fine! i’d recommend using a 1:1 gluten free flour
I love this recipe. Any thoughts on how I can make this for 12-16 people? Thank you!
hi! i’d recommend making two cakes. the volume an 8-inch cake pan can hold is about 8 cups, and a 9×13 pan can hold 14 cups, so it won’t work to double it, you’ll likely have too much batter. you could double it and use a 9×13 pan and just not use all the batter, or bake two in 8-inch pans.
This cake is simple yet elegant and so delicious. The lemon and sugar process really adds so much to the flavor! This is now on repeat in our home. Thank you!
yay so glad you loved this one!! and yes, the lemon sugar is my favorite trick!
Hi! I wanted to check – we usually have frozen blackberries here in Southeast Asia and was wondering if that would work?
hi! yes, that will work. you may need to add 5-10 minutes of extra baking time, since frozen blackberries will add more moisture to the cake.
How do you make the cream topping for the cake?
i just topped it with a soft whipped cream! 1 cup heavy cream + 1 tablespoon maple syrup, whipped with a hand mixer until soft peaks form!
This recipe is so good. I used both blackberries and raspberries and turned out really well. The cake was so soft, moist, fluffy and almost dense but in the best way possible and paired so nicely the tart berries on top!!! Will definitely make this again during the summertime!!!!
this recipe looks soooo yummy and i can‘t wait to try it. the ingredients lists *salted* butter though, is that correct?
yep! you’re welcome to use unsalted if that’s what you have on hand. it won’t make a noticeable difference.
Did you cream the butter and sugar together or whip it? I creamed it, as standard, but it certainly wasn’t “fluffy.” The batter seemed thick as instructed but It took over an hr to bake (I’m in OH so no elevation problems), and once cooled the middle was *very* dense and almost seemed raw
hi! did you test the cake with a toothpick before taking it out of the oven for good? a toothpick that comes out clean or only with a few crumbs will tell you that it is ready. depending on how much juice is in the blackberries you use and if you use fresh vs frozen, even what type of pan you use can all determine how quickly it can bake. as for the butter and sugar, it won’t be fluffy! just need to mix until it’s well combined.
Hi. Can I make this with monkfruit or other sugar substitute for a sugar free option?
hi! i haven’t tested this recipe with a sugar substitute. you are welcome to try it, but i don’t think it will turn out the same.
Thanks for an amazing recipe. This is my dream vanilla/lemon cake texture. I used defrosted and strained frozen blackberries and fresh peaches because I live in area without easy access to berries.
so glad you loved this one! and blackberries + peaches sounds like a perfect combo!
This is an amazing cake, I need to go pick more blackberries so I can make it all over again. What a perfect texture! 55 minutes in a glass 8×8
so glad you love this one!! i’ve been making it on repeat to use up all my blackberries!
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