Star Fruit Upside Down Cake @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: Star fruit are not a common produce ingredient in Connecticut to say the least. I’d certainly never cooked or baked with one. But here in Key West over the past month, I’ve seen piles of them distributed to interested folks at our church and at the Key West Woman’s Club. I thought they might turn out well in an upside down cake, and would certainly look pretty! It could be very festive for New Year's Eve... (We sampled one before baking--John described it as refreshing, but not a strong flavor. Definitely not as sweet as pineapple...)

Ingredients 

2-3 star fruit, depending on size

10-12 Maraschino cherries, de-stemmed and blotted dry

12 Tbsp butter, divided

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp honey

1 and 1/2 cup unbleached flour

1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch cake pan, bottom and sides. (I used some of the butter above, figuring there's plenty in the recipe already!) Cut a piece of parchment paper to the size of the pan, put it in the bottom and butter that too. 

Slice the star fruit thinly and poke out the seeds.

Melt 4 oz of butter in a small pan. Add the honey and brown sugar and heat, stirring until smooth. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and then place the fruit in a shape that pleases you. Dot with cherries that have been blotted dry with a paper towel.

Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in one bowl. Measure milk into a glass measuring cup. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar and vanilla with a mixer until they are light in color. 

Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk until everything is mixed nicely. 

Smooth the batter over the fruit. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Let the cake rest on a rack for an hour. 

Then place your serving plate over the top and gently invert the cake onto the platter. Mine slid out beautifully, leaving the parchment paper in the pan. 

Could it be any cuter??

ps Don't tell those cute star fruit, but the pineapple version has more flavor:). I know that Maraschino cherries are full of chemicals, but they sure were delicious here! And one last thing, a dollop of whipped cream would not have been remiss...

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series. A DISH TO DIE FOR is on bookshelves right now. A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS will be published August 8, 2023. 

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