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Sourdough brioche upside down cake with caramelized berries, cut to show its soft crumb
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Sourdough Brioche Upside Down Cake

An upside down cake made with sourdough brioche: a soft, fluffy dough baked over berries or apples and flipped while hot, so the fruit ends up caramelized and glossy on top.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Resting and rising4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time5 hours 35 minutes
8 slices

Equipment

  • 20-22 cm (8-9 in) springform pan
  • Stand mixer Optional, you can knead by hand
  • Parchment paper For the disc and to line the pan, bottom and sides
  • Aluminum foil Under the pan, for the juice

Ingredients

Brioche dough

  • 100 g sourdough starter ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp; active and at its peak, 100% hydration
  • 80 g milk ⅓ cup
  • 60 g granulated sugar ¼ cup + 1 tbsp; or panela
  • 1 egg large; at room temperature
  • ½ lemon zest only; optional
  • vanilla seeds or extract; optional
  • 220 g bread flour 1¾ cups
  • 4 g salt ¾ tsp
  • 60 g butter 4 tbsp (½ stick); softened
  • neutral oil for greasing the counter and the parchment paper

Fruit layer

  • 20 g butter 1½ tbsp; softened or in small cubes
  • 350 g frozen mixed berries 12 oz; straight from the freezer, or apple (see notes)
  • 40 g granulated sugar 3 tbsp; up to 60 g (5 tbsp) if the fruit is very tart
  • 10 g potato starch or cornstarch 1 tbsp
  • lemon juice a few drops

To serve

  • powdered sugar for dusting; optional, berry version only

Instructions

The dough

  • Mix the wet ingredients. In a bowl, the 100 g of starter, the 80 g of milk, the 60 g of sugar or panela and the egg. If you like, add the zest of ½ lemon and a little vanilla. Mix by hand with a whisk or in a stand mixer.
  • Add the flour and salt. The 220 g of flour and the 4 g of salt. Mix until there's no dry flour left.
  • Let it rest for 20 minutes. With the bowl covered.
  • Work in the butter. The 60 g, softened, in small additions, without adding the next one until the previous one is fully absorbed. Knead by hand or with a stand mixer until the dough is smooth and elastic. At first it looks like it's tearing: keep kneading and it comes back together.

First rise

  • Let it grow by 50%. In a lightly greased, covered bowl. At 22-24 °C (72-75 °F), about 2 hours; in a colder kitchen, up to 4 hours. Go by volume.

Shaping and second rise

  • Turn the dough out onto the counter. Greased with a thin layer of neutral oil, no flour.
  • Shape a tight ball. Stretch the dough into a rectangle, fold the sides into the center and roll it up like a snail. Or fold the four corners into the center, flip it over and tighten it with your hands until it's a smooth ball.
  • Let it rest for 15 minutes. Covered with a bowl.
  • Shape the disc. On a sheet of lightly oiled parchment paper, press the ball out with your hands until it's the size of your pan: 20-22 cm (8-9 in).
  • Let the disc rise. Covered with an upside down bowl, with nothing touching the dough, for 1½ to 2 hours, until it looks nicely puffed and airy.

The fruit and baking

  • Preheat the oven. When the disc is almost ready, to 180 °C (350 °F), conventional bake with top and bottom heat.
  • Prepare the pan. Line the springform pan with parchment paper, bottom and sides, and spread the 20 g of butter over the bottom, softened or in small cubes.
  • Add the fruit. The 350 g of berries, straight from the freezer, or the peeled, diced apple.
  • Sprinkle the sugar and starch. Mix the 40 g of sugar with the 10 g of starch, scatter it over the fruit and finish with a few drops of lemon juice.
  • Place the disc on top. Pick up the parchment with the disc, flip it over the pan so the dough sits on the fruit, and peel off the paper.
  • Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. On the middle rack, with a sheet of foil under the pan to catch the juice, until the dough is nicely golden on top.
  • Flip it while hot. As soon as it comes out of the oven, set a large plate upside down on the pan, hold them together and flip. Open the ring, lift off the base and carefully peel off the paper: the caramelized fruit ends up on top.
  • Serve. With berries, a dusting of powdered sugar on top, if you like.

Video

Notes

  • Your starter needs to be active and at its peak. If you keep it in the fridge, feed it a few hours ahead: we explain how in your sourdough starter, active and at its peak. The total time doesn't include that feeding.
  • Rising times are for a kitchen at 22-24 °C (72-75 °F). If it's colder, it will take longer: go by volume.
  • Apple version: 350 g (12 oz) of sweet apple, like Golden Delicious, peeled and cut into small cubes. The rest of the fruit layer is the same, and you don't need the powdered sugar.
  • If you're using a springform pan, line it with parchment paper on the bottom and sides and put foil underneath: berries release quite a lot of juice.
  • Panela is unrefined cane sugar. You can use it instead of granulated sugar in the dough, in the same amount.
  • It keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge, covered. When you take it out, you can warm your slice briefly in the microwave.
  • Don't have a starter yet? Start with our guide to making a sourdough starter from scratch.