#CookClub bonus: Triple Berry Upside Down Cake

When summer rolls around, Jackie Garvin, founder of the Syrup & Biscuits blog ( syrupandbiscuits.com), gets to thinking about berries. But here is the cool thing about her Triple Berry Upside Down Cake — you can use frozen berries so you're able to make it any time of the year.

Garvin, who lives in Valrico, Fla., is a Southern cook so her upside down cake is made in a cast-iron skillet. If you don't have one (you should get one!), you can use a deep 9-inch cake pan. The results won't be exactly the same, but I am sure your guests will eat it up. One thing you need to be wary of is that the cast-iron skillet will hold the heat for quite a long time after it comes out of the oven. Drap a hot pad over the handle to remind yourself.

"Upside down cakes are either the work of a genius or a good mistake. If the result is from a good mistake, I have to wonder how it happened. As I remove this Triple Berry Upside-down Cake from the oven, it's not hard for me to imaging that a cook might have baked a skillet cake and dropped it as they were taking it out of the wood cook stove" Jackie writes on syrupandbiscuits.com. "The cake could have landed upside down and the cook got the surprise of their life as they lifted the skillet off the floor to find a perfectly formed caked with the bottom on the top."

More of Jackie's Southern cooking wisdom.

Join us online!

To participate in #CookClub online, the key is to remember #CookClub because that's how you'll tag everything. Post photos and comments about Jackie's Triple Berry Upside Down Cake — on any other #Cookclub recipe you make — on Instagram.

As part of the #CookClub conversation, join us Thursdays from 7 to 8 p.m. for a live #CookClub chat on Twitter.

Contact Janet K. Keeler at jkeeler@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8586. Follow @RoadEats.

Triple Berry Upside Down Cake

This cake had a longer cook time than I expected. It took 55 minutes for the center to cook. I used a generous amount of frozen berries: 3 cups. You can't accuse me of being stingy with my berries. Bake until the top is golden, the center is set and springs back when touched.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

5 tablespoons butter

3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cup self-rising flour, unsifted

1 tablespoon lemon zest, minced

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups frozen berries (keep frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add one stick of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Stir. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture has melted and starts to bubble. Remove from heat.

Cream five tablespoons butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer. Mix flour and lemon zest in a bowl. Lightly stir together buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.

Dig in to Tampa Bay’s food and drink scenes

Subscribe to our free Taste newsletter

Get the restaurant and bar news, insights and reviews you crave from food and dining critic Helen Freund every Thursday.

Loading...

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

Alternate adding dry ingredients and wet ingredients to the creamed mixture. Mix well after each addition. Start and end with dry mixture.

Evenly scatter frozen berries over caramel mixture in cast iron skillet.

Carefully spread batter evenly over berries. Place skillet on a baking sheet covered in foil to protect from spills.

Bake for 55 minutes or until top in browned, center is set and springs back when touched.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Gently run a knife along the edges of the cake to loosen. Carefully place a serving plate on top of the skillet. Be careful, it's still hot!

Flip the skillet and plate over. All the contents magically come out of the skillet and wind up looking perfect on the serving platter.

Makes one 9-inch cake.

Source: Jackie Garvin, Syrupandbiscuits.com