Upside Down Grape Cake with Balsamic Vinegar

Cozy up with this upside down grape cake using sweet grapes and syrupy balsamic vinegar. The vanilla cake is made with extra virgin olive oil with rosemary making it moist and full of flavor. Find more olive oil cake recipes here.

As the days shorten and the weather cools, I am soaking in everything that I love about fall. And since San Diego doesn’t instill fall-like images of trees laden with coats of red and gold leaves, I look for fall in the produce aisle!

There’s one fruit I enjoy cooking with that you may not associate with autumn: Grapes!

My family has always enjoyed grapes, whether they are green, red or dark purple. Several years ago we planted two grape vines in our small yard. It took us several seasons to figure out the best way to grow grapes, but we finally figured it.

The result? Pounds and pounds of grapes all summer long!

As we see August coming to an end, we still have 30 to 40 bunches of grapes hanging on our vines. These beauties are sweeter than the grapes we picked a month or so ago.

I have already shared a few grape recipes, like my homemade grape jam and a delicious grape apple crisp. Today I am sharing another delicious and easy dessert, an upside down grape cake.

Why you must try this recipe

We all enjoy fresh picked grapes. They can be thrown into green salads and are great simply dipped in chocolate. But have you ever cooked or baked with grapes?

Grapes sweeten when roasted and they bake beautifully. And the dark purple grapes add beautiful color to your dessert.

Believe it or not, this cake is super easy to assemble and requires minimal cake decorating skills. Well, actually ZERO cake decorating skills. The grapes are the start of the show.

I always like to add a special twist in my recipes and for this one, I added some thick, syrupy balsamic vinegar to the grapes. And inside the cake I added a bit of rosemary. Herbs aren’t just for savory dishes.

The result is a stunning cake that is also very delish. Look at that purple color!

See my Grape Upside Down Cake Web Story for a quick visual guide to making this recipe.

Ingredients you need

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• Grapes: You can use green, red or dark purple grapes. Just choose sweet grapes. Dark purple grapes were used in the photos you see, creating a dark purple fruit topped cake.
• Extra virgin olive oil: I bake exclusively with extra virgin olive oil, so the base of the is made with it. When baking with olive oil, choose an oil that is mild in flavor instead of a peppery or pungent oil. You can also use neutral vegetable oil. You can learn more about baking with olive oil here.
• Yogurt: I love adding yogurt to my cakes because it produces a moist and fluffy cake. You can also sour cream.
• Eggs: You will need large eggs for this grape cake recipe.
• Rosemary: I added a bit of chopped rosemary into the cake. You don’t need much, as rosemary is very pungent. If you are not a fan of rosemary, you can substitute with mint, basil or omit altogether.
• Butter: The cake uses olive oil, but the grapes are browned in butter. I use unsalted butter in my baking so I can control the salt.
• Balsamic vinegar: Lots of choices with this addition! Choose a thick syrupy balsamic vinegar for the biggest flavor. You can also use flavored balsamic vinegar, just make sure it compliments the flavors in the cake. Do NOT substitute with red wine vinegar – it is NOT the same thing! If you don’t have any, you can omit it.
• Pantry staples: all purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar (light or dark), vanilla extract, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.

Step-by-step directions

1. Wash and remove grapes from stem. If grapes are large, coarsely chop, roughly quartering them and reserve.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and olive oil until sugar is dissolved and mixture is fluffy.

4. Whisk yogurt, eggs, rosemary and vanilla into the sugar mixture until well combined.

5. Mix flour mixture into yogurt mixture and whisk until combined.

6. Using a 9-inch cast iron skillet, heat over medium-high heat and melt butter. When butter is bubbly, stir in brown sugar. Cook until sugar has dissolved into the butter and starts to melt.

7. Stir in the grapes and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Gently press down on the grapes with a spatula to release some of the juices. Stir in balsamic vinegar and cornstarch with the grapes.

8. Remove skillet from heat. Slowly pour batter over the grapes, using a rubber scraper to spread the batter evenly.

9. Place cake in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The top of the cake will be lightly browned. Allow cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan.

10. Run a knife blade along the sides of the cake to insure a clean removal. Place cooling rack over the cast iron skillet and carefully invert the cake. Keep the skillet over the cake until the cake cools, about 1 hour. Slowly remove skillet and allow cake to finish cooling to room temperature, about 30 more minutes, before serving.

Recipe tips and FAQs

Upside down cakes are some of my favorite ways to show off fresh fruit. So much easier than a pie and you have a fluffy cake, unlike a fruit crisp. I have an upside down cake for every season, so you have no excuse!

The best pan to bake your upside down cake is a cast iron pan. Cast iron is safe for the stove and the oven. It also bakes your cake uniformly and retains the heat beautifully.

Browning your fruit in butter and brown sugar is the first step for every upside down cake. This creates the wonderful sweet syrup for your fruit to bake in.

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

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