Cherry Cornmeal Upside Down Cake

My first, and only other, upside down cake took on the ubiquitous pineapple upside down. My pineapple chunks were huge, taking up nearly half the cake's height. I don't even recall what the cake tasted like, only that, overturned, it was crowned with these rocks of browning, stringy fruit.  So this recipe plays the role of cultivating a positive association with the topsy turvy dessert. The combination of cherries and cornmeal promised guaranteed success in the flavor department, and an appealingly purple topping. But the recipe posed an additional challenge.

When it comes to cakes, I am somewhat impatient. I can't play the waiting game while the cake cools. This means I upset the cakes from their pans before they're properly ready, and more than once, the result is half the cake on the plate and the other half clinging to the baking dish. A thick coating of frosting or an attempt to artfully present just half a cake ensues. But the key to the upside down cake really is offering the miracle of a dessert where the fruit topping oozes across the firm, sweet cake. So I managed to leave the cake alone (although I admit to occasional hovering and top-of-cake prodding) for a couple hours, until I was convinced it had properly cooled. I ended up with one whole cake, and one I'd be more than willing to make again. 

 

 I'd be happy to use this cake batter with any fruit and in any form: it is light, sweet, and utterly delicious. The bowl was scraped clean before it reached the dishwasher. The cornmeal is a delightful ping in a smooth batter lightened with egg whites. It also comes together quickly, while the cherries take ages to slice and pit. I used fresh Bing and recommend you take this route as well, as it is cherry season. I did not have a pan that was both oven and stove-proof, so my cooking process involved glazing the cherries in a pan with the sugar and butter and then transferring the mixture to the baking pan. If you do have a multipurpose pan (such as a cast iron skillet), I'd go ahead and use it. But the saucepan-to-casserole dish method works quite easily as well.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Cherry Cornmeal Upside Down Cake
Cherry Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
3 cups pitted, halved fresh Bing cherries
1 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Directions:
--Melt 1/4 cup butter with sugar and vinegar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Add cherries and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and pour into a  1 1/2-quart casserole dish.
--Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter. Add sugar and continue stirring until flurry. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour and beating after each addition.
--Beat egg whites in a large, clean bowl with a whisk or hand beater. Once soft peaks form, add cream of tartar and continue beating until whites are stiff but not dry. Gently fold in 1/4 of egg whites to the batter. Add the rest of the egg whites in 3 stages, folding them into the flour mixture after every addition. Pour the batter on top of the cherries and smooth top with a spatula.
--Bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the center to loosen edges. Let the cake cool for at least 1 hour. Place a large plate on top of the cake and, holding edges of plate and edges of pan, swiftly invert. Leave pan on top of the cake for 5 minutes before removing. Serves 8-12.