An upside-down cake is a cake

Cake

Cake is a form of bread or bread-like food. In its modern forms, it is typically a sweet and enriched baked dessert. In its oldest forms, cakes were normally fried breads or cheesecakes, and normally had a disk shape...

 usually made in a pan

Frying pan

A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab handle opposite the main handle...

 with a curved bottom

Bottom

Bottom normally means the base, or the lowest point, of an object or geographic feature. It can also refer to:* Buttocks, portions of the anatomy on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds...

. Once cooked, turned over and allowed to set, the cake is eaten upside-down. Usually, chopped fruits such as apple

Apple

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...

s, pineapple

Pineapple

Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...

s and cherries are placed at the bottom of the pan before the batter is poured in, so that they form a decorative topping

Topping

Topping may refer to:* Hill-topping, a mate-acquisition strategy amongst insects* Topping, slang term for capital punishment, especially hanging or beheading* Topping , the name of several people...

 once the cake is inverted.

Turning the cake upside-down is a critical process; if done improperly, part of it can remain attached to the pan, ruining the final product. To allow for an easier detachment, the bottom of the pan is usually covered with butter

Butter

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...

 or sugar

Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

.

Traditional upside-down preparations include the American Pineapple Upside-down Cake, French Tarte Tatin, and Brazilian Bolo de Banana.

See also

• Tarte Tatin
  Tarte tatin
  Tarte Tatin is an upside-down tart in which the fruit are caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked.- History :...