Savoury cake may seem an unusual concept. Think ‘cake’ and it conjures sweet, spongy, iced and fruity images. But it doesn’t have to be…… This gluten free Savoury Summer Upside Down Cake is incredible…… Easy to make, perfect for lunch, picnics and garden eating and full of the flavours of a Mediterranean summer.
I first posted the original upside down sponge three years ago when inspired by a savoury themed cake linky (Love Cake) from Ness at Jibber Jabber and although it got some attention at the time, I decided that I would revisit the recipe as it is one of my favourites and three years on, I am hoping it may reach more of my lovely readers and inspire them to enjoy it too….
I have updated the photographs (the originals were frankly dire (although I am not sure these are much better)) and have also updated, tweaked and improved the ingredients slightly….. adding some red onion, testing it with my rice-free home-mixed flour blend, and using psyllium husk instead of xanthan gum to improve the crumb and texture.
When you think savoury ‘cake’, the first thing that usually comes to mind is savoury muffins, but when I first developed this recipe, I absolutely wanted a big cake……. one that was summery and fancy and mimicked all the prettiness of a decadent sweet sponge.
Several restless nights later, mulling over every possible option from layered vegetable cakes to weird combinations of cheesy-savoury toppings, I came up with this…… an upside down savoury cake….
The next dilemma was what to do for the sponge ‘base’ and what veg to use which would be both attractive and succulent, without ‘mushing’ the sponge. In the end, I settled for making a cheesy-polenta bake as I thought this would be firm and dense enough, whilst still being fluffy and cake-like. Some grated courgette has been added to keep it moist and to give additional texture and colour. I have made it a number of times, using either green or yellow courgette and both work equally well. Wanting the cake to ooze the flavours and scent of mediterranean warmth, it also contains a sprinkling of finely chopped fresh oregano and basil (although dried herbs are good too, if that’s what you have to hand).
The ‘upside down’ base is just beautiful…… vibrant in colour and so, so pretty. It brings instant interest and intrigue with anyone who sees or tries it and would definitely be a prize candidate for ‘showstopper’ in any savoury category.
It sings summer, warmth and all that is good for you. Sweet yellow, red and orange peppers that have been roasted to intensify their flavour, mingle with equally yellow sweetcorn, caramelised roasted red onion and savoury olives, all nestled into rich red roasted home-grown cherry tomatoes. The sponge is slightly cheesy with a soft, creamy but fluffy texture. The polenta gives it greater depth and texture, but the cake is no less light for its inclusion.
Indeed, this has to be the healthiest cake I have ever made. It is a fantastic savoury alternative to dishes like pizza, yet is perfectly scrumptious either hot or cold. That makes it ideal picnic and packed lunch fodder and a great alternative to sandwiches.
Although this upside down cake is made with summer roasted vegetables, you could substitute these with pretty much anything. I previously made Miss GF a bacon, sweetcorn and cheese version, which went down a storm….. and knowing that she was also eating hidden courgette reassured me my parental duty was attended to.
I am sharing my updated gluten free Original Savoury Summer Upside Down Cake with :
Cook Once Eat Twice with Searching For Spice
Free From Fridays with Le Coin De Mel and Free From Farmhouse
Bake of the Week with Casa Costello and Mummy Mishaps
Brilliant Blog Posts with Honest Mum
Fiesta Friday #225 with Angie and Antonia at Zoale
The What’s For Dinner? link-up with The Lazy Gastronome
Savoury Summer Upside Down Cake (makes 1 x 9 inch cake)
Ingredients
1 small red onion – thinly sliced
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 220 C/425 F/Gas 7. Either base line (with baking paper) a 9 inch cake tin (square or round) or I used a silicone cake mould.
- Roast the halved tomatoes, sliced onions and sliced peppers (separately) in roasting dishes in the oven with a sprinkling of salt and a drizzle of olive oil, stirring intermittently, for 30 to 40 minutes or until they begin to char slightly on the edges. Remove from the oven, set aside and cool whilst you make the cake batter.
- Turn the oven down to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4.
- Weigh and mix together the flour, polenta, psyllium husk, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper, making sure any lumps are completely broken down (I weigh into an airtight container and shake vigorously).
- Add the herbs and cheese and stir through.
- Beat the eggs, oil, yoghurt and milk together until light, airy and evenly blended.
- Add the grated courgette and fold to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and fold until evenly mixed.
- Arrange the vegetables on the base of the cake tin – olives and sweetcorn, followed by peppers and onion.
- Lastly, drain the excess juice from the roasted tomatoes, before also placing them in the base of the tin on top of the other veg.
- Spoon the cake batter on top of the vegetables and smooth the top (if you have any excess batter, use to make small muffins).
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (15-20 minutes for muffins) until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin to cool for at least 15 minutes before turning onto a plate. Serve warm or cold.
Thanks Marco x
This looks amazing! I will definately give it a try!
I hope I will manage as I am not a great cook!
Thank You Johanna. It's not a difficult bake and definitely worth having a go. I often thing being good at cooking and baking could be helped by how we think. When I am having a down day and think I am no good, I can't bake anything…. Think 'I can do this'!!!!
Wow Kate I am going to be thinking about this cake for ages. What fabulous flavour combos with lots of wonderful sticky bits. Am so going to pin…..seriously clever
Thanks Jenny. It is one of my favourites! and so versatile too…. xx
That looks totally amazing -pinned this one!! I'd love to have you share this at the What's for Dinner party on my blog!
http://www.lazygastronome.com/whats-for-dinner-sunday-link-up-150/
Aww thanks! Bit late in catching comments this week….. I'll link to the latest link-up if that's ok? Not one I've seen before, so thank you for letting me know about it. x
So glad you joined us. I love your narrative about this dish. You really flavored it with your words.
I'm so happy you joined our party. I hope you come back tomorrow for the new hop!
I like savory cakes more than sweet and this is right up my alley.
Thanks Balvinder. It was rather tasty! x
What a brilliant idea – LOVE it!!! I have never, ever seen or tasted a savour upside-down cake, and now I am wondering why it's not a thing – pure genius!! Eb x
'Pure genius' you say??? I'll take that! Thanks Eb xx
Very cool recipe! I can't wait to try this out. Thank you for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
Thanks you. You're welcome. I hope you enjoy too x
You're an absolute genius for coming up with this savoury upside down cake. I love it! When I was younger, U would always make savoury loaves with olives, cheese and ham and you've made me crave that 🙂 Thanks for joining in with #FreeFromFridays.
Thanks Mel….. Somehow a savoury upside down cake seemed perfectly logical! It makes such a change from bread….. and with its wholegrain flours, polenta, cheese and courgette baked into the sponge is full of goodness too. x
Love this savoury cake idea, I am really into savoury bakes lately too. Who says cakes have to be sweet? Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare!
Thanks Monika. I'm pleased to hear that it is not just me having a savoury bake moment! A good savoury cake can beat the pants off a sweet one…. And it make s such change from bread. x
I'm sure you know how much I love upside down cakes Kate, I'm so impressed with this savoury version – it's absolutely inspired. I just love all of those beautiful colours 'decorating' the top once it's turned out and the side profile shot once it's been sliced into look even more tempting – if that's at all possible. Thankyou for sharing with #BakingCrumbs,
Angela x
Thank you Angela. It was one of my better creative moments! And definitely a keeper xx
wow what a clever take on such a classic sweet pudding cake! you have made it look and sound so delicious and it is so unique too. perfect for picnics or with a salad for dinner. thank you for sharing with #Bakeoftheweek x
Thanks Jenny. I was rather pleased with myself for coming up with it. It would have been wrong to keep it to myself! x
I've never heard of a savoury cake but it looks delicious, what a great idea!
Ha ha! Pleased to surprise you Cat. And yes…. delicious for sure! x
This looks delicious! A savoury cake is so unusual but I'm sure it would be perfect for summer – I could definitely see myself packing some of this up into a picnic! Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice! x
Thanks Corina. I'm never too sure why there aren't more savoury cakes around. It seems logical to me…. x
What a fantastic and versatile recipe! Definitely a great addition to any summery al fresco buffet. I love how light and fluffy the sponge is and considering all the veggie goodness I think it's reasonable that one would want more than just a single slice 🙂 Thank you for sharing with #BakingCrumbs 🙂 xx
Thanks Jo. You're welcome. It's so good for outside eating and absolutely full of veggie goodness. x
I am seriously impressed by this recipe! Well done! I would like a great big slice of this just now please 🙂 Thank you for sharing with Simple and in Season
Thanks Elizabeth. I was really pleased with it!
I really love this. It's such an inspired choice to use polenta and turn it upside down. The topping is just so pretty. Challenge complete!
Thanks Ness….. Challenge complete! Thanks for inspiring me!!
I LOVE recipes like this Kate as I am a savoury head! I LOVE the topping and also your mix of ingredients – this is such a great recipe! Karen
Thank you Karen. I was pretty pleased with myself for coming up with it… But it's always great when someone else likes it too! Your comments are much appreciated!
What a fantastic idea, I've never seen anything like this before. It would be great for sharing on a picnic! Thanks for entering Alphabakes.
I couldn't find anything like it on the internet either. But it was so good it needed to be shared! And yes…. perfect for a picnic!
Looks delicious. Looks like a cross between cake, pizza and scone. Would love to try it. I've seen savoury cakes in France, but you never seen them over here. Love it allows you to eat cake for lunch 🙂
Thanks Katie. You must try this! It was so delicious and there are so many variations to try. Eating cake for lunch is quite amusing too!
Wow, you've managed to squeeze it in to SO many challenges! I think you deserve a medal to have got in so many 🙂
PS it looks delish, really moist & yummy.
Janie x
Ha! Definitely more luck than judgement Janie. Somehow, it just seemed to fit a whole bunch of them…. which is great as I have had less time this month!
OMG, love it love it love it. I am so gonna make this (perhaps with a different topping) but still gonna bookmark to make. So gorgeous. I agreee, great alternative to pizza and much more healthier too. Thans for sharing #VegetablePalette
You're welcome Shaheen and thank you! I have so many plans for adaptations on this one…….. Let me know how it goes for you!
Wow just wow. That is an amazing looking cake – so beautiful with such vibrant colours and flavours. I am really impressed with your idea which is absolutely brilliant. I really wish I could have a slice so I will just have to make it myself soon. Thanks for entering Alphabakes and well done on all the multiple challenge entry 🙂
Thanks Ros….. It was one of those inspirational moments which just worked! I will be making this on a regular basis. It went down a storm in our house!