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Calling all granola lovers! This buttery, caramelly vanilla cake is topped with a crunchy brown sugar caramel granola topping for an extremely irresistible cake. This upside-down granola cake is the cake you never knew you needed! Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this easy cake recipe!
If I had to name the best desserts I would always choose ones that have contrasting textures. There is something oh so special about having a nice crunch against a spongy cake and a dollop of soft pillowy whipped cream.
When I dreamt up this cake I had some ideas of execution but it actually took me 4 cakes in 48 hours to find the right texture.
The vanilla cake is made with brown sugar, for extra caramel hints, and the topping is a generous layer of butter and brown sugar with the granola to make for an irresistible sweet crunch.
This post was sponsored bySafe + Fair Granola. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Confessions of a Baking Queen possible.
Try some of their delicious Granola with code BAKINGQUEEN10.
Let's get to the recipe
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- Ingredients
- Instructions
- FAQ
- More cake recipes
Ingredients
For the cake batter you will need:
- Butter. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature, this allows it to properly cream with the sugars creating air pockets to help while baking.
- Sugars. I like to use a combination of white granulated sugar and brown sugar for delicious flavor.
- Large Eggs. For your eggs to emulsify into the butter and sugar you want to make sure they are at room temperature. You can do this quickly by placing the eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before cracking them.
- Cake Flour. I like to use cake flour since it helps provide a lighter, more delicate crumb.
- Chemical Leavening Agents. You'll need some baking soda and baking powder for this cake. The baking soda needs to be activated by an acid, in this recipe the sour cream and brown sugar. The baking powder is already activated.
- Salt. This ingredient not only balances out the sweetness but also helps the other ingredients flavor profiles shine.
- Sour Cream. I love adding sour cream to cakes as it helps tenderize the cake and keep it really moist. Keep in mind this also needs to be at room temperature.
- Whole Milk. Sure you can use 2% milk but when baking I want full fat. This also needs to be at room temperature.
Now for the glorious brown sugary granola topping, you'll need:
- Butter. I like to use salted butter but you could use unsalted butter if you want. The butter needs to be melted.
- Light Brown Sugar. The brown sugar and the butter give the cake that caramel like topping.
- Safe + Fair Anything But Plain Granola. This granola gives a beautiful crunch to the cake and pairs spectacularly with the caramel topping. During the month of February, you can try their granola with code BAKINGQUEEN10 for 10% off! I can't wait to try this with their birthday cake granola- my niece will love it!
Make sure to check out my upside-down rhubarb cake next!
For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer combine the butter and sugars for a couple of minutes on medium speed until they are completely creamed together and lightened in texture.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add one egg and stir until no trace of egg yolk remains. Add the second egg and mix again until no trace of egg yolk remains.
In a separate large bowl combine the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl or a liquid measuring cup with pour spout combined the sour cream, whole milk, and vanilla extract.
Add ⅓ of the dry cake flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined then add half of the sour cream mixture and mix until just combined, you want to mix at low speed. Add another third of the dry ingredients followed by the wet and lastly the remaining dry, do not overmix the cake batter.
Heavily grease a 9-inch cake pan with nonstick baking spray,make sure it is a thick layer. Add the melted butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan and then sprinkle on the brown sugar on top.
Add the granola in an even layer and spoon the cake batter on top. I use an offset spatula to spread the cake batter into an even layer.
Bake the granola cake for 35 to 40 minutes, if you gently press the top it should spring back right away or if you insert a toothpick there should be no wet batter.
Let the cake cool on a wire rack for five minutes then take an offset spatula and gently run it around the sides of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Now place a serving plate upside down on top of the cake and then invert the cake onto the plate to cool completely.
Some of the granola may stick inside the pan so I use my angled spatula to remove it and place it back on top of the cake, if you have greased your pan properly before baking the granola should easily come off of the bottom of the pan.
The cake is best eaten the day it is made but leftovers will keep in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. I like to serve mine with lightly whipped cream.
FAQ
Can you freeze the cake?
Due to the topping, I do not suggest freezing this cake.
Can you double the recipe?
Yes, on the recipe card below there is a 2X button that will double the ingredient quantities. You can bake two 9" pans or do one larger 9"X13" pan but it will take a bit longer to bake as it will be thicker.
More cake recipes
For another delicious cake try my chocolate crack cake recipe.
Who doesn't love cake for breakfast? This orange cranberry loaf cake is perfect with your cup of coffee!
If you're into the caramel flavor you gotta check out my salted caramel tres leches cake!
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Upside Down Granola Cake
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 1 review
Calling all granola lovers! This buttery, caramelly vanilla cake is topped with a crunchy brown sugar caramel granola topping for an extremely addicting cake. This upside-down granola cake is the cake you never knew you needed! Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this easy cake recipe!
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Units Scale
Cake
- 4oz (½ Cup) Butter, softened to room temperature
- 100 grams (½ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 100 grams (½ Cup) Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
- 180 grams (1 ½ Cups) Cake Flour
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 4oz (½ Cup) Sour Cream, at room temperature
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Whole Milk, at room temperature
- 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
Topping
- 3oz (6 Tablespoons) Butter, melted
- 132 grams (⅔ Cup) Light Brown Sugar
- (Heaping ½ Cup) Safe + Fair Anything But Plain Granola*
- Serve with lightly whipped cream and fresh berries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer combine the butter and sugars for a couple of minutes until they are completely creamed together and lightened in texture.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and add one egg and mix until no trace of egg yolk remains. Add the second egg and mix again until no trace of egg yolk remains.
- In a separate large bowl combine the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl or a liquid measuring cup with pour spout combined the sour cream, whole milk, and vanilla extract.
- Add ⅓ of the dry cake flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined then add half of the sour cream mixture and mix until just combined. Add another third of the dry ingredients followed by the wet and lastly the remaining dry, do not overmix the cake batter.
- Heavily grease a 9-inch cake pan with nonstick baking spray, make sure it is a thick layer. Add the melted butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan and then sprinkle on the brown sugar on top. Add the granola in an even layer and spoon the cake batter on top. I use an offset spatula to spread the cake batter into an even layer.
- Bake the granola cake for 35 to 40 minutes, if you gently press the top it should spring back right away or if you insert a toothpick there should be no wet batter.
- Let the cake cool on a wire rack for five minutes then take an offset spatula and gently run it around the sides of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Now place a serving plate upside down on top of the cake and then invert the cake onto the plate to cool completely. Some of the granola may stick inside the pan so I use my angled spatula to remove it and place it back on top of the cake, if you have greased your pan properly before baking the granola should easily come off of the bottom of the pan. Cake is best eaten the day it is made but leftovers will keep in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Try some of Safe + Fair delicious Granola with code BAKINGQUEEN10.
- Author: Elizabeth Waterson I Confessions of a Baking Queen
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
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