Strawberry Tomatillo Upside Down Cake

Strawberry and...Tomatillo?? Yes! While you can't taste the tomatillo flavor itself, what the tomatillos do is add some mild tartness softening the sweetness of the strawberries as well as add body to the topping. Tomatillos are packed with pectin so you end up with a much more jam-like topping to your cake vs a watery thin sauce. The cake itself is a simple variation on pound cake so it's sturdy enough to flip upside down without fear.

Ingredients:

Topping:

• 12 oz. Strawberries (2 Cups Diced Strawberries)
• 3-5 Tomatillos (1/2 Cup Small Diced Tomatillos)
• 3/4 Cup Sugar

Cake:

• 1/2 Cup Butter (room temperature)
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Cup Milk (room temperature)
• Optional: Whipped Cream

Materials:

Large bowl, medium bowl, 8 by 8 cake pan, aluminum foil, knife, hand mixer, scraper, spoon

Peel and wash your tomatillos. Tomatillos have a sticky substance under their husk that washes off in water. Cut your tomatillos into a small diced pieces equaling about half a cup. Cut your strawberries into diced/sliced pieces. You want about 2 cups of strawberries. Mix in a bowl with 3/4 cup sugar and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream your butter with the other 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy with your hand mixer, you can also do this by hand with a spoon. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add half your flour, the baking powder, and salt. Mix. Add your vanilla and the milk. Mix. Add the rest of your flour and mix about 30 seconds.

Line your baking dish with foil. Spread the strawberry tomatillo mixture evenly across the bottom. Top with the cake batter. It's best to dollop the batter around the pan then smooth the over the top. If you pour the batter just in the center and try to spread it, the fruit on the bottom will move as well. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick in the middle comes out clean. (Mine is a little dark as I was baking in a toaster oven and the top is very close to the heat source.)

Cool in the pan to allow the fruit to firm up. You can slice the cake once cool then invert piece by piece when served, or invert the cake all at once before serving. Top with whipped cream if desired.