Blackcurrant Cake

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This rustic upside-down blackcurrant cake recipe has a tender cornmeal base scented with orange and ginger, and is topped with jammy, tart blackcurrants set in a dark, buttery caramel. Enjoy it with a few fresh berries, toasted almonds, and whipped cream.

plates of blackcurrant cake with almonds

If you've been here before, you may know how much of a fan I am of blackcurrants. The one blackcurrant bush in my backyard produces several pounds of fruit each year, and aside from making an annual batch of jam, I'm always trying them in new recipes.

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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
🫐 Ingredients
🍒 Substitutions & Variations
🔪 Instructions
✨ Top Tips
🍳 Equipment
🥡 Storage
🙋🏻‍♂️ FAQ
🍹 Pairing
📖 Recipe
🍰 Related Recipes
💬 Comments

I love the intense tart flavor of these tiny berries. Yet they do need to be paired with a good amount of sweetness to be at their most enjoyable. I honestly wasn't sure how well they would work in a cake without a ton of sugar. They're too tart for a simple white or yellow cake. They need something with substance.

I decided on what is essentially a blackcurrant upside-down cake. The blackcurrants are spread into a caramel layer at the bottom of a pan. The cake batter is poured over the top, baked, then flipped after a brief cooling. The fruit softens into a jammy consistency with the sugar, and each slice of cake is coated with chewy caramel and berries.

😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe

It's a rustic, yet attractive cake. The cornmeal gives this a heartier texture than your average cake. Don't expect light and fluffy. But once you flip it out of the pan, the glossy caramel and deep purple blackcurrants make it look like something special.
Blackcurrant cake is unique. Most people in America aren't familiar with blackcurrants. So this cake gives you a chance to bake something different and explain why these berries are so great.
It's neither too sweet nor too tart. The sweetness is intentionally restrained to let the blackcurrants shine. If you'd like a little more, serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

If you're also a fan of blackcurrants, you'll want to try my Blackcurrant Ice cream, Blackcurrant Mojito, Blackcurrant and Cherry Granita, and my Blackcurrant Smoothie recipes.

🫐 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make this blackcurrant cake.

Key Ingredients

Blackcurrants: Either fresh or frozen blackcurrants are good in this cake. If using frozen, there's no need to defrost them first. Look for blackcurrants in early summer months at local farms, farmers markets, or specialty food stores that carry local produce. It's unlikely you'll find them in a typical grocery store in the US. It's worth noting that the dried fruit labeled as blackcurrants is not the same and won't work in this recipe.

If you can't find blackcurrants, consider growing your own. I've found it to be an easy plant to maintain, and just one plant produces several pounds of fruit. More on growing blackcurrants.
Cornmeal: Adds texture and a more rustic flavor to the cake. Use a fine or medium grind cornmeal.
Ground ginger: Offers a little hint of warm spice to the cake.
Orange: The juice is used for the caramel, while the zest flavors the cake. Both complement the blackcurrants.
Buttermilk: Adds tang and tenderness. You can also use a cup of milk combined with one tablespoon of vinegar or plain Greek yogurt thinned out with some milk.

Check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.

🍒 Substitutions & Variations

No cast-iron pan? Prepare the caramel topping as described, then pour it into the bottom of a greased cake pan. Add the blackcurrants and batter, then bake as described.
Swap spices: Try cardamom or cinnamon instead of the ground ginger.
Fruit substitutions: I've only made this cake with blackcurrants. I think it would work with cherries or blueberries, but I can't say for sure. If you try either, let me know in the comments!

🔪 Instructions

Here's how to make blackcurrant cake.

butter and brown sugar melting in a pan with a juiced oranged

Step 1: Add the brown sugar and butter to a 10-inch wide pan. When the butter is melted, add the orange juice.

Step 2: Bring to a simmer over low heat for 4-5 minutes until the caramel has thickened. Remove from the heat.

Step 3: Spread the blackcurrants across the pan over the caramel.

dry cake ingredients in bowls on counter

Step 4: Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and ginger.

cake batter in a mixer with an orange and vanilla extract bottle

Step 5: Beat together the white sugar and butter until light and fluffly, about 5 minutes. Then, add the eggs, vanilla, and zest. When combined, slowly mix in the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Stir until just combined.

cake batter being poured over a pan of blackcurrants and caramel

Step 6: Pour the cake batter into the pan over the blackcurrants.

pan of cake batter on counter with towel

Step 7: Spread the batter so that it completely covers the currants.

cake baked in a pan with a towel on the counter

Step 8: Bake in a 350°F oven for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake is browned.

a blackcurrant cake on a plate with a piece cut

Step 9: Let the cake rest for about 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge. Place a large plate on top of the pan, then in one quick motion, flip the pan over onto the plate and set it down on a counter. Give it a minute before gently removing the pan.

Step 10: Serve the cake with additional blackcurrants, if desired, some roughly chopped roasted almonds for a little crunch, and fresh whipped cream.

✨ Top Tips

After taking the cake out of the oven, let it sit for just 15-20 minutes to cool before flipping. You want the caramel and berries at the bottom to cool, but just slightly. Don't wait any longer, or the caramel will harden in the pan and be difficult to remove.
For best results, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature.
I've made this cake a few times, and I haven't needed to grease the pan or had any trouble removing it after baking. If your cast-iron pan is not in good condition or you need to use another type of pan, you will want to grease it well with butter.

🍳 Equipment

10-inch cast-iron pan: Used for making the topping and baking the cake.

Electric mixer: Either a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer is fine.

🥡 Storage

Store leftover cake, well-covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

🙋🏻‍♂️ FAQ

Can you eat blackcurrants?

Yes. Blackcurrants are a type of edible currant, which also includes red currants and white (or sometimes pink) currants. They can all be eaten fresh; however, blackcurrants are very tart and typically sweetened or paired with sweet ingredients. You will often find them used for making preserves and syrups.

Are blackcurrants sweet?

Blackcurrants are not sweet. In fact, they are very tart. But when you pair them with sweet ingredients, like sugar, the flavor becomes more balanced. They go well in sweet desserts, like cake, or when used to make jam. Red and white currants are sweeter and more commonly eaten fresh.

Why were blackcurrants outlawed?

Blackcurrants were banned from being grown in the United States starting in the early 1900s because they were spreading a fungal disease to pine trees. It wasn't a problem in Europe, though, where the berries became popular and were used to flavor many candies and other treats. The ban was lifted in the 1960s, though some states continued it until more recently. Here's a great history of the blackcurrant plant.

What does a blackcurrant cake taste like?

Blackcurrants taste like an intense, tart grape or wine. They tend to have layers of flavor, which a start out sharp and tart and mellows into a deep earthiness.