Recipes & Cooking Desserts & Baking Cakes Strawberry Upside-Down Cake Is the Summer Dessert I Make on Repeat 5.0 (1) 1 Review It all starts with a boxed mix. By Sarah Martens Sarah Martens Sarah Martens is the Senior Editor overseeing food at Better Homes & Gardens digital. She has been with the BHG brand for more than 10 years. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on June 5, 2024 Recipe tested by Kathryn Hendrix, RDN, LD Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Kelsey Hansen Prep Time: 15 mins Bake Time: 40 mins Cool Time: 25 mins Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Servings: 16 Yield: 16 pieces Jump to Nutrition Facts This strawberry upside-down cake is easily one of my favorite summer desserts. I love the combination of sweet, juicy berries and yellow cake. My favorite part, however, is that the whole thing starts with a boxed cake mix. It's so easy, which is perfect for a non-baker like me. Here's how to make the best strawberry upside-down cake recipe. Strawberry Upside Down Cake Ingredients You only need a handful of ingredients to make this strawberry cake recipe. Sugar: Just 3/4 cup of granulated sugar is all you'll need to sweeten up the strawberries. Cornstarch: This helps thicken up the strawberry mixture and ensures the finished cake isn't too moist. Strawberries: You'll need 6 1/2 cups of sliced strawberries for this strawberry dump cake recipe. That works out to be about 1 1/2 pounds of whole strawberries. Vanilla Extract: We love the flavor combination of vanilla and strawberry. You can use almond extract if you prefer. Cake Mix + Eggs, Oil, and Water: Choose a box of yellow cake mix and be sure to grab all the ingredients you'll need to make it according to the directions on the box. Lemon: We're using both the zest and juice to flavor the cake. How to Make Strawberry Upside Down Cake with Cake Mix Like classic pineapple upside-down cake, this recipe starts with fruit on the bottom. Once baked, the cake is then inverted to serve. Here's a quick look at how to make this strawberry upside-down cake recipe. Prepare the Fruit: Mix the strawberries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla. Once combined, pour the mixture into your baking dish.Make the Batter: Prepare your cake mix according to package directions and pour over the strawberries.Bake and Serve: Once baked, allow the cake to cool before flipping it onto a serving dish. This 4-Ingredient Strawberry Dump Cake Requires Zero Effort Ingredients 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch 6 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, halved or quartered if large (about 1 1/2 pounds) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 (15.25 to 16.25-ounce) package (2-layer-size) yellow cake mix, plus ingredients on box to make cake 2 tablespoons lemon juice Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; set pan aside. In a large bowl combine sugar and cornstarch. Add strawberries, vanilla, and lemon zest; toss to coat evenly. Transfer strawberry mixture to prepared pan spreading evenly. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Beat in lemon juice until combined. Pour cake batter over strawberry layer and smooth evenly. Bake about 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen sides of cake; invert onto a serving plate. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cooled. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 188 Calories 1g Fat 43g Carbs 2g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 16 Calories 188.2 % Daily Value * Total Fat 1.4g 2% Saturated Fat 0.5g 3% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 239.8mg 10% Total Carbohydrate 43.1g 16% Dietary Fiber 1.8g 7% Total Sugars 27g Protein 1.7g 3% Vitamin D 0mcg 0% Vitamin C 41.9mg 47% Calcium 80.9mg 6% Iron 1mg 5% Potassium 126.1mg 3% Fatty acids, total trans 0.1g Vitamin D 0IU Alanine 0.1g Arginine 0.1g Ash 1.5g Aspartic acid 0.2g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 0mcg Choline, total 5.7mg Copper, Cu 0.1mg Cystine 0g Energy 788.2kJ Fluoride, F 3.1mcg Folate, total 39.4mcg Glutamic acid 0.5g Glycine 0.1g Histidine 0g Isoleucine 0.1g Leucine 0.1g Lysine 0.1g Methionine 0g Magnesium, Mg 12.7mg Manganese, Mn 0.3mg Niacin 1mg Phosphorus, P 118.8mg Pantothenic acid 0.2mg Phenylalanine 0.1g Phytosterols 8.5mg Proline 0.2g Retinol 0mcg Selenium, Se 1.4mcg Serine 0.1g Starch 0g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 0.1g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.5mg Tryptophan 0g Tyrosine 0.1g Valine 0.1g Vitamin A, IU 9.5IU Vitamin A, RAE 0.7mcg Vitamin B-12 0mcg Vitamin B-6 0.1mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 2.5mcg Water 68.6g Zinc, Zn 0.2mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.