Jackfruit is one of my favourite foods. My mother and I used to go shopping in Asian groceries in Montreal and we would come back with big pieces of Jackfruit like the one below.

The smell, the aroma, I could not get enough of this delicious fruit. I say fruit, because I love to use the ripe Jackfruit in dessert recipes. I am planning to make a Jackfruit Sago and a colourful Filipino Halo-Halo in the next few weeks. You will love these recipes too!

The unripe Jackfruit can be served as a vegetable or even as a meat substitute. You can find Jackfruit in pulled pork, tacos, and even ribs recipes. This is why it is becoming so popular among vegans and vegetarians.

The Jackfruit nutritional benefits are undeniable.  It is high in phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins A and C. It is also a good source of potassium and zinc. The protein content is fairly low but you can easily add beans or quinoa to your recipes to increase it. If you don’t know what a Jackfruit tastes like, you should definitely give it a try.

Jackfruit Upside-Down Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Caramel and topping

One can Jackfruit (565 g) or ripe Jackfruit flesh

12  maraschino cherries

1/3 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Cake batter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

Toffee sauce

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp lime juice

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

Instructions

Caramel and topping

Preheat your oven to 350° F (177°C) and grease a 9-inch round cake pan. In a small saucepan, cook the sugar at medium heat stirring constantly until the sugar turns brown.  Add the butter and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Pour into the cake pan. Add the maraschino cherries and the Jackfruit pieces cut-side up over the caramel and set aside.

Cake batter

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking powder and the salt. In a different medium bowl, combine the light brown sugar, the butter, the vanilla, and the eggs. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until smooth. Pour the batter over the Jackfruit, smooth the top, and bake until the top of the cake is completely golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Invert the cake quickly onto a plate.

Toffee sauce

In a medium saucepan, bring the butter, the half-and-half, and the brown sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir constantly for 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves completely. Incorporate the lime juice, the vanilla and the salt. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool.

Serve the Jackfruit upside-down cake at room temperature with a drizzle of  toffee sauce. Try serving it with vanilla ice cream too. Yum!

Bon appétit! For more fun recipes visit my recipe section. You will love  My Traditional Sugar Tartlets Recipe, my Pouding Chomeur Recipe, and my Easy Bread Pudding.