Strawberry Upside Down Cakes with Vanilla Bean Recipe

Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Tilt it around to make sure the melted oil coats the bottom and sides of each well. Once coated, sprinkle a good pinch of sucanat or raw cane sugar into each well—about 1/2 teaspoon per cup.

Arrange a single layer of sliced strawberries on the bottom of each well, right on top of the sugar and oil. It’s important to cover the entire bottom, but stick to just one layer; any more and the cakes might not un-mold cleanly. Set the pan aside.

In one bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients until they're well combined. In a separate bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the solid coconut oil, sucanat, and the scraped contents of the vanilla bean until the mixture is thick and creamy.

Add the applesauce to the creamy mixture and continue to mix until it's fully incorporated and relatively smooth. Slowly, a little at a time, mix in the dry ingredients until they are completely combined. The finished batter should be thick and creamy.

Divide the batter evenly among the 6 prepared muffin wells, spooning it over the strawberries. Smooth out the tops of the batter, then place the tin in the oven.

Bake the cakes for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, or until their tops are golden and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before you attempt to un-mold them. I find it easiest to flip them out onto a cutting board.