Strawberry Basil Upside Down Cake

Heat oven to 350ºF.

For the strawberry layer:
Place butter in a 9-inch round cake pan and place in oven until it melts, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven and, using a pastry brush, brush butter around sides and bottom of pan.

Sprinkle brown sugar evenly across bottom of pan. Arrange sliced strawberries on bottom of pan and then sprinkle chiffonade basil on top of strawberries.

For the cake batter:
In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time until combined, then add vanilla extract. Scrape down sides of bowl and add in half the flour. Mix until combined. Add half the milk and mix until combined. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and milk.

Gently pour batter over strawberries, making sure not to move them around too much. Using a silicone spatula or spoon, spread batter into an even layer. Tap pan hard on your counter to get out any air bubbles and bake for 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (check at 25 minutes). Let cake cool in pan until it is lukewarm but not completely cool.

To remove cake from pan, take a butter knife and run it around the outside of the cake to release it from the sides. Take your cake stand or serving platter and put it upside down on the cake pan and flip. Give the bottom some taps before lifting up. The cake should release without any problems.

Serve with whipped cream. Store leftover cake in an airtight container for 1–2 days.

For the whipped cream:
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with whip attachment, add heavy cream, confectioners sugar and Moscato. Whip on high until cream has formed stiff peaks, about 2–3 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on your mixing bowl so that the cream doesn’t over-whip.