Husk Cherry Upside-Down Cake

This weekend I braved the heat, hills, and taxis, and took my bike where it had never gone before: Manhattan. In theory it seemed fun; ride across the Manhattan Bridge, detour along the Bowery toward Lafayette, take Lafayette to Park, which was closed down for walkers, runners, bikers, skateboarders, in-line skaters, and children on itty bitty child vehicles until 1pm. Ride up to see the Dumpster pools on 41st, have a dip, coast back downhill to the Union Square Greenmarket. I expected the scene to be something out of Sesame Street, with all boroughs converging in a multiethnic street party complete with trash can Oscar.

I have at least 30 pounds of produce in these saddlebags.

In reality, the hills were steep, my thighs protested strenuously, and the Dumpster pools were both full and more Disney than Sesame. By the time we wandered down to Union Square, lugging unused beach towels and water bottles, I was sweatier than a Muppet in a sauna. I was too mindful of the long ride ahead of me to grab more than a few vegetables and fruits, but I still couldn't pass by the crate of husk cherries after taste-testing. Husk cherries?! We're not in Brooklyn any more...

Husk cherries, au naturel.

Husk cherries, sometimes called husk tomatoes, cape gooseberries, or groundcherries, are members of genus Physalis, part of the nightshade family and close relatives of the tomatillo (one of my very favorite fruits). There are actually several different varieties that are thus identified interchangeably, so although I'm not sure which I ended up with, I think they were the Physalis peruviana. They grow well in temperate regions and often show up in CSAs, but as a city girl I've never seen them before in bulk, only as garnish on desserts. Their small, yellowy-orange fruits are encased in paper-thin husks, which are peeled away before the fruit is eaten. And here's the thing: their taste is intoxicating. Very fresh, with strong overtones of pineapple, and a mild, green tomato taste at the end. Fruitier than not, and super sweet.

Cute and delicious.

I bought four cups with the intention of eating the cherries raw over yogurt, but of course I couldn't leave well enough alone. Riffing on their pineapple flavor, I decided to turn them into an upside-down cake, one of my all-time favorite desserts since way back when Snuffleupagus was still invisible. The result was every bit as sweet as I remember, but slightly less cloying, and maybe a bit more adult (I don't think my mother added rum, for one thing). Let's call it the locavore's upside-down cake: When you don't want to crack a can of pineapple, husk a husk cherry instead.

Gooey goodness.

Husk Cherry Upside-Down Cake

(adapted from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook)
Makes one 9 inch cake

• 12 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup turbinado sugar (light brown sugar may be substituted)
• 1/4 cup dark rum (use orange or pineapple juice for a non-alcoholic version)
• 4 cups husk cherries in the husk (equals 1 1/2 cups husked)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and granulated sugar in a medium bowl, and set aside. Remove the husk cherries from their husks by squeezing at the stem end. Rinse the cherries and discard any that have split or are discolored.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over low heat, and add the turbinado sugar. Remove from the heat and add the rum. Return the pan to the stove and cook on low for 3-4 minutes. The sugar may not completely dissolve. Remove from the heat and pour the sugar mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9 inch cake pan. Add the husk cherries and arrange them in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Set the pan aside.

Over low heat, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the milk, and slowly add in the melted butter, whisking to combine. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth to the edges with a spatula. Bake the cake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake rest ten minutes, then invert it carefully onto a large plate and let it cool an additional 20 minutes. Serve the cake with lightly whipped cream.

Drool.