Strawberry Upside-Down Cake

The strawberries looked nothing like the picture. By the time they cooked, it was strawberry jam. Also, I substituted a tbs of lemon juice for the pomegranate. Added some sugar, but still a bit sour. Cake part was not sweet like cake either. Used whipped cream on top which helped, but I won't make this again.

This was just so-so. First, I had to post a picture of how it turned out. If you cook this exactly as the directions state—30+ minutes on the stovetop & another 45 minutes in the oven, there is absolutely no way it will turn out as shown. I did use the promegranate juice, but only b/c I was able to purchase a small sample. For 2 TBL., it’s not worth it, unless you drink it. Someone asked about using cranberry juice & I think it would be okay, just need to add a tad bit more sugar. Quite honestly, I’d just forget it. The cake portion is good. I will be using a lot of whipped cream on top to disguise it. I won’t be making this again. I didn’t mind the time involved b/c I had time to do it. However, like the previous post, it really isn’t that great. I’ll stick to my homemade pound cake.

I also realized I didn’t have sour cream. So I used buttermilk. Much less thick and better, I think.

I am a quite competent baker, but this recipe is a disaster from start to finish. Had everything needed except...pomegranate jice. Really? Why? A trip to the store , then 15 minutes prep, 35 minutes on the stove and 45 minutes in the oven does not produce the bright, fresh looking strawberry topped cake pictured. Batter had odd, thick consistency. This recipe was an incredible pain, and produced a so-so tasting, hideously ugly product. Smelled great while baking though! Like strawberry jam. Definitely not worth the time and effort.

Can Cranberry juice be used? Why pomegranate juice?