Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
"The sugar, spices and orange zest make a wonderful syrup as the cake bakes, creating the perfect foil to the tart cranberries. This cake is lovely as the finish to dinner, or a nice mid-morning snack with coffee. Adapted from a recipe in Everyday Food."
photo by Diana Yen
- Ready In:
- 55mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Serves:
-
8
ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature divided
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
- 1 3⁄4 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 cup milk
directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
- Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round pan with 2 Tablespoons of the butter.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of the sugar, the cinnamon, allspice and orange zest.
- Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan, then arrange cranberries in a single layer on top.
- Cream remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.
- In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add this to the egg and sugar mixture in several batches, alternating with with milk, until well combined.
- Spoon batter over cranberries, and even out the top.
- Bake on center rack of the oven until a toothpick inserted to the center of the batter comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.
- Let cool for 20 minutes, then run a kinfe around the edge of the cake.
- Place a platter over the top of the baking pan, and turn cake out onto platter.
Questions & Replies
-
Can this be made 1 day ahead of time?
Reviews
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Mox, this is excellent. I saved this one for a special occasion but I'll be making it again, just because. I did use the zest and even added a bit to the cake batter. It's a beautiful and very tasty dessert. The cranberries, spices and orange go together so well. Very easy to put together. Thanks for posting it.
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This was not only delicious, but it was beautiful as well. When I flipped it onto my cake platter, all the sugary juice dripped down the side and it looked like it should be on the cover of "Food and Wine". The taste was perfect, not too horribly sweet, which is great for a more "grown up" gathering. I also made your Orange Molasses Glazed Chicken for dinner, and this is the most perfect dessert for it. -
Great dessert that was tart and sweet. Thank you! -
Very tasty, but my cake stuck to the pan so it wasn't pretty. I will definitely make again and see if I just need more butter on the pan.
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This was my first upside down cake - and all I can say is wow!! I'd give it more stars if I could for it's simplicity to make and it's wonderful, light flavor. I was wondering how the spices would be, if it would be overpowering - but it accented the whole dessert. Thanks for posting Mooseybear. :)
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Mooseybear
United States
I am a single mom in Seattle. I enjoy a wide variety of activities including reading, crafts, sports (my son plays baseball and football), cooking, and just about anything else you can think of. We have 2 dogs, Thunder and Lightning...my taste testers. I have lived in this area most of my life. Everytime I move away, I come back because it's so beautiful. I have been hopping on Zaar for a while now, perusing recipes and getting ideas. I figured it was time to contribute back to the site...add some recipes and reviews.
