Cranberry Upside Down Cake

justcallmetoni's Note:

I was rather surprised to see no other cake recipe like this one posted already. Found it in a holiday baking magazine and plan to make it for Thanksgiving this year. Rather than waiting to make it public, I've decided to share now in case others want to join me in trying this one out.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 4 tablespoons sweet butter, very soft
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, finely grated (optional)
• 2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen (If using frozen, thaw first)

Cake

• 12 tablespoons sweet butter, very soft
• 7/8 cup white sugar (1 cup minus 2 tablespoons)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place 4 tablespoons of butter in a 9 inch cake pan. (The pan should have at least a 2 1/2 inch rim.) Place the pan in heated oven for 4 to 5 minutes until the butter is fully melted. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon and orange zest (optional). Spread the sugar mixture evenly across the bottom of the cake pan. Spread out the cranberries in an even layer over the butter and sugar mix.
3. To make the cake, begin by using a wooden spoon to cream together the butter, sugar and egg yolk for about 30 seconds. Switching over to a whisk, stir in the eggs one at a time. Continue to whisk another minute until the sugar crystals dissolve. Whisk in the vanilla extract, salt and sour cream.
4. Sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Whisk everything together until the batter is smooth and lump-free.
5. Pour the batter over the cranberries and bake for 50 to 65 minutes. When done, the center of the cake should be dry to the touch and spring back when lightly poked.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and set on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes (no longer as the bottom begins to set as it cools).
7. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Invert cake onto a serving plate and remove pan. Let it rest an additional 15 minutes before serving.
8. Best served warm.

Reviews

[Chef #1030616]

A real crowd pleaser!

[Shelby Jo]

Very yummy cake! It was pretty easy to make as well. I really enjoyed the topping -- the tart cranberry and the sweetness from the brown sugar. Perfect. It also looked pretty too. I think I'll be making this either for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year. Oh, it never tells you when to add the sugar -- I just assumed it was after the eggs since it says to whisk until sugar crystals dissolve. Thanks so much for posting! Made for Photo Tag.

[Sharon123]

I made this for a fellowship dinner at church and it was gone in no time! A nice light cake with a tart sweet topping. Thanks Toni!