Cranberry Upside-Downer Cake

Wanting something different and not so sweet but quick and easy is generally not an option. This cake is great at any temperature, wonderful with a warm beverage or a scoop of ice cream. The cranberries are not so tart or overly sugared. Probably the second most requested cake in my kitchen.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 1  cup flour, cake
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 14  tablespoons butter, unsalted, softened
• 1  cup  minus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2  eggs, large
• 2  cups cranberries
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract or 1⁄2 teaspoon  almond extract
• 1⁄3 cup milk
• 1⁄4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1⁄3 cup red currant jelly, for glaze

Directions

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Heat oven to 350.
2. Melt 6 Tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan. Sprinkle 6 Tablespoons of the sugar and cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour this evenly over the bottom of the cake pan, then scatter the nuts and cranberries, smoothing the layer and pressing it down gently with your fingertips. (If you’ve used frozen cranberries and they’ve caused to butter to congeal, don’t worry- everything will melt in the oven. Set aside.
3. Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining butter on medium until smooth. Add the remaining sugar and continue to beat until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating about 1 minute after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add flavoring extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients. Spoon the batter over the cranberries and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
4. Bake in an 8x2 cake pan for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is golden and cake tester pulls clean. Remove from the oven and run a blunt knife or spatula between the sides of the pan and cake. Carefully turn the cake out onto a serving platter. If any cranberries stick in the pan- as they might- just scrape them off with a table knife and return them to the cake.
5. Warm the jelly in a small saucepan over low heat, or microwave. Gently brush the glaze over the hot cake.