Cranberry Upside Down Cake

This recipe really surprised me.  I threw it together really fast and made a few adjustments and the "wow" factor really popped in this recipe.  It seemed so simple I really didn't think it would turn out this fantastic.  It could easily be your Thanksgiving dessert.

It is a basic mix up and dump recipe.  This is how simple it looks coming out of the oven, but then it flips over and with a few garnishes it really turns into a super pretty dessert.  It also tastes as good as it looks.

The key was making the garnish and adding it to the top of the cake before serving.

Ingredients:

Topping:  (baked in the pan with the cake)

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

4 tablespoons butter 

12 ounces fresh cranberries, take 1 cup of these and reserve for a garnish, use the rest in the cake itself

Garnish: (applied to the cake after baking)

1 cup of the fresh cranberries

3 tablespoons butter

3 heaping tablespoons brown sugar

orange zest as desired

Cake:

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch ground cloves

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 extra large eggs

zest of 1 orange

1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

I made it with a 8 inch cake pan with 2-inch high sides.  The batter just fit.  Cook the garnish in a small baking dish.  

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Spray the cake pan and the garnish pan with baking spray.

To make the topping: In a small saucepan, place the butter and the brown sugar.  On medium high heat stir the sugar into the butter as it melts.When butter is melted stir in sugar until combined, let simmer for 15 seconds.  Pour the brown sugar and butter mixture into the prepared cake pan.  Spread the cranberries on top of the butter and sugar mixture.  

In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  In a separate bowl use a mixer to whip the butter until light.  Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Stir in the orange zest.  Stir in the orange juice. Mix in the sour cream and the milk. Then stir in the dry scraping the sides as necessary until it is all well blended.

Pour the batter over the cranberries in the cake pan and smooth out.   Place in the preheated oven and turn the heat from 350 degrees F to 325 degrees F.  Bake for 55 minutes to an hour or until toothpick comes out clean.  

Garnish instructions:

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl and stir the brown sugar into the melted butter until thick.  Place the butter-sugar mixture into a small baking dish and toss the remaining cup of cranberries over the butter-sugar mixture. Place in the oven along with the cake and bake for 20-25 minutes.  The garnish will be done when the cranberries are puckered.   

Cool the cake, in the pan, on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then invert onto serving dish.  Take the garnish and spoon over the top of the cake.  Add more orange zest on top if desired. 

The cake was moist and gooey in all the right places. Perfectly sweet and tart with the extra garnish of cranberries.  The more cranberry garnish you heap on the cake the better it looks.  I didn't put the whole cup of cranberries on this cake while taking the pictures but, I did after the photos and it looked even better.

Yield:8 servings

Recipe adapted from: Good Dinner Mom

I got in a festive mood this weekend and put up the Christmas tree.  I was playing this Christmas song while baking and had the candles lit and the Christmas lights twinkling.  It was most enjoyable.  The children that came in from work were most happy with the Christmas decorations and the smells coming out of the kitchen.  The magic of Christmas has begun.

Enjoy!

Sherry

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