Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Add more cranberries if you like the cake fully covered

Instead of a cranberry side, what about having cranberry front and center in a seasonal Thanksgiving dessert? We made an elaborate triple-layer parsnip and cranberry cake from Everyday Dorie a year ago. Invariably, that cake comes to mind when I think cranberry, except that it’s not a simple one to put together. I’d prefer a cake which requires less time commitment. You know how it is with the Thanksgiving meal. An easy cake is the direction I’m heading this year: flavorful and without the unnecessary stress.

The cranberry cake is more cranberry than cake. What I mean is, you taste the sweet tart flavor of the cranberries sweetened with brown sugar. The cake is only the platform in the delivery of the distinctive flavor that reminds us of Thanksgiving. You may be considering pumpkin or pecan pie, but if you want something less sweet, a cranberry cake is your answer.

Start with making a cranberry compote by melting brown sugar with butter in a skillet. As the sugar dissolves, remove from the heat. Add the orange-juice-soaked cranberries to the syrup and set aside. I use about 10 oz of cranberries. Yet I have to add a few extra one when I transfer them to the baking pan. The goal is to cover the bottom of the pan with cranberries so that the cake top will have a full layer of cranberries once inverted. I want the entire cake to be covered with cranberries next time.

Next, make the cake batter. It’s fairly straightforward other than the step in separating the eggs. The egg yolks go into the batter first. In the last step, you fold the whipped egg whites into the batter. When you’re pressed for time, it’s OK not to separate the eggs. Be prepared though the texture of the finished cake wouldn’t be as light and airy.

Print Recipe

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Serves: 6-8

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

FOR THE TOPPING:
4 tablespoons/ 1/2 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
9 ounces (2 2/3 cups) fresh cranberries, more if needed to fill the bottom of the pan
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
FOR THE BATTER:
1 1/2 cups/ 200g all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick)/ 113g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup/ 200g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions

TO PREPARE TOPPING: Heat 4 Tbsp. butter and brown sugar in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine cranberries and orange juice. Toss to coat berries well. Spread berries evenly in skillet, and sprinkle with any juice remaining in bowl. Set it aside, and prepare the cake batter.

TO PREPARE BATTER: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar until pale, light and fluffy. Add vanilla, and beat in egg yolks one at a time, scraping bowl once or twice. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, ending with dry ingredients. Set batter aside.

Using electric mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar just until whites are stiff enough to hold a slight peak. Fold whites into batter 1/3 at a time. Spoon batter into a greased 9-inch baking pan, and spread it evenly over cranberries.

BAKE: Bake until top is browned, cake pulls away slightly from edges of pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cake cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto cake plate. (Sugared fruit will stick to pan if left to cool for too long). Serve with slightly sweetened whipped cream, flavored, if desired, with orange liqueur.