Celebrate the season with this impressive cranberry upside-down cake! It’s an excellent choice for a Thanksgiving dinner dessert table. The cranberries, with their tart and sweet flavor, contrast beautifully with the moist vanilla cake.
Serve cranberry upside-down cake with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or a big scoop of ice cream.
How to Store Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
- Cover the cake or place it in an airtight container. Refrigerate the cake and enjoy it within 4 days.
- To freeze leftover slices of upside-down cake, place slices on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Place the frozen cake slices in a container and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator.
Recipe Tip
Fresh cranberries are seasonal but they freeze well. Buy a few extra bags when they’re available and freeze them to use any time you need them.
PrintCranberry Upside-Down Cake
A cranberry upside-down cake is the perfect elegant dessert for a holiday get-together!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 to 12 servings 1x
- Category: Cakes, Cranberries
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Cranberries
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 1/4 cups cranberries (about 8 ounces, fresh or frozen and thawed)
- 1 orange, zest and juice, divided
For the Cake
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (6 3/4 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (preferably aluminum-free)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Separate the eggs. Put the egg whites in a small stainless steel or glass mixing bowl and set aside. Put the yolks in a small bowl or cup and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Combine the brown sugar and butter in a 9-inch round cake pan and place it in the oven. When the butter has melted, stir until smooth and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the mixture bubbles. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a rack.
- Toss the cranberries with the orange zest and juice in a medium bowl, then sprinkle them over the brown sugar and butter mixture.
- Separate the eggs. Put the egg whites in a small stainless steel or glass mixing bowl and set aside. Put the yolks in a small bowl or cup and set aside.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir with a whisk to blend thoroughly. Set aside.
- Beat the granulated sugar with 1/2 cup of butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer for 3 to 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add about one-third of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat slowly until blended. Beat in half of the milk. Add another one-third of the flour and mix well. Beat in the remaining milk and then beat in the remaining flour mixture.
- With clean beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks.
- Fold the egg whites into the cake batter.
- Spread the batter evenly over the cranberry layer.
- Bake the cake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes.
- Invert the cranberry upside-down cake onto a cake plate.
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Thank you for the suggestion!
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