Up. Down. Kicked around. This Cranberry Upside Down Cake is bouncing all around our kitchen at the moment. In the fridge. On the counter. In our bellies. Back in the fridge. Oh sure, why not one more piece. Back out of the fridge. It’s in high demand.
There is no rest for the delicious.
I slightly kicked up the flavor of this cake from another recipe by making it a little sweeter, added a kick of cinnamon and a baby burst of orange zest. OHHHH YEAHH. Eat it and weep for your waistline. But who the heck cares – it’s the holidays! At least every store in town says so. I think they’ve had their Christmas-wares out since August 1995. So eat up peeps!
At least that’s my philosophy. [unbuttons top of pants]
So you’ve got your sweet, moist cake that has just a touch of zesty orange flavor and your tangy cranberries bursting with cinnamon and allspice. Bam!
Meet Kicked Up Cranberry Upside Down Cake [shake hands, then devour]
We couldn’t keep our paws off it. So it’s like…GONE.
Idea for new David Fincher movie: Gone Cake
…ba-dum-bum-CHING 😀
Don’t worry – I’m not going to quit my day job to become a comedian.
Still craving more cranberry? Check Out Fall Spiced Cranberry Muffins with Tangerine Glaze and the most delicious Cranberry Apple Sauce you’ll ever lay your lips on.
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Kicked Up Cranberry Upside Down Cake
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
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Pin RecipeIngredients
Cranberry Topping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 3/4 cup fresh cranberries
Cake
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided (divide before softening)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1–2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Use 2 tablespoons of the softened butter and smear it on the bottom and sides of 9-inch cake pan. (Yes, it’s supposed to be a lot of butter!) Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine first three ingredients of the topping mixture (1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon allspice). Mix well. Pour sugar mixture evenly into the bottom of the cake pan that you just buttered. Add the cranberries in a single layer on top of the sugar mixture. Add a few extra cranberries if there are any gaps – you want them all scrunched up against each other. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream together the remaining 6 tablespoons of softened butter, dark brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest and mix until well combined.
- On low speed, add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in 3 batches and alternate with the milk in 3 batches. Mix until well combined.
- Spoon the batter over the cranberries in the pan and smooth out the batter so it’s fairly even on top.
- Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let pan cool for 15 minutes before removing cake from pan. Run a knife around the sides of the pan to make sure it will come out easily. Flip pan over onto cake plate and let cool completely.
Notes
You can store leftovers at room temperature but I stored mine in the fridge. If you store it in the fridge, I found that putting 1 slice on a plate and microwaving for 10 seconds brings it back to a luke-warm temperature and it tastes great!
More great recipes at www.thekitchensnob.com
I am definitely making this recipe for my quilt group gathering. It just looks so delicious! I just love the great photos too!
Great, let me know how it turns out!
This looks great, would be a hit at the Thanksgiving table for sure!
Thanks! I know some families might not pass up the pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, so I like to bring this out on Wednesday before Thanksgiving – we’re usually ready to get into some food mischief by then! It also is great during the December holidays.