Cranberry Christmas Upside-Down Cake

11 December 2024
Cranberry Christmas Upside-Down Cake

Cranberry Christmas Upside-Down Cake

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I wrote this upside-down cake recipe as a standard, base. cranberry cake recipe (sorry to use the word twice). There are many ways of making a recipe more Christmasy and I wanted people to be able to customize their own, ideal, Christmas cake. The notes below, and the notes below that show you how to do it. 🎄. Merry Christmas

Cranberry Christmas Upside-Down Cake

Recipe by Cranby

icon Servings

8-10

Slices

icon Prep time

20

Minutes

icon Cooking time

40

Minutes

icon Type

Cakes

Upside-Down

Ingredients

TOPPING

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

CAKE BATTER

  • 1 1/2 cups flour

  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup milk

 

Directions

  1. Preheat Oven – Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. Topping – In the prepared pan, pour melted butter and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly. Arrange the cranberries on top in a single layer.
  3. Batter – In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Mixer – In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
  5. Add Dry – Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Mix until just combined.
  6. Pour – Pour the batter over the cranberry topping and spread evenly.
  7. Bake – Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Or, if you know your oven, adjust accordingly
  8. Cool – Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then carefully invert onto a serving plate, and invert so topping is side-up.
  9. Enjoy ✨

Notes

  • Storage – Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • Flair – Whipped cream or a dusting of powdered sugar makes it look nicer.
  • Christmasy – Add orange zest to the batter to make it more of a holiday baked good (*** See more below on making this basic, upside-down cake recipe more festive or Christmasy).
  • More Looks – Garnish with extra fresh cranberries and mint leaves to make it look even better at the Christmas table.

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Christmas & Cranberries

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*** OTHER CRANBERRY CAKE RECIPES ***

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*** IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS; MAKE IT BETTER ***

This upside-down cake is the basic version of the recipe. I wrote it this way on purpose so that you can customize it to your liking and make it more Christmasy. Not everyone likes the Christmas fruit or spices and so you can see the list below and choose how you want to Christmas-tize your cake.

Spices

You can add cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves or allspice to the batter. Sprinkle a little ground ginger into the cranberry topping.

Nuts

Sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts over the cranberry layer before adding the batter if you are a nut fan at Xmas.

Cake Base

Replace part of the milk with eggnog to make the batter rich and creamy, which is more in line with a Christmas dessert. Tip: A big spoonful of sour cream or Greek yogurt will make the cake extra moist.

Topping Addons

Include chopped candied ginger or dried cranberries alongside the fresh ones. You can also add a splash of Grand Marnier or cranberry liqueur to the melted butter and brown sugar if your idea of Christmas is sugar AND alcohol.

Dried Fruit

This is what people think of when they think Christmas cake. A 1/2 cup of mixed, finely chopped dried cranberries, raisins, chopped dried apricots, or candied orange peel will make your cake a real Christmas cake. Now, if anyone likes that is another matter altogether. I do wonder though, do people really like Christmas cakes? Or are they too polite to say anything? Cookies, tarts and pies are no-brainers, but I wonder … 🎄

 

Merry Christmas!

Dried Cranberry Powder

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