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Cranberry upside down cake recipe

Cranberry upside down cake is a perfectly tart and sweet dessert for the fall and winter. This upside down cake is studded with fresh cranberries and it makes a delicious addition to your holiday dessert table.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my clementine upside down cake and my gingerbread cake recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my cake recipes in one place.

Cranberry upside down cake on black plate, with the whole cake on a stand in the background.

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Cranberry upside down cake

What I like most about this cake is that it isn’t overly sweet. That’s not to say it isn’t sweet, it is, but it isn’t cloying. The tartness of the cranberries combined with the hefty amount of orange zest offsets the sugar. It is nicely balanced with a light and tender cake batter.

Some people like over the top, super rich desserts. These are rarely for me. Desserts that offer something to counter the sugar – like lemon, or in this case, cranberries, are what I gravitate towards. If you like sweets that are balanced and not overly sweet, this is the cake for you.

Cranberry cake on cooling rack.

What you need to know

This cranberry cake will stay moist for days, so you can make it a day or two ahead of time. Keep it tightly covered, if you plan to make it ahead. The other thing to note is letting the cake cool completely before slicing. Trust me. I didn’t wait, and I should have. You’ll get much cleaner slices if you wait for it to cool.

You’ll need to use your deepest cake pan. Meaning, the one with the tallest sides. I like to bake this cake in a 9 x 3 cake pan, but I realize that most people have the regular 9″ cake pans that are 2 inches deep.

I used a 9 x 2 pan to bake this cake, just to test it. It worked, but I was holding my breath about the cake spilling over. Thankfully, it did not. If you have a 9 x 3 cake pan, this is the time to use it. Those high sides will give your cake nice, straight sides and you won’t have to watch it through the oven door. Lastly, to ensure no messes happen, bake it on a sheet pan.

A slice of cake, with a silver fork, on a black plate, with red wooden cranberry beads around the plate.

Upside down cake ingredients

Before you begin, make sure that you have everything measured out and ready to go. Don’t measure as you go, because this recipe calls for just a little multitasking. As with any recipe, read it all the way through before you start. This saves you the heartache of being halfway through the cake batter, only to realize you are missing an ingredient. I speak from experience.

Ingredients for cranberry upside down cake on a white background.
  • Cranberries – Discard any cranberries that look moldy, wrinkled, or old.
  • Flour – Regular all purpose flour is the base of the cake batter.
  • Baking powder, cornstarch and salt – This will help the cake rise, make it tender and bring out the flavors.
  • Milk – Milk provides moisture and a touch of sweetness.
  • Eggs – Eggs give the cake structure and moisture.
  • Butter – Use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt.
  • Sugar – A bit of sugar sweets the cake and the cranberry topping.
  • Orange zest and juice – This gives the cake great flavor.
  • Vanilla – Vanilla pairs nicely with the orange and cranberry.

How to make

Here’s a quick summary of how to make cranberry upside down cake. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe. 

Step by step photos showing how to make cranberry cake.

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  1. Prep – Preheat oven to 350°F // 180°C. Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
  2. Melt butter in pan, then add orange juice, sugar, vanilla, and cranberries.
  3. Scoop cake batter on top of warm cranberries.
  4. Smooth top with an offset spatula, then bake.

I wrapped the cake pan with an old kitchen towel that I’ve cut into strips. The towel is sightly damp with water, then is clipped together around the pan. It’s a DIY version of cake strips that ensure even baking.

Cranberry cake cooling on wire rack.

Cranberry upside down cake FAQ’s

How long will this cake stay fresh?

Store this cake in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 4 or 5 days.

Can I freeze this upside down cake?

Yes, you can freeze this cake. Wrap the warm (not hot) cake tightly in plastic wrap. Then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

A slice of cake on a white plate with a silver fork on the side. There is a handmade mug beside the plate.

Variations and substitutions

  • Lemon – Swap out orange for lemon, if you like a LOT of zingy, tart citrus flavor.

Helpful tools and equipment

You likely have most of what you need already to make this cranberry cake, but here are a few necessities and a couple of “nice to have” items.

  • Possibly one of the greatest things ever invented – 9 inch parchment paper rounds. These pre cut pieces of parchment paper go directly on the bottom of your pan creating a layer between the pan and your cake making it easy to remove with no sticking.
  • Heavy duty sheet pans that hold up to high temps without warping.
  • If you bake cakes often, invest in a good cake pan. I promise, you’ll be glad you did. This 9″ cake pan is not terribly expensive and it is well made.
  • Small offset spatula – When you scoop the cake batter on top of the cranberries, you’ll need to smooth the top before putting the cake in the oven. This offset spatula is small enough to allow you to get in the pan easily without hitting the side of the cake pan.
  • An electric hand mixer is all you’ll need to mix up this cake batter. This is the one I just bought, and I love it.
A slice of cake on a black plate with a Christmas mug in the background.

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Cranberry upside down cake on black plate, with the whole cake on a stand in the background.

Cranberry upside down cake

Cheryl Bennett
Cranberry orange upside down cake is a slightly sweet, slightly tart, light and tender cake topped with fresh cranberries.
4.89 from 9 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Cake recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings
Calories 321 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ⅓ cup All purpose flour 160g
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature / 170g / divided
  • 1 ¼ cups sugar 250g / divided
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste / divided
  • 2 large eggs room temp
  • ¼ cup orange juice divided
  • 2 cups fresh cranberries 213g
  • ½ cup whole milk + 2 tablespoons / 135ml

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
  • In a separate medium bowl, beat ½ cup butter (8 tablespoons), 1 cup sugar, orange zest, and 1 teaspoon vanilla on medium high speed with electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
  • Add eggs to butter mixture, one at a time, with the mixer on low speed, and beat until incorporated. Set aside.
  • Add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to a 9 inch round cake pan, and place in oven to melt. This should only take a few minutes. *See note about parchment paper liner.
  • Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and ¼ cup of sugar to melted butter in cake pan and whisk to combine.
    Place pan back in the oven and when butter has started to bubble and just barely brown, add 2 tablespoons orange juice, whisk to combine, then add cranberries and place back in the oven for 5 minutes to let cranberries begin to soften.
    Remove cake pan from oven and set aside.
  • Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk and then the remaining orange juice. Beat on medium low, just until combined, with each addition.
  • Gently scoop batter into the cake pan, on top of the cranberries, and smooth the top with an offset spatula or rubber spatula.
  • Bake until cake is golden and puffed and a cake tester (knife) comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
  • Transfer to a wire rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
  • Run a knife (or offset spatula) around the edge of the pan to loosen cake, then invert onto wire rack to cool.
    *Let the cake completely cool before slicing.

Notes

  • To ensure your cake won’t stick to the pan, you can use a round piece of parchment paper to line the bottom of the cake pan. Place the parchment in the pan BEFORE adding the butter, if you are using, and be gentle when whisking so you don’t tear it.
  • If you have  a non-stick cake pan, use it. If not, check out the link in the post for parchment paper rounds. 
  • I use a 9×2 cake pan. I’ve never had this cake spill over, but I always bake on a sheet pan, just in case.
  • If you are using a 9×2 cake pan and you’re nervous about it spilling over, leave about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of the batter behind. You can bake one or two cupcakes with that batter. 
  • A 9×3 cake pan will work beautifully here. 
  • If you are not serving the same day, wrap cake very well in plastic wrap while still warm (not hot) and place in freezer. Thaw at room temp (not in refrigerator) for a few hours before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 321kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 4gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 255mgPotassium: 147mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 523IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 1mg
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2 Comments

4.89 from 9 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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