Cranberry upside down cake

4.89 from 9 votes

Cranberry orange upside down cake is a slightly sweet, slightly tart, light and tender cake topped with fresh cranberries.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Total Time1 5

Course: Cake recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 321kcal

Author: Cheryl Bennett

Equipment

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 9x2 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 9x2 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 9x3 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