Upside-Down Cranberry Cake is made with fresh cranberries and warm cinnamon. This is a festive and beautiful cake. Just perfect for the holidays!
The cranberries caramelize while they’re baking in the brown sugar and butter (use margarine, if you’re dairy-free). A spectacular cake that we make every year as soon as the fresh cranberries arrive in the markets.
When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of the cranberry sauce. I know. It’s about the turkey. The pies. I have a soft spot for cranberries. I’m not going to lie, I think a lot about the stuffing too.
When I started blogging this summer, I posted this upside-down dulce de leche and organic apple cake.
I also baked an upside-down banana cake with dulce de leche and an upside-down plum and mango cake.
I love the surprise of an upside-down cake. You flip your baking pan over, and voilà: gorgeous fruit that is baked to perfection on top of a scrumptious cake. I really like the tartness of cranberries. The vibrant color of the berries.
This cake was a hit last year. I adapted this recipe a little bit and came up with this one. I am glad I remembered to make it again this year again to share with you! This weekend it disappeared pretty quickly in my house. The best parts of this cake: the sweetness of the brown sugar with the tartness of the cranberries. You could make this easy cake for Thanksgiving. It is festive and just delicious.
Some other delicious cakes to try:
- Vegan Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
- Orange Crunch Cake
- Sourdough Discard Apple Cake
- Gluten-Free Peach and Blackberry Cake
Upside-Down Cranberry Cake
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups cake flour
- 2 cups of cranberries fresh or thawed frozen
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup canola oil
- ¼ cinnamon
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Butter a 9-inch round cake pan or a 9 inch x 9 inch square cake pan (You could line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter the paper or you could butter it and spray around the sides with a baking spray).
- In a small saucepan on low heat, melt the butter and the brown sugar. Stir the butter and brown sugar until it is smooth. Add the glaze to the prepared pan and turn it around to cover the entire bottom of pan evenly. Because of the light brown sugar, it will be thick. Make sure you don't get it too thick when you are melting the butter. Arrange the cranberries evenly over the pan.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a medium sized bowl and whisk together the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the and eggs and the granulated sugar until fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Lower the speed, and mix in the oil and vanilla until combined.
- Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and combine. Make sure you scrape around the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in the sour cream until combined. Mix in the rest of the flour mixture.
- Carefully spoon the batter over the cranberries and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake for about 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes our clean. Let the pan cool for about ten minutes and then run a knife around the edge of the pan.
- Carefully invert a plate on the pan and then turn over both the plate and the pan. That is the trickiest part of the whole recipe. Some cranberries make stick to your pan. You can place them right back where they came from on the cake.
Debbie B. says
I LOVE pineapple upside down cake and never even thought to make it with cranberries! I'm book marking this recipe!!
Lindsey @ Gingerbread Bagels says
Oh my word does that upside down cranberry cake look sooooo good! I love love love cranberries in desserts. Your cake looks delicious, I'm so trying it out! By the way, I love your upside down cakes 🙂
Chef Dennis says
Now that is one gorgeous cake!! I would not have thought of using cranberries, I bet it was delicious...I love upside down cake there is just something so wonderful about it, so buttery and moist...yummmm
thanks for sharing this incredible creation Lora!
K o r i says
This sounds and looks delightful! Thanks for sharing!
Wilde in the Kitchen says
That is one beautiful looking cake. I have a half a bag of cranberries leftover from some chutney... I think I need to make a cake!
Carole says
I love cranberries, too. Look forward to making it. Thanks for sharing!
Lizzy says
Mmmmmm...that topping looks divine!
Roxan says
I know just what you mean about loving the surprise of an upside down cake. It's always harrowing that moment you flip your pan to see if the cake will come out easily! I've seen a couple cranberry recipes today so I take it cranberries are in season now! Not that I should be surprised, since thanksgiving is next week... It just seems so far still. Can't believe the year is almost over.
Claudia says
Wow - you do bake! I make cranberry sauce,cranberry relish, cranberry salsa and cranberry bread and now - voila! I will be making cranberry cake. Didn't even have to twist my arm. So pretty.
Farrah says
Looks great! I have some fresh cranberries in the fridge that I have been waiting to do something with. This might just be the recipe I'll make 🙂
Kimberly Peterson says
I love the surprise of an upside down cake too!! I can almost smell that cake.. looks gorgeous!
Sandra says
It looks super moist.
Reeni says
Cranberries are so gorgeous in cakes! Like little gems. I bet this is insanely good and it's just perfect for Thanksgiving!
Foodiva says
I love the taste of cranberries but would you believe that I've never had them fresh like these ones on your cake? I'm going to give this upside-down cake recipe a go, but using tropical fruit instead (no, not pineapple, something else. I'll surprise you!).
Green Girl @ A little bit of everything says
I made pineapple/banana/pear/apple upside down cake but never thought of making cranberry upside down cake, and btw, yours looks mouthwatering.
thanks for the idea
Laura says
Luv luv luv this recipe!!! Can't wait to make it!! Used to ask for pineapple upside down cake for b-days as a kid!! YUM!
sara @ CaffeIna says
I love upside down cakes fro the same reason: they are a great surprise! I don't know why I rarely make them. Boy you sure can make everything super pretty
Chow and Chatter says
oh wow what a cool idea for a seasonal cake looks wonderful
Koci says
That upside-down cake looks so yummy! I'd love to give this a try for Thanksgiving. Fresh cranberries are the best!
Cherine says
This is a beautiful upside down cake! It looks so moist and tasty!
Cucina di Barbara says
Thank you for your lovely message!
Your blog is wanderful and now I am following you:)
this cake looks so yummy and I adore cranberry!
Have a nice day!
Barbaraxx
Jamie says
I love this! My husband adores upside down cakes for the cake (breakfast food), the fruit (healthy and tasty) and the caramel that always forms on and around the fruit. I have tried this with several fruits and now I guess it'll have to be cranberries! I love cranberries!
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
A fabulous upside-down cake! A lovely tangy touch.
Cheers,
Rosa
Kristen says
I love variations on the upside down cake. This one is just so pretty with the red berries ready to burst full of flavor.
Wheels and Lollipops says
So with you on the cranberries, I think eat turkey to be able to have to the cranberries. This looks like the perfect afternoon tea cake, going to have to visit the American grocery here and give this a try.
briarrose says
So pretty. Looks delicious.
Pretend Chef says
I am the only one who likes cranberries here in our household. I would make this for myself though! Maybe I could try doing half cranberry half whatever fruit Mr. Sideline Chef is into at the moment. This turned out beautiful!
Elisabeth says
Beautiful photos, Lora. The cake really was superb, so light and moist, and just the right amount of sweetness. You really do a great job with the upside-down cakes!
Rachel says
What a gorgeous cake! I love the tartness and color cranberries bring to dessert too. Thanksgiving pies are so often all the same color (brown)!
Torviewtoronto says
colourful delicious cake
check out the event in my site
regards
blackbookkitchendiaries says
beautiful cake...can i pls have a slice right now? 🙂 thanks for sharing this.
Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction says
That is a stunning cake! I love all things cranberry this time of year.
Butter says
What great food shots. You can feel the moist texture and taste the sweet/tartness just by looking at your pictures. Nice. Looks delicious and perfect for the holidays. Thank you 🙂
- Butter
katie @ recreationaleating.com says
oh my god, do you think this cake would marry me? i think i'm in love.
Monet says
I also love cranberry sauce...and upside down cakes. The berries work so well here because of their bright flavor and gorgeous hue! Job well done! Thank you so much for sharing. Have a wonderful night, love!
♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ says
Lora, ur rite, i love the flip part of the upside down cakes:-)
Oh wish i cud find some cranberries here ,but am sure all i'll come up with is some juice:-)
Absolutely delicious cake, love it was moist!
Evan @swEEts says
I just bought a big bag of frozen cranberries when I was at the grocery store.. this cake looks fabulously festive 🙂
Anonymous says
What a perfect holiday cake 🙂 I love upside down cakes!
The Mom Chef says
Oh that looks scrumptious. I just commented elsewhere that I love cranberries in baked goods and here they are again. I think I need to buy me a bag or 10 and make this. Thanks for reposting the recipe this year.
Diana says
I love cranberries too - especially on a turkey sandwich! And I can never get enough dried cranberries in my oatmeal. I actually can't leave Trader Joe's without buying a bag - regardless of how many bags I have at home!
Will definitely have to try this upside down cake soon! 🙂
Anna Johnston says
I'm with you, I love the surprise of an upside down cake too, this one looks delish 🙂
Jeannie says
Recently I have been baking lots of cakes with fruits on top and they were very delicious but tend to dry out the fruits. An upside down cake might just be the solution! Thanks for sharing!
Emily Malloy says
Lovely! And perfect for now through February!!! :o)
Anonymous says
This looks delicious and perfect for Thanksgiving as well. Thanks for sharing!
Pretty. Good. Food. says
Mmm, this looks so good! I can't wait to try this for Thanksgiving! Yum 🙂
Magic of Spice says
Very beautiful cake, and I agree the tartness of the cranberries against the warmth and sweetness of the brown sugar is perfection!
When I think of the Holidays, cranberries are what I think of too. I know they are usually a side but I find them to be an automatic reminder 🙂
Susan says
Looks delicious! A nice addition to the dessert table for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
Taylor says
I have never made an upside-down cake...I think it's time! This cake is perfect for the holidays. Thanks for entering it in Merry Mondays 🙂