Cranberry Cake
This cranberry cake is one that, if I didn’t have a blog, would be written on an index card that would soon become so worn with butter stains and cranberry juice that I’d have to strain my eyes to read it.
It’s made with frozen cranberries and, because it’s an upside-down cake, it comes out beautifully every time without having to mess with frosting it.
This post was sponsored by Beko Appliances. Beko is the No. 1 appliance brand in Europe, but they are relatively new to the United States; they first launched in the U.S. in 2016.
For those who don’t know, I’ve been working on a kitchen remodel for months! It’s finally done, and I’m so in love with it. So, forgive me if I gush about our new Beko appliances throughout the post. I really can’t help myself! If you haven’t heard of Beko yet, I’m excited to be the one to let you know about this great brand!
What Makes This Cranberry Cake Special
This cranberry upside-down cake is made with a few unique ingredients:
- Frozen cranberries – Move them from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you plan to bake so that they defrost.
Our new Beko French 4-Door Refrigerator is so much bigger than our old one, and we love the clean design. Having regular doors on the bottom for the freezer instead of a big drawer helps us stay organized. And, because the water dispenser is on the inside, not on the outside, it looks super sleek!
- Almond paste – Cranberries and almonds go really well together. And, almond paste gives this cake a lovely, earthy flavor. You should be able to find it in most grocery stores. But, if you can’t, or if you prefer, you can easily make homemade almond paste from almond flour, powdered sugar, almond extract, and egg.
- Cornmeal – This cranberry cake recipe calls for a mix of all-purpose flour and cornmeal. The cornmeal gives the cake a more complex flavor. Be sure to purchase fine cornmeal unless you are OK with a little crunch in the cake.
- Sorghum molasses – I love the flavor of sorghum molasses. It isn’t as dark and bitter as regular molasses. It can be a little tricky to find, though. If you can’t find it, use honey instead.
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar makes all cakes so good! In this recipe, it’s in the cranberry topping and in the cake itself.
How to Make Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
Before you get started, preheat the oven to 350 F.
Oh – the oven! I love my new Beko Dual Fuel Range. First of all, it’s gorgeous and has a professional look. But, moving beyond that, I love that the stovetop is gas and the oven is electric. It’s the best of both worlds! When I preheat the oven, it tells me exactly what temperature the oven is at – no guessing. It’s spacious and so bright inside; I can clearly watch my desserts bake. And, the drawer at the bottom of the oven is actually a usable extra baking space that can double as storage for the oven rack when not in use.
Coat a 10 cup Bundt pan with non-stick spray and melted butter. This may sound like overkill. But, the non-stick cooking spray keeps the cake from sticking and the melted butter is to flavor the cranberries. (If you prefer, you could also bake this in a regular cake pan, like I do for my apple upside-down cake.)
I melt my butter in the microwave.
Our new Beko microwave is both a microwave and a convection oven! I’ll actually be able to bake inside of it. Plus, it has a removable built-in shelf which is super nice for heating up multiple plates of food.
Next, add brown sugar, cranberries, and more brown sugar.
Now, it’s time to make the cake batter. Break up the almond paste in an electric mixer.
Mix in sorghum (or honey) and butter until fully combined.
Mix in eggs and beat on medium-speed for about three minutes to fully incorporate them.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt, then add them a little bit at a time to the batter.
Spread the batter over the cranberry topping.
Bake for 60 minutes or until a cake tester (or long skewer) inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool completely and then invert onto a serving plate.
Clean Up
Our old dishwasher was so loud that we couldn’t run it if I wanted to watch TV in the other room. Our new Beko dishwasher is silent. I am not exaggerating. I can’t hear it at all unless I am right on top of it. The racks are really well laid out and, most importantly, our dishes and pots and pans come out squeaky clean.
I should also mention that our dishwasher has an app. You can start it remotely, check on its progress cleaning, and get notifications about problems. Jonathan actually turned the dishwasher on from a store near us the other day!
How Long Does the Cake Last?
I leave the cake covered on the counter for up to three days. If you want it to last a little longer than that (up to five days), store it in the refrigerator.
Other Must-Try Desserts
If you like cranberry cake, you should also try making an Eton mess cake. It’s a spiced sponge cake with whipped cream, meringues, and sugared cranberries!
My cranberry hand pies are also made with frozen cranberries and they are super easy!
If you’re into upside-down desserts but want something smaller, take a look at my pineapple upside-down cupcakes.
Cranberry Cake
Ingredients
Cranberry Topping Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 10 ounces cranberries frozen and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator
Cake Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces almond paste
- 1/2 cup sorghum molasses you can substitute with honey
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 large eggs
Instructions
Cranberry Topping Instructions
- Grease a Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour melted butter into the bottom and a little bit up the sides of the pan. I know that it sounds like you are doubly greasing here, but you want to make sure that the whole pan is fully greased whereas the melted butter is meant to give flavoring to the topping.
- Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the brown sugar over the melted butter.
- Pour cranberries over the brown sugar.
- Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar over the cranberries.
Cake Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
- In another medium-sized mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat almond paste until it is broken up and smooth.
- Mix in molasses and butter until fully combined.
- Mix in eggs and beat on medium-speed for about three minutes to fully incorporate them.
- Add dry ingredients a little bit at a time, mixing until just combined.
- Pour batter over topping in the Bundt pan.
- Bake for 60 minutes or until a cake tester (or long skewer) inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool completely before turning out onto a serving plate.
Notes
Nutrition
To give you a final idea of the impact these new Beko appliances have on the overall look of our kitchen, here’s a view of our kitchen before and after the remodel.
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