Cranberry Upside-Downer

And now begin the Thanksgiving-related posts.   I know I have been posting a lot of dessert type things lately, but I’ve been bitten by the baking bug and have been inspired by the upcoming holidays.  I have also been inspired by a lack of discipline.  🙂

This recipe, absolutely, will be on my table this year at Thanksgiving.  It was amazing.  And even better, it was a cinch to put together.  We’re talking: 20 minutes maximum in prep time, and then the baking time.  The only things I had to buy for this recipe were the cranberries ($2) and the red currant jelly (a splurge…at $3).  Everything else was in my pantry (bonus).

And how might this absolutely gorgeous cake taste?  I have to say, “Amazing!”  The cake part is more like a spice cake (think a fantastic carrot cake without the carrots), and the cranberry part?  It’s got a little hint of tartness, but it’s definitely got a nice sweetness to it, especially after the addition of the red currant jelly.  The pecans added a subtle crunchiness, texture, and created a really nice complement to the berries.  Plus, it looks like a cake with rubies all over it.  It sparkled and glistened in the light….it got plenty of “oohhs” and “aahhhs”.  (well, those were mostly from me, but you get my point.)

Cranberry Upside-Downer

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 and 3/4 sticks (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

2 cups cranberries-fresh or frozen (*If frozen, do not thaw.)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1/3 cup whole milk

1/3 cup red currant jelly, for glazing the cake

Instructions

1.  Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Put an 8-x-2-inch round cake pan on a baking sheet.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

4.  Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan.

5. Sprinkle in 6 tablespoons of the sugar and cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil.

6. Pour this evenly over the bottom of the cake pan, then scatter the nuts on top of the melted butter, followed by the cranberries, smoothing the layer and pressing it down gently with your fingertips.  Set aside.

7.  Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or you can use a hand mixer in a large bowl), beat the remaining stick (8 tablespoons) of butter on medium speed until smooth.

8. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes.

9. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.

10. Pour in the vanilla.

11. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter.

12. Mix in the milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients.

13. Spoon the batter over the cranberries and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

14.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a thin knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

15.  Remove it from the oven and run a blunt knife between the sides of the pan and the cake.  Carefully turn the cake out onto a serving platter.

16.  Warm the jelly in a small saucepan over low heat, or do this in a microwave oven.  Gently brush the glaze over the hot cake.

Source:  Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan.