Cranberry Orange Upside Down Cake

If you want to light up a table with a gorgeous blast of color this season, you’d be hard pressed to find anything that could top cranberries.  Their bold and bright jeweled saturation, especially when simmered or baked, is pretty stunning.

And what better application than to have them crown an upside down cake?  This cake is a simple dessert that highlights not only a gorgeous layer of gooey cranberries but a few slices of the always reliable pop of sunshine of sliced oranges.  Burrowed in a butter and brown sugar mixture, they bake into a luscious topping for a tender cake laced with vanilla and orange zest.

This cake was baked each winter at Chez Panisse for years.  It’s rustic and spare but also befitting a centerpiece.  It's delicious served with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream enhanced with a splash of vanilla or perhaps Grand Marnier.

Here’s wishing everyone a sumptuous and warm Thanksgiving.  I hope you are surrounded with irresistibly good food and cherished loved ones, savoring every tidbit in a grand gesture of gratitude.

Bench notes:

- I bought a medium and a small orange for a fun decorative variation in size. 

- I line the bottom of the pan with parchment after greasing so the topping releases in one piece.

- The amount of cranberries you’ll use will depend on the size of your orange slices.  Do crowd the cranberries in one layer as tightly as possible.

- Although the recipe states a 55 minute bake time, check the cake at 45 minutes.  Mine was done, although I suspect my oven is running rather hot these days.

- Let the cake cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before turning it out.  You want the cake to cool enough so that the topping stays in tact but also warm enough so it releases easily.

- Add about 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom or cinnamon to the batter for a different flavor profile.

Cranberry Orange Upside Down Cake

adapted from Chez Panisse Café Cookbook and Room for Dessert by David Lebovitz

Serves 8

Topping

2 oz (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter

3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz) brown sugar, packed

2 oranges

1 3/4 – 2 cups (7 oz) fresh cranberries

Cake

1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz) flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (4 oz) milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

zest of 1 orange

4 oz (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter @ room temperature

3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz) granulated sugar

2 eggs @ room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9” x 2 1/2" cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment.

For the topping, melt the butter and pour into the prepared cake pan.  Add the brown sugar and blend with the butter until it dissolves.  Pat this mixture into an even layer, spreading to the edges of the pan.  

Use a sharp knife to cut away the peel and pith of each orange, preserving the shape.  Cut into 1/4” slices and place randomly on top of the butter and brown sugar topping.  Fill in with as many fresh cranberries as you can fit in one layer.  Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  Combine the milk, vanilla and orange zest and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 – 4  minutes on an electric mixer.  Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated and emulsified before adding the next.  Scrape down the bowl.

Add the flour mixture in thirds alternately with half the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Take off the mixer and scrape down the bowl, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to fully incorporate all the fat and dry ingredients.

Pour the batter over the topping and spread evenly, taking care not to disturb the fruit.

Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 - 55 minutes.  Cool for 20 minutes in the pan.  Run a thin bladed knife around the circumference to loosen the edges and turn the cake out onto a platter.  Gently peel off the parchment and cool.