Sweets
Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
A tender, moist upside-down cake made with 100% Ryman rye flour, bringing together warm holiday spice and the tart brightness of fresh cranberries. Perfect for the season — and even better with a dollop of spiced whipped cream!
A tender, moist upside-down cake made with 100% Ryman rye flour, bringing together warm holiday spice and the tart brightness of fresh cranberries. Perfect for the season — and even better with a dollop of spiced whipped cream!
Tastes
Colors
Techniques
DietaryGluten-Free · Soy-Free · Nut-Free · Allium-Free · Sesame-Free · Vegetarian
Yield1 One 9” cake
Serves8 (slices)
TimeActive 30m · Inactive 45m · Total 1h 15m
Ingredients
12 oz Cranberries
56 g Butter, Unsalted
96 g Light Brown Sugarpacked
30 g Molasses
2 g Sea SaltFine
3 g Cinnamon
75 g Orangesjuiced
75 g Granulated Sugar
300 g Granulated Sugar
2 Lemonszested
1 Orangezested
113 g Butter, Unsaltedmelted
60 g Neutral Oil
3 Large Eggsroom temp, large
7 g Vanilla Extract
210 g Rye Flour
7 g Baking Powder
5 g Sea Salt
5 g CinnamonGround
4 g Ground Ginger
3 g ClovesGround
184 g Buttermilkroom temp, full fat
Sourcing Tips
- For the rye flour, I recommend Ryman Rye WG flour from Barton Springs Mill.
- In Austin TX, you can find permaculture-grown, freshly-ground ginger from Sustainable Humane Earth (SHE) at the Mueller Farmers Market.
Instructions
••
PREHEAT OVEN: Preheat the oven to 350 °F (345 °F).
PREPARE THE CRANBERRY MIXTURE: Add cranberries to a sauté pan and cook over high heat for 2–3 minutes to release their juices. Reduce heat to medium-high and add butter, brown sugar, molasses, salt, and cinnamon. Stir constantly, using the back of a spatula to lightly crush the berries as they cook. When about 70% of the cranberries have burst and the mixture begins to bubble, remove from heat. Pour into a well-sprayed 9-inch cake pan or cast iron skillet, spreading evenly.
MAKE THE SYRUP: Combine orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar has dissolved completely. Remove from heat and set aside.
MIX THE BATTER: In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and citrus zest, massaging them together with your fingers to release the oils. Whisk in the melted butter and grapeseed oil, then add the eggs one at a time, whisking until fully incorporated. Add vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Add one-third of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, followed by one-third of the buttermilk. Repeat twice more, alternating dry and wet ingredients, whisking just until the batter is smooth and no dry bits remain.
BAKE: Pour the batter evenly over the cranberry mixture. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
FINISH: Cool for 15 minutes, then carefully invert onto a serving plate. Brush the warm cake generously with orange syrup.
Finished cooking?
Serving & Keeping
Serve: Room Temp, Warm
Make ahead: The cranberry mixture and orange syrup can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Assemble and bake the cake the day you plan to serve it for the best texture and rise.
Keeps: The baked cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerated for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature or gently warm before serving to revive moisture and aroma.
Serve with: Spiced whipped cream
Sourcing Tips
- For the rye flour, I recommend Ryman Rye WG flour from Barton Springs Mill.
- In Austin TX, you can find permaculture-grown, freshly-ground ginger from Sustainable Humane Earth (SHE) at the Mueller Farmers Market.
Serving & Keeping
Serve: Room Temp, Warm
Make ahead: The cranberry mixture and orange syrup can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Assemble and bake the cake the day you plan to serve it for the best texture and rise.
Keeps: The baked cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerated for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature or gently warm before serving to revive moisture and aroma.
Serve with: Spiced whipped cream