Upside Down Cake with cranberries and pears
This Cranberry and Pear Upside Down Cake makes a large 30cm cake which will serve 8-10. A perfect dessert.
For Upside Down Cake, you will need:
12 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 fresh pears, peeled, cored & cut into 24 slices each
1 cup fresh cranberries, washed & dried
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a 27-30cm cake pan set on the stove over a low heat. (Leave the other 8 tablespoons of butter on the bench to come to room temperature). Add brown sugar and heat until dissolved and bubbling, at which point the sugar should easily spread to cover the entire bottom of the cake pan. Set aside and when fully cooled, arrange the pear slices in a pinwheel pattern. Spread cranberries evenly over the top of the pears, allowing some to fill the gaps. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, mixing the first egg in completely before adding the second. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Mix in milk, then add remaining flour mixture and all of the spices.
4. Spread batter evenly over the pre-prepared fruit. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Don’t stress if the top of the cake begins to turn a deep golden brown in spots—this is actually the bottom of your cake and it’s fine so long as it’s not burning! Remove cake from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Gently run a knife around the edges of your pan and invert onto a serving plate. If you are not serving the cake right away, leave it in the pan and reheat before inverting and serving. Alternatively, you can invert onto a microwave-safe plate after 20 minutes and warm the cake for a short time in your microwave before serving. The point is to serve this cake warm!
Small people tips:
While there is nothing in this cake that is unsafe for early eaters, this Upside Down Cake recipe is recommended for kids 1 year plus due to the high sugar content. That said, go ahead and splurge with younger finger food eaters at festive times—just be sure to serve age appropriate portions. A little of this cake goes a long way with wee nibblers!
Festive Tips:
The version above is a wonderful, simple, all purpose cake. Try a version that’s heavier on the spice, perfect for the holiday season. Skip the ginger and add 1/4 teaspoon cardamom instead; increase cinnamon to 3/4 teaspoon and cloves to 1/2 teaspoon.
~onehungrymama 2011
