Cranberry Apple Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients

Fruit Topping

  • 2 apples, peeled & medium diced (suggested: Golden Delicious)
  • 1 tbsp + 4 tbsp butter, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp + 1 cup sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 3 cups (12 oz) fresh or frozen (thawed) whole cranberries
  • 2 tbsp water
  • ¼ cup maple syrup

Cake Batter

  • 1½ sticks (6 oz) butter, room temperature
  • 1¼ cups sugar
  • ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups cake flour
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt

Special Equipment

  • electric mixer with paddle attachment
  • 9" cake pan
  • parchment paper
  • offset spatula

How-to

Make Fruit Topping

  1. Peel and medium-dice apples. Toss with 1 tbsp sugar
  2. Melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat in a sauté pan, add apples and cook just until just lightly brown. Remove apples from pan and set aside
  3. Lower heat and to the same pan, add 4 tbsp butter, 1 cup of sugar, cinnamon, cranberries, maple syrup and water
  4. Cook for approximately 4 minutes over medium heat until the berries pop open and the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and let cool while preparing cake batter

Prepare Cake Batter

  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Grease a 9" cake pan with butter, dust with flour and top with a circle of parchment paper
  3. In a mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add sour cream, egg yolks one at a time, and vanilla extract. Mix until incorporated
  4. In a separate bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
  5. Add the dry ingredients in two batches at low speed until just combined; do not over-mix

Layer, Bake & Serve

  1. Spread cooked apples in the prepared cake pan, leaving 1" around the sides. Layer the cooked cranberries in the same fashion
  2. Top with cake batter and spread evenly with a spatula to the sides of the pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes (up to 30 minutes but do not cool completely)
  3. Invert cake while still warm onto a plate. If some of the fruit is left stuck to the pan, remove and spread atop cake

Serving Suggestions

  • Serve alone, with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream