Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
This ruby-crowned cake offers a delicate balance of sweet-tart cranberry topping and tender butter cake. But its inverted preparation can easily spell disaster. We folded beaten egg whites into the batter for a light, tender cake that was sturdy enough to support a heavy fruit topping. Then we precooked cranberries and sugar to evaporate some of the berries’ moisture and keep the topping from being runny. Cutting back on the sugar helped keep the topping from sticking to the pan.
Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
SERVES 8
To prevent this cake from sticking, don’t let it cool in the pan for more than the required 10 minutes before turning it out. Serve each slice of cake with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.
TOPPING
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces (3 cups) fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
¾ cup (5¼ ounces) sugar
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
CAKE
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup whole milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (5¼ ounces) sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1. FOR THE TOPPING: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9-inch round cake pan, line with parchment paper, and spray parchment with vegetable oil spray. Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add cranberries, sugar, and jam and cook until cranberries are just softened, about 4 minutes. Drain cranberry mixture in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl and reserve juice. Transfer cranberries to second bowl.
2. Return reserved cranberry juice to now-empty skillet and simmer over medium heat until syrupy and reduced to 1 cup, about 4 minutes. Off heat, stir in vanilla. Arrange cranberries in single layer in prepared pan. Pour juice mixture over cranberries and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. FOR THE CAKE: Process ¼ cup flour and almonds in food processor until finely ground, about 10 seconds. Add baking powder, salt, and remaining ¾ cup flour and pulse to combine, about 5 pulses. Whisk milk, vanilla, and almond extract together in liquid measuring cup. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk mixture in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Give batter final stir by hand.
4. Using clean, dry mixer bowl and whisk attachment, whip egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Whisk one-third of whites into batter, then gently fold in remaining whites.
5. Pour batter over chilled cranberry mixture and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then run thin knife around cake and invert onto plate. Serve.