Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Cranberry Bog

By Cat, Nov 25, 2016 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

Here’s another recipe from the Nov 23, 2016 Daily Interlake (originally by Gretchen McKay for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1)). Most of us have cranberry sauce/jelly during the holidays and probably don’t think about using cranberries for anything else. Yet, they are a relative of huckleberries, blueberries and Scandinavian lingonberries, just more tart, so why not try them in recipes that use these other berries?

I don’t make carb treats like cobblers, crisps and cakes as often as I used to (before I switched to a ketogenic eating plan of low carb, high fat, moderate protein), but I do indulge for special occasions like holidays.

I’ve updated ingredient amounts for presoak recipe version (butter, buttermilk and flour) based on Dec 2016 testing of pear upside down cake. This cranberry version has not yet been tested to be sure those changes are correct. Changes are in red.

See also: 1. Fruity Treats Menu; 2. Cakes, Dessert Breads & Tortes Recipes Menu; 3. Cranberry Slump (Cobbler); 4. Pear Upside Down Cake

Includes: 1. Presoak method version; 2. Standard method version

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

I’ve adapted this recipe from one by Gretchen McKay for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1); makes 8 servings. For more of her cranberry recipes, see also her blog (2). She writes:

“Why should pineapples have all the topsy-turvy fun? Any seasonal fruit makes for a great upside-down cake, and at Thanksgiving, that just happens to include cranberries. Their tartness pairs perfectly with the sugary caramel topping, and it’s so pretty on a dessert table. Serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.”

This recipe proposes a challenge for me, as I normally avoid sugar and use stevia instead. But the caramel topping requires the real deal: caramelized sugar. One option is to use less caramelized sugar. I do this by mixing the stevia with reduced amount of sugar and place in the buttered pan. The cranberries and then batter are added on top. While baking in the oven, the sugar will caramelize – it just won’t be as much caramel as when using all sugar (no stevia) – and the stevia adds more sweetness’.

I’ve converted this to pre-soak version of the cake batter, but include a non-presoak version after the presoak version. For a presoak, you need 2 cups of acidic liquid (yogurt, buttermilk, etc) per 3 cups of flour; the result will be soft and sticky. (Soured milk is fresh milk with a bit of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar added, just enough to thicken it). See Pre-Soak flour for more detail.

Cranberry Upside-Dpwn Cake, Presoak Method

Ingredients & Equipment

• Pre-soak of flour in cake:
• 1 – 1¼  cup whole wheat pastry or whole spelt flour (note: if use spelt, you will need 3 – 4 tsp less spelt in the next-day step)
• 3 Tbsp unsalted melted butter
• ¾ – 1 cup buttermilk or soured milk
• Next Day, Cranberry topping:
• 4 Tbsp (½ stick) unsalted butter
• ¼ –  tsp stevia extract powder plus ¼ cup Rapadura or Organic brown cane sugar (OR  ¾ cup Rapadura/Organic brown cane sugar)
• 9 0z (2 ⅔ cups) fresh cranberries (or thawed frozen cranberries)
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• Batter:
• ½ cups unbleached white flour  (or less if using spelt)
• 2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt
• 2 eggs, separated
• scant ½ tsp stevia extract powder plus 2 Tbsp Rapadura or white cane sugar (OR 1 cup Rapadura or white cane sugar and no stevia)
• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• ½ cup fresh whole milk (preferably raw or pasteurized, but NOT ultra-pasteurized)
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• For Serving:
• heavy cream
• sugar
• vanilla or orange liqueur
• Equipment:
• Medium mixing bowl (for pre-soak)
• pastry fork or cutter
• Small mixing bowls (for cranberries, whipping egg whites, and whipping cream)
• Large mixing bowl (for batter)
• Hand-held electric mixer
• Wooden spoon
• 9″ round cake pan (pyrex or ceramic)

Method

1. Presoak: Melt 3 Tbsp of the butter and stir into whole grain flour in large bowl. Then cut in remaining 5 Tbsp butter. Stir in buttermilk/soured milk. If batter is too runny, add up to 3 Tbsp flour, 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring well between additions.
2. Press oiled parchment or waxed paper against the surface and cover bowl with a towel. Let rest on counter overnight.
3. Next Day, Topping and Cake:
4. If using stevia, mix it with the smaller amount of sugar in a small bowl with a whisk; you want it to be evenly distributed through the sugar
5. Melt butter in cake pans. Sprinkle sugar (or sugar-stevia mix) over butter.
6. In a small bowl, combine cranberries and orange juice. Toss to coat berries well, then spread berries evenly in pan, and sprinkle with any juice remaining in bowl. Set pan aside.
7. Cake batter: Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
8. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into small mixing bowl and set aside.
9. If using stevia, dissolve it in the vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.
10. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar just until whites are stiff enough to hold a slight peak and set aside. I use a hand-held electric mixer for this, but don’t wash the beaters until after using them in the next step.
11. Cream butter with sugar until pale, light and fluffy with hand-held mixer.  Add vanilla (with stevia, if using), and beat in egg yolks one at a time, scraping bowl once or twice.
12. Stir egg yolk mixture into soaked flour mixture with the sifted dry ingredients.
13. Fold whites into batter ⅓ at a time.
14. Spoon batter into prepared pan, spreading it evenly over cranberries.
15. Bake in preheated oven until top is browned and cake pulls away slightly from edges of pan, 25 to 35 minutes. (Use the tooth-pick test to make sure it’s completely baked; it should come out clean, with no streaks of batter.) Let cake cool for 15 minutes before turning onto cake plate.
16. To serve: Whip heavy cream until desired texture. Add a bit of sugar (1 tsp or less) and some vanilla or orange liqueur and stir to combine. See Whipped Cream for more detail. Then serve with the cake.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake: Standard Method (no pre-soak)

• Topping:
• 4 Tbsp (½ stick) unsalted butter
• 1¼ tsp stevia extract powder plus ¼ cup Rapadura or white cane sugar (OR ¾ cup sugar and no stevia)
• 9 0z (2 ⅔ cups) fresh cranberries (or thawed frozen cranberries)
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• Batter:
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ cup unbleached white flour
• 2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt
• 2 eggs, separated
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ tsp stevia extract powder plus 2 Tbsp Rapadura or white cane sugar (OR 1 cup sugar with no stevia)
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• ½ cup fresh whole milk (preferable raw or pasteurized, but NOT ultra-pasteurized)
• Equipment:
• Small mixing bowls (for cranberries, whipping egg whites, and whipping cream)
• Large mixing bowl (for batter)
• Hand-held electric mixer
• Wooden spoon
• 9″ round cake pan (pyrex or ceramic)

Method:

• Oven: Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Topping: If using stevia, mix it with the smaller amount of sugar in a small bowl with a whisk; you want it to be evenly distributed through the sugar
• Melt butter in cake pans. Sprinkle sugar (or sugar-stevia mix) over butter.
• In a small bowl, combine cranberries and orange juice. Toss to coat berries well, then spread berries evenly in cake pan, and sprinkle with any juice remaining in bowl. Set pan aside.
• Batter: In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into small mixing bowl and set aside.
• If using stevia, dissolve it in the vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.
• Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar just until whites are stiff enough to hold a slight peak and set aside. I use a hand-held electric mixer for this, but don’t wash the beaters until after using them for the egg yolks.
• Cream butter with sugar until pale, light and fluffy, using the same hand-held electric mixer. Add vanilla, and beat in egg yolks one at a time, scraping bowl once or twice.
• Add flour mixture alternately with milk, ending with dry ingredients. Set batter aside.
• Fold whipped egg whites into batter ⅓ at a time. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and spread it evenly over cranberries.
• Bake until top is browned and cake pulls away slightly from edges of pan, 25 to 35 minutes. (Use the toothpick-test to make sure it’s completely baked; it should come out clean, with no streaks of batter.)
• Let cake cool for 15 minutes before turning onto cake plate.
• To serve: Whip heavy cream until desired texture. Add a bit of sugar (1 tsp or less) and some vanilla or orange liqueur and stir to combine. See Whipped Cream for more detail. Then serve with the cake.

References:

1. Gretchen McKay for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: post-gazette.com/life/food/2016/11/16/Cranberried-secrets-Try-a-slump-crisp-or-cheesecake/stories/201611160001
2. Gretchen McKay’s Blog on cranberries: gretchenmckay.com/?p=1831