offcntr | Just desserts (Reply)

Every year, I'd bake a pie for Thanksgiving. Usually apple, sometimes black/blueberry, occasionally pecan. Never pumpkin; I hate the taste and the texture. Nasty.

And every year, we'd end up so stuffed with turkey and sides that there'd be no room for pie before, oh, breakfast the next morning. And no room in the fridge for the leftovers, so by the time we got around to finishing it off, we'd have to look out for blue spots--mold--under the crust. Yuck.

So this year, I decided to try something different. I somehow ended up with a two-pound bag of cranberries from the Grocery Outlet (or Groce Out, as we fondly refer to it), so decided to divert some of them from sauce to make something completely different.

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake.

I've got a very good recipe for Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake, and I figured, Cranberries are just as tart, right? So I did a straight substitution on a half-recipe. And it turned out wonderful.

Here's the recipe:

Base:
1-1/2 cups cranberries (I used fresh, but I think frozen and thawed would work even better)
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Cake:
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
7/8 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk

Thoroughly grease an 8" square cake pan. Butter or shortening is best. I used pan spray and got some stickage in the middle of the pan. Spread the cranberries evenly in the pan, then the sugar. (Here's where I think frozen and thawed would put out more juice to dissolve the sugar. Will have to try it sometime.)

Cream the shortening and sugar and beat in the egg. Whisk together dry ingredients, then beat into shortening mixture, alternating with milk. When completely combined, beat another two minutes on medium-low. The batter will lighten up and gain in volume. Spread evenly over cranberry/sugar mixture, covering completely.

Bake 35 minutes at 350° F. Remove from oven and sprinkle a little powder sugar over top. Let stand for 5 minutes, then loosen the edges with a knife and turn over onto a plate or platter. (I happen to have this square hand-built plate that's the perfect size.) Cool a little before serving--sugar on top will be hot!