Julie Clark
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Cranberry Upside Down Cake
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Fluffy, white, from-scratch Cranberry Upside Down Cake recipe has chopped pecans and a simple powdered sugar glaze. This makes an easy holiday breakfast or dessert!
If you’re crazy about pineapple upside down cake, why not give this homemade Cranberry Upside Down Cake a try? Although the cake is from scratch, you’ll find that the cake batter is easy to mix up and ends in a fluffy, delicious cake with a tender crumb.
Move Over Pineapple…Cranberry Upside Down Cake is Here
I just shared our newest orange cranberry cake and you all are loving it, so I’m adding another cranberry cake to turn your world upside-down.
There’s nothing like flipping a dessert over for a beautiful presentation. From shirley temple bundt cake to sticky buns and even upside down apple pie, it’s just so fun to flip!
This cranberry upside down cake is very similar to a pineapple upside down cake. The fruit filling goes on the bottom and the cake batter bakes on top. Then after baking, the cake flips over to showcase those beautiful red berries on top. Perfect for the holidays.
Instead of fresh cranberries, this cake uses cranberry sauce to keep the filling quick and easy. Make our homemade whipped cream with heavy cream to dollop on the top of the cooled cake.
Love cranberries? Try our frozen cranberry dessert, cranberry cream cheese bars, cranberry orange muffins and cranberry pecan bread.
Enjoy! -Julie
Ingredient Notes
- The cranberry sauce calls for lemon juice. Use a fresh lemon for the juice (and add the zest for an extra pop of flavor). Or if you love cranberry orange flavor, use fresh orange juice and zest.
- Don’t want to use canned whole berry cranberry sauce? Try our fresh cranberry sauce recipe and use it in this cake.
- Don’t love nuts? Feel free to leave out the pecans.
Before you bake.
It can be scary to make cakes that are supposed to cleanly flip out of the pan. If you grease the cake pan, you should have no trouble with this recipe.
If you want to fool proof the cranberry cake, line the cake pan with parchment paper or even aluminum foil before layering the sauce and cake batter. Then it will be even easier to remove.
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Fluffy, white, from-scratch Cranberry Upside Down Cake recipe has chopped pecans and a simple powdered sugar glaze. This makes an easy breakfast or dessert!
Servings 9
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
For the cranberry sauce:
- 14 ounces whole cranberry sauce
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
For the cake:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup 2% milk
- 1 large egg
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Generously spray the bottom of a square 8-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. A 9-inch pan will work as well, but the cake will not be quite as thick.
- In a small bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, sugar, lemon juice and pecans. Mix well. Pour the cranberry mix into the prepared pan, then dot it with butter. Set aside. 14 ounces whole cranberry sauce, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, ¼ cup chopped pecans, 1 tablespoon salted butter
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, butter, milk and egg. Blend at low speed, then beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅓ cup salted butter, ½ cup 2% milk, 1 large egg
- Spoon batter over the topping in the prepared cake pan and spread to the edges of the pan to cover.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top center springs back when you touch it. Cool cake for 30 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert the cake to a serving plate.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Top with additional pecans if desired. 1 cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons 2% milk
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The cake also freezes well for up to 6 weeks.
The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 9 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Vitamin C: 1.6mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1.1mg
