Cranberry-Raspberry Upside Down Cake

The color of this cake alone is enough to bring me great joy these days. It is snowing here in MN, which is a blessing and a curse. Snow is a blessing, because it brings new life to the cold and allows my boys to go snowboarding and sledding in the evenings. It’s also a beautiful blanket over all that was gray just yesterday. There is nothing worse than a winter in MN without snow. The cold, dark, seemingly endless season would be unbearable without it. The curse of snow, is that it is…well…cold and I am not a fan of cold. But, I digress.

The cake’s ruby top is a mixture of tart cranberries and sweet raspberries (my son’s suggestion, after tasting the ALL cranberry version, which he found too tart). The Raspberries both sweeten the cake and also creates a more luscious texture. I personally love the tartness of the cranberries alone, but they have so much natural pectin that the consistency was more like tight jam then I wanted. The cake underneath is rich with butter and almond flour. I served it with ice cream for dessert and then had it for breakfast the next morning with coffee.

Cranberry-Raspberry Upside Down Cake

24 ounces (6 cups) cranberries (fresh or frozen)

10 ounces (about 2 cups) raspberries (fresh or frozen)

2 cups sugar

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract – click here to make your own

3 eggs, room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup almond meal

1 cup buttermilk

To make the cake:

Grease an 8-Inch Springform Pan with butter and line with parchment

Preheat oven to 350°F

In a saucepan heat the cranberries and 3/4 cup sugar over medium heat, just until the cranberries start to burst and sugar melts.

Turn off the heat and stir in the raspberries.

Pour the berries into the prepared pan.

Mix the batter:

Cream together the butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar, zest and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 5-8 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, scraping after each. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and almond meal. Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mix to incorporate, then add half the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk. Mix just until it is all smooth.

Spread the batter evenly over the berries.

Place the pan on a baking sheet covered with foil, just in case the berry juices leak from the pan. Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes.