Cranberry Orange Upside-Down Cake
This post may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.
This simple cranberry orange upside-down cake is a must make. Made with fresh cranberries that are cooked down into a syrupy sweet jam for the topping and a soft buttery orange cake, this is one fabulous dessert.
Want To Save This?
Cranberry Orange Upside-Down Cake
Upside-down cakes are the easiest cake you can make. They don’t require frosting and you can enjoy them while they are warm and the topping is gooey. One of my favorite versions of this cake is my spiced apple upside-down cake. Try it if you get a chance.
It’s the time of year where we put cranberries in all the things like cranberry orange sweet rolls, cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies, and cranberry gingersnap cookie butter. So why not put them in cake as well?
The cake begins with butter, brown sugar, and fresh cranberries. Butter is melted in down with brown sugar in a shallow pan then poured over fresh cranberries. As the cake bakes the cranberries will cook down with sugar syrup to form a thick layer of jam.
On top of the cranberries goes a luscious orange cake batter. The cake is flavored with orange zest and fresh orange juice. The orange juice acts much like buttermilk in making the cake super moist.
I’m certain you have made some version of an upside-down cake before. The first one I ever made was a classic pineapple upside-down cake. It used to be my favorite. The only cake I would eat for my birthday.
But now that I have a food blog, I enjoy experimenting with different versions. This cranberry orange upside-down cake is up there with the front-runner.
The topping reminds me of candied cranberries. It’s sweet but not overly sweet and there’s a slight tartness from the cranberries.
I went a little light on the sugar. But I like the tartness of fresh cranberries. Feel free to add more sugar if you want it sweeter.
The cake is splendid. It’s light, airy, sweet, with intense orange flavor. You can use fresh or packaged orange juice, but don’t leave out the zest. It’s a necessity.
The eggs are separated and mixed in at different stages. The yolks go in when you normally add the eggs to the cake batter. Then the whites are whipped up into stiff peaks and folded into the batter at the very end.
This is a little tip I picked up from Cook’s Country. The whipped egg whites produce a tender yet sturdy cake.
When it comes to inverting the cake, don’t wait for it to cool completely before doing so. But don’t do it right out of the oven either.
It will be hot and you risk burning yourself with the fruit layer. Wait for about 10 minutes. That seems to be the perfect amount of time for the topping to set but still release easily from the pan.
Cranberry Orange Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
For the topping
- 2 cups (200 g) fresh cranberries
- ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
For the cake
- 1 ¼ cups (162 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, separated
- ½ cup (120 ml) orange juice
Instructions
- Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly spray the paper with cooking spray.
Make the topping
- Arrange the cranberries evenly in the bottom of the pan; set aside.
- In a large nonstick pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Pour evenly over the cranberries; set aside.
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a whisk. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well mixed and fluffy.
- Beat in the orange zest and vanilla extract. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, until well combined.
- Reduce the speed to low, add half the flour mixture followed by the orange juice. Add the remaining flour mixture, mix until just incorporated.
- Add egg whites to a separate medium bowl. Using clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold stiff peaks.
- Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour the batter over the cranberry mixture.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Run a knife around the cake to loosen it from the pan and invert it onto a serving plate. Gently peel off the parchment paper if it sticks to the top of the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- The cake will keep for up to 2 days covered and stored in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
Adapted from Cook’s Country.
Beautiful cake! And I love the flavor combination of orange and cranberry. This cake would be perfect for the upcoming holiday season! I love that it’s an easy cake for busy bakers.
Love this upside down cake, Jen! It looks delicious and I love the gorgeous color! The cranberry and orange combo sounds just perfect!
Thanks, Kelly! Aren’t they the best?
This is just so creative! Cranberry and orange is my favorite fall combo!
It’s such a classic flavor combo. Thanks, Annie!
Such pretty pictures Jen!! Just as Manali said, Pineapple upside down is my favorite also! Double yayy for cranberry season..:)
I think pineapple is the best also! But it’s good to try something new once in a while. Thank you for the kind words!
Lovely pictures Jen. You bake such good looking cakes always!! And double yayy for cranberry season..:)
You’re so kind, Remya! Thank you.
I absolutely love upside down cakes, I think they are the best. Pineapple is my favorite but this sounds fantastic as well! lovely flavors!
Thanks Manali! I love pineapple too, but I’m always up for trying something different.
I haven’t ever made an upside down cake though I’ve eaten a ton of them but, I’ve never seen one with as gorgeous a topping as this has! Love the cranberries and juice as the topping and the orange zest in the cake!
Thanks, Shashi! They are so, so easy! You should give it a try.
Orange and cranberries are a match made in heaven. What a great recipe. And the cranberry red is such a beautiful color. Very tempting!
Thank you for the kind compliment, Amanda!
I LOVE pineapple upside down cake. I use that whipped egg white tip too – I think I saw it in Southern Living maybe. This orange cranberry combo is pure genius for an upside down cake!
Isn’t that such a great tip? I will never make cakes the same.
Love upside down cakes and this one looks divine!
Thanks, Julie!