Cranberry Upside Down Cake

 

Topping

 ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

 4 Tablespoons (1/4 cup or ½ stick) unsalted butter

 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries I used 1# fresh

 

 Cake

  1¾ cups all purpose flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon ground ginger

  ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  Scant pinch ground cloves

  1½ cups sugar

   ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened plus more for buttering the pan

   3 large eggs

  1 Tablespoon orange zest

  1 teaspoon orange juice from fresh orange

   ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream

   ¼ cup of milk

9-inch cake pan with at least 2-inch high sides.  I used a spring form!

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch diameter cake pan.
  3. In a small saucepan, place the ¼ cup of butter and the ¾ cups of packed brown sugar. On medium high heat, stir the sugar as the butter melts. Once the butter is melted and mixed in well with the sugar, stop stirring and let the mixture simmer for 15 seconds or so.
  4. Pour the brown sugar butter mixture into the prepared cake pan. Spread the cranberries on top of the sugar-butter mixture.
  5. In a medium bowl vigorously whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
  6. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until light. Add the sugar and beat together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the orange zest.
  7. Mix a third of the dry ingredients into the mixture. Beat in half of the sour cream. Mix in another third of the dry ingredients. Mix in the remaining sour cream. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the milk.
  8. Pour batter over the cranberries in the cake pan, and smooth the surface. Place in the preheated oven and lower the heat from 350°F to 325°F. Bake until a tester comes out clean, 55 minutes to an hour. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, a rack for 10 minutes. Run a blunt knife around the inside rim of the cake pan to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Then turn the cake out onto a platter.