Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

I needed to bake something for a study group the other day, and was glad to have the excuse to make this cake.  I enjoy most anything with cranberries, and I'm always happy with a cake recipe that doesn't involve frosting--nothing against frosting, just not my favorite thing to make.  This cake is beautiful as well as delicious.  You can see a photo here--not the recipe I used, but comes out looking the same.

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

12 servings

from Cooking Light, November 2009

Topping:

cooking spray

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

2 T. butter

6 oz fresh or frozen, thawed, cranberries

Cake

1-1/2 c. all purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 c. granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 large egg yolks

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. skim milk (other milk also fine)

2 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350.

To prepare topping, generously butter a 9" round cake pan.  (If you have one with a slider, that will help get the cake out after it's baked.)  Heat brown sugar and 2 T. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook 2 minutes or until butter melts and sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.  Pour sugar mixture into prepared cake pan, tilting pan to coat bottom evenly.  Arrange cranberries evenly over sugar mixture.

To prepare cake, in a smaller bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir with a whisk.  In a larger bowl, beat sugar and 1/2 cup butter at medium speed until well blended and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Beat the egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form, using clean, dry beaters.  Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.  Spoon the batter over the cranberries, spreading evenly.  Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Cool in pan 15 minutes on wire rack.  Place a serving plate upside down on top of cake, and invert the cake pan onto the plate.  Let stand 5 minutes and remove the pan.  You can serve this warm, or wait until later.  Last year, I made the cake a day before serving.  I left it in the pan until ready to serve.