Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Cranberry~Almond Upside-Down Cake

Thanksgiving (in the United States) is just 2 days away and I'm still deciding on the desserts I will make.  I love cranberries or as we called them growing up, "bounce berries!"  We're so very lucky in the Pacific Northwest that they are grown locally...Oregon, to be exact.  The color and flavor of fresh cranberries far exceeds the ones that are packaged back in September or early October and shipped to the grocery stores.
I came across this recipe in the December 2012 Wholeliving magazine as a food gift to give to friends, which I love doing.  In addition to cranberries, it also caught my attention because it calls for ground almonds, so it makes this recipe Gluten-free; something a lot of my friends have to adhere to.
The only change I made was in the pan I baked them in--it called for 3" x 6" loaf pans, but I used my multi-mini loaf pan which is 2 1/2" x 4", so I was able to get eight cakes.  More to give or eat!!

Cranberry~Almond Upside-Down Cake

2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (about 10.5 oz)
2T granulated sugar 

4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla (+I used 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped)
 
2 cups almonds, toasted and ground
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Measure the 2 cups of almonds and toast them for 5 minutes.  Allow to cool, then grind in the food processor (being careful not to turn them to almond butter!) or use a nut grinder, which is what I did.
Rinse cranberries under cold water and take out any that are spoiled.
Place cranberries and the 2T sugar in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring until cranberries begin to pop--about 6 minutes.
 Melt about 2 Tablespoons of butter and brush the mini loaf pans (you could also use a muffin pan). Divide the cranberry mixture among the openings.
In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the vanilla and beat once more.

Mix the baking soda and salt in the ground almonds, then, add to the bowl and stir to incorporate.  Scoop the mixer over the cranberries and gently smooth the tops with an offset spatula.  
Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until a tester, inserted in the middle, comes out clean--for the size specified by the recipe it was 30 minutes.  However, for my mini loaf pan, it only took 16 minutes.  For muffins, you will have to test.

Let cool slightly, then place a parchment-covered rack over top and invert pan.  Allow to cool completely before wrapping up the individual loaves.
These were a "test" and I will be dropping them off to a couple of friends today, but when I bake them for our dinner, I'm thinking some homemade vanilla (or even better egg nog) ice cream might be a nice accompaniment--what do you think?  Enjoy!
 

23 comments:

  1. Well you had me at 'cranberries'!!! These not only sound good but look beautiful! What a fun gift for friends and neighbors!

    hugs, Linda

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    1. It will had that little bit of special to my cookie boxes this year in addition to just wrapping these up alone, XOXO

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  2. I bake with a lot of almond flour for my grand daughters. One has eczema, which gets really bad when she has gluten. This sounds wonderful.

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    1. I think having a gluten-free dessert is a good idea for Thanksgiving to balance all the "bread" we eat! These are really good...I had to taste:-D

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  3. I think homemade egg nog ice cream would be yummy with this tea bread. I've only had the cranberries from the grocery--so I bet the really fresh ones are better. What a lovely gift for friends and neighbors at Christmas! I love your mini loaf pan Susan--you have the best kitchen items. xoxo ♥
    Martha Ellen

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    1. The loaf pan is from King Arthur Flour and has proven to be one of my most useful pans. It's especially nice since it's just the two of us to "freeze" the them for another time. Happy Thanksgiving, dear friend to you and your family, XOXO

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  4. I adore cranberries! I don't know that I've ever had fresh ones, but they look so delicious. xoxox

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    1. I know the Ocean Spray brand are good, but once you've had them fresh, you never go back! Happy Thanksgiving, Love you, Me

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  5. I eat craisins in my oatmeal every day for breakfast. They are wonderful in all sorts of things. I don't think I have ever eaten a fresh cranberry in my life. They have always been the bagged ones at the grocery store or canned. I don't know that I can even find a fresh cranberry!

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    1. I believe you can re-hydrate dried ones and use as if they're fresh. XOXO

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  6. Yes, please. :) I'd love one of these after dinner tonight! I'm also beginning to embrace almond flour, which is a great change up to regular flour. These mini cakes are lovely and so beautiful! Lv, me

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  7. I just made these and they turned out great!!! I went right by the recipe except that I used stevia in place of the sugar in the almond batter. Also, on the butter, I used 4 Tbsp, which is 1/2 stick----I assumed you meant to put 1/2 instead of 1. Must have been right since they turned out fine. Thanks for the yummy recipe!!!

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    1. Thanks,Susan for catching that typo; you're right 1/2 stick! I've not used Stevia, although I've heard it bakes as well. Double thanks for that, XOXO

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  8. That looks great. I love cranberries. Sounds like a weekend project! Thanks for sharing. How is your new roommate?

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    1. Thanks Bonnie. We actually don't get her until December 11th. I'm flying to Missouri to pick her up and can't wait!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Love, XOXO

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  9. Those cakes look yummy–what a nice food gift idea!

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    1. I thought the same thing:-D Happy Thanksgiving, XOXO

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  10. so festive susan, i love those little individual pans, i'm thinking how much my guys would too! we have fresh cranberries at whole foods, i'll try to get over there after work tommorrow so i can make this!

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    1. I wish we lived closer and we could celebrate Thanksgiving together, XOXO

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  11. How wonderful to have fresh cranberries! I used to make cranberry bread that was delicious. I don't bake as much now but this would be one of my favs! Happy Thanksgiving, my friend!

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  12. Wowsers, Susan. Those look delectable. And egg nog ice cream? mmm mmm mmm

    I wish you and your sweet family a blessed Thanksgiving. May your special "angel" look down on all of you and put in a good word for you, too!

    I count myself as very lucky to have you as a friend. Susan

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  13. These flourless upside down cakelets look droolworthy!
    Don't see fresh cranberries over here, but I guess other berries will work too.

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