Pumpkin Cranberry Upside Down Cake is a delicious, lighter choice for a fall cake.
If you’re looking for something a little different to bake as a fall dessert, this Pumpkin Cranberry Upside Down cake might be just the treat you’re looking for. It’s a little bit lighter cake with not much fat added in, and it’s lower in sugar than most cakes too. Upside down cakes are so pretty with beautiful fruit displayed on top!
Ingredients needed:
- butter and canola/vegetable oil
- brown sugar
- fresh cranberries
- toasted chopped almonds (it’s okay to leave out the nuts, if desired)
- eggs
- pumpkin purée
- all purpose flour
- sugar
- baking powder/cinnamon/salt
How to toast almonds:
Toast almonds in a heated skillet by spreading the almonds in the skillet over medium-heat and stirring them often until they are aromatic and lightly browned. Move the toasted almonds to a paper towel or cutting board to cool so they don’t continue to cook in the skillet. Alternately, you can toast almonds in the oven. At 350 degrees F., spread almonds on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes (stirring often) until golden brown. Again, move them to a neutral surface to cool completely.
How to make Pumpkin Cranberry Upside Down Cake:
You’ll begin by putting melted butter into the bottom of a square baking pan. Then you’ll sprinkle in brown sugar and then the cranberries and toasted almonds. Then you’ll spoon the pumpkin cake mixture on top of the cranberry mixture. At this point, the cake is ready to bake for about 45 minutes.
After cooling for 10 minutes, you’ll take a platter and place it (inverted) on top of the pan. Then you will carefully flip the platter and the pan over and slide the cake onto the platter. When you do this, you will see all of those wonderful cranberries and toasted almonds on top of the cake.
Here’s a close-up peek at what this Pumpkin Cranberry Upside Down Cake looks like. Brown sugar and butter are nestled in there to turn tart cranberries into a sweet and gooey topping.
With this dessert, you’ll get a layer of pumpkin cake with sweetened cranberries and almonds baked into the top. It’s like having a little bit of cranberry relish built into your pumpkin cake.
What to do with leftover cranberries:
Freeze them! Fresh cranberries freeze nicely, and they last for several months (I’ve kept them as long as a year in my freezer!) Just place them in a freezer zip baggie to store. You can also store the whole bag of cranberries (in its original bag) in the freezer.
Look at that tender pumpkin cake- it’s so good. Enjoy!
Here are a few more upside down cake recipes you might like to try:
- Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake
- Peach Upside Down Cake
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Upside Down Berry Cornmeal Coffee Cake
- Southern Upside Down Pecan Cake
- Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
- Chocolate Cherry Upside Down Cake
- Lemon and Blueberry Upside Down Cake
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Pumpkin Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- ½ cup chopped almonds, toasted
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin purée
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.
- Pour the melted butter into the pan, tilting to evenly cover the whole pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter.
- Sprinkle the cranberries and almonds over the brown sugar mixture.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, and oil.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture just until combined. Carefully spread the batter over the cranberry-almond mixture in the pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Place a large plate or platter on top of the cake. Invert, then remove the pan. Cool before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use almond flour or any other GF flour?
I have only tried this recipe using all purpose, so I’m not sure.