Cranberries are good for more than just sauce! This cranberry pecan upside down cake proves that with it’s sweet tart flavor that is perfect for Thanksgiving!
Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Cake

So apparently being pregnant really is like having an alien take over your body, but MOSTLY your taste buds.

I know this because I have not craved a single sweet thing…in FIFTEEN PLUS WEEKS. That’s a record you guys. Up from my past sweet craving interval record of 15 SECONDS.

Should I be alarmed?

Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Cake

Apparently sweet-tart is okay though, because this cranberry pecan upside down cake hit the spot this past weekend. Like, bull’s eye, on the dot.

Sure, the cake base is sweet and cinnamony and tastes a heck of a lot like a snickerdoodle (be still, my heart!!) thanks to International Delight’s Frosted Sugar Cookie Creamer, but it is offset by a lovely tart melted cranberry-pecan topping that will convince you that using cranberries for any other recipe (I’m looking at you, sauce) instead of this is just a crying shame.

It’s also a really great not-pie recipe that still embodies all of the flavors of fall and Thanksgiving for those of us who just don’t feel like messing with pie crust in the next week. I was able to whip together the batter and get it into a pan within 15-20 minutes, which is probably a world record for me, and which is definitely a plus when you’re also tasked with making six billion other things for The Big T-Day.

Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Cake

Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Cake
 
Cranberries are good for more than just sauce! This cranberry pecan upside down cake proves that with it's sweet tart flavor that is perfect for Thanksgiving!
Yield: 1 8-inch cake
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1¾ sticks (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
  • 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans
  • 2 cups of cranberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not thaw)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup International Delight Frosted Sugar Cookie Creamer
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan. Set aside.
  2. In a a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a medium saucepan, melt 6 tbsp of the butter over medium heat. Stir in 6 tbsp of the sugar and bring to a boil, stirring, allowing the sugar to dissolve. Pour the butter mixture into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the pecans and the cranberries evenly over the butter in the pan. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the remaining butter with the remaining sugar until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes on medium-high speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix until just combined. Add in the creamer or milk, mixing until the batter just comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the remaining flour mixture until just combined. Pour the cake batter over the cranberries and pecans in the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula.
  5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and run a blunt knife around the sides of the pan to release the cake. Turn the cake out onto a serving platter, scooping any berries that remain stuck to the cake pan back onto the cake. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 slice

This post was sponsored by International Delight®. As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. For more International Delight inspiration, follow them on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram! And make sure to sign up for the International Delight Newsletter to keep up with new products, offers, and recipes!

Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Cake

This conversation is sponsored by International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

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25 Responses to Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Cake

  1. What a gorgeous color! I bet the cranberries and pecans are perfect together.

  2. what? the baby has a savory tooth….well, it means more sweets later for mama 🙂

  3. The cake looks really really moist and I really love that gorgeous festive colour.

  4. No sweet cravings? I feel like I don’t even know you anymore;-) good thing this cake made the cut, it sounds amazing!

  5. This cake is beautiful! Plus, I love the use of cranberries in something that isn’t sauce.

  6. Heather says:

    I had mostly savory cravings with both of my babies! I always think it’s fun to hear what different women craved during their pregnancies because it’s often so different.

  7. Erica says:

    I love upside down cakes and the use of cranberry for one is so smart. My roommate makes a mean cranberry cake so I’ll have to forward this over to her since she will absolutely love the recipe. Also still SO MANY CONGRATS on the baby 🙂

  8. sandra says:

    I am not sure that this means the baby doesn’t like sweets. I was craving sweets during my pregnancy and my , while he does love sugar, is more of a salad guy…

  9. I didn’t have any weird food changes while pregnant, including sweets. Which is probably why I gained so much weight. Consider your lucky! Love this cake!

  10. What a cool use of creamer! Love this cake- such an awesome flavor combo 🙂 Pinning!

  11. Lynn says:

    Wow – that’s beautiful.

  12. Hotly Spiced says:

    I love an upside down cake and this is really pretty. I remember eating so many sweet things when I was pregnant and normally I don’t crave sweet things at all. When I was pregnant with Alfie I used to do swim squads and almost next door was a cake store. I’d pull in there on my way home and buy doughnuts and cream buns and custard squares! xx

  13. Wow, I ALWAYS have sweet cravings. I’m not sure I want to get pregnant :p But this looks so good!

  14. This recipe is perfect for the busy holiday season!

  15. Anne says:

    I’m pretty sure this could (and WILL) pass as coffee cake the morning after Thanksgiving

  16. grace says:

    you disappeared from my feedly for some reason, but i’m so glad something made me think of you and check your blog because this is terrific! i love upside down cakes and this one is perfectly festive.

  17. Haha seriously every friend I’ve known to be pregnant talks about their baby inside as an alien or parasite. It’s comical and I’m sure some people would be offended to hear them say that but people need a sense of humor sometimes. Anywho this cake looks beautiful. Such a festive color.

  18. Jessie says:

    Give it a few more weeks and you’ll want sweet again 🙂 In the meantime, this cranberry pecan cake is so delicious and festive!

  19. P says:

    What? No sweet cravings at all? Good thing Thanksgiving is pretty much 80% savory and 20% sweet…but I think this no-sweet-craving-phase will be an issue if it persists throughout the holidays 😉

  20. It’s a real novelty having fresh cranberries in the UK as they aren’t available in Australia. So, this is just the thing to indulge my cranberry interest 🙂

  21. Sarah says:

    Gorgeous cake Joanne! Love this 🙂

  22. Zainab says:

    All I had was sweet cravings but it was shocking since I wasn’t a dessert person in the first place. But sweet and tart I can get behind. Gorgeous cake!

  23. Johanna GGG says:

    pregnancy is weird how it turns your tastebuds upside down – I went off sweet foods too (even chocolate which is crazy) but this looks so full of fruit that it sounds just what you need!

  24. Kelly says:

    I was the same way when I was pregnant with my first and only wanted savory. I wouldn’t have been able to turn down this cake though – it’s gorgeous 🙂 I can’t get enough of cranberries right now!

  25. This sounds amazing Joanne, can’t wait to try it this week! We want to wish you both a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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