Apple-Cranberry Upside Down Cake, Our Favorite Recipe of 2014

Apple-Cranberry Upside Down Cake took the, well, the cake!  It is especially great topped with whipped cream and even more decadent with a drizzle of some bourbon sauce.  Happy baking!

Cake for hundreds at the 2014 KS Wild fundraising dinner.

Apple-Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated - now an AZ Catering Original Recipe © 2014

Will make 12 large portions (cut 3 x 4) or 15 smaller portions (cut 3 x 5). 

Ingredients

12 Tbs. Butter

2 c Brown sugar

3 lb Granny Smith apples

2 Tbs. Lemon juice

1 lb Cranberries

3 c Flour

1 Tbs. Baking powder                                                  

1/2 Tbs. Table salt

2 c Sugar

1 c Brown sugar

6 Eggs

18 Tbs. Butter, melted

1 ½ c Sour cream

1 Tbs. Vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spray 9 x 13 pan extremely well
3. Prep fruit: 
1. Halve apples from pole to pole.  Remove cores and stems etc.  Cut ½ the apples into ¼” thick slices; set aside.  Cut remaining apples into ½” thick slices.
2. Heat butter in skillet.
3. Add ½” thick apples and cook, stirring 2 or 3 times, until apples begin to caramelize, 4-6 minutes.  Do NOT fully cook apples.
4. Add ¼” slices, brown sugar and lemon juice; continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and apples are coated, about 1 minute longer.
5. Transfer apple mixture into prepared pan.  Press lightly into an even layer along with cranberries.
4. Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt); set aside.
5. Whisk white and brown sugars together.  Add eggs and whisk well, until thick and homogeneous.  Slowly whisk in melted butter until combined.  Add sour cream and vanilla; whisk until combined.
6. Add flour mixture to wet and whisk until just combined.
7. Pour batter evenly over fruit in pan.  This insures the fruit will stay in a layer on the bottom of the pan and not mix into the batter.
8. Bake until golden brown, about 30-45 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, or with very few crumbs.
9. Cool pan on rack for 20 min.  Run paring knife to loosen sides.  Invert cake.  Let cool 20 min.
10. Cut into pieces and serve.