Cranberry Upside-Down Cake With Ginger and Orange
Shreyat is a chef and recipe developer based in Goa, India, with a passion for creating wholesome, approachable recipes inspired by global flavors and fresh, seasonal ingredients.
- Dessert
A whole-wheat holiday bake sweetened with honey, at 179 calories a slice.
This cranberry upside-down cake is a whole-wheat holiday bake that comes in at 179 calories a slice. Dried cranberries soften in orange juice and honey into a sweet, slightly tangy topping, which sits in the bottom of the tin while the cake bakes and becomes the top once you turn it out. The cake underneath is whole-wheat flour, warmed with ginger and cinnamon and lifted by fresh orange zest. Greek yogurt keeps the crumb moist and olive oil keeps it tender, which leaves just one tablespoon of butter in the whole recipe, and that goes into the topping. It cuts into eight slices and holds for four days in the refrigerator.
Why This Works
The dried cranberries are where the technique lives. Simmering them in orange juice rehydrates fruit that would otherwise stay tough through the bake, and the honey and butter stirred in afterward turn the liquid glossy enough to set as a proper topping instead of soaking down into the crumb. Whole-wheat flour brings fiber that a white-flour cake does not, though it also drinks more liquid, which is why the batter is worth checking before it goes in the tin. Greek yogurt earns its place twice over, adding a little protein while keeping the crumb moist against a flour that tends toward dryness. At 179 calories a slice with honey rather than refined sugar doing the sweetening, this sits closer to a tea cake than a celebration cake.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories | 179 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 4g |
| Carbs | 27g |
| Fat | 6g |
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Topping:
| Dried cranberries | ½ cup |
|---|---|
| Fresh orange juice | 3 tbsp |
| Unsalted butter | 1 tbsp |
| Honey | 2 tsp |
| Orange zest | ½ tsp |
| Ground ginger | ⅛ tsp |
| Thin orange slices (optional) | 1–2 |
| Water | 1–2 tbsp, as needed |
For the Cake:
| Whole-wheat flour | 1 cup |
|---|---|
| Baking powder | 1 tsp |
| Baking soda | ¼ tsp |
| Salt | ⅛ tsp |
| Ground ginger | ¾ tsp |
| Ground cinnamon | ½ tsp |
| Large egg | 1 |
| Honey | 2 tbsp |
| Plain Greek yogurt | ¼ cup |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp |
| Fresh orange juice | 2 tbsp |
| Milk | ¼ cup |
| Orange zest | 1 tsp |
| Vanilla extract | ½ tsp |
Step-by-Step Instructions
1 Heat the oven
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 6-inch round cake tin and line the base with parchment paper.
2 Make the topping
Simmer the dried cranberries with the orange juice for 5 to 8 minutes until softened, adding the water a tablespoon at a time if the pan runs dry. Add the butter, honey, orange zest, and ginger, and stir until glossy.
3 Line the tin
Arrange the optional orange slices in the bottom of the tin and spread the cranberry mixture over them.
4 Mix the dry ingredients
Combine the whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon in a bowl.
5 Mix the wet ingredients
In another bowl, whisk the egg and honey. Add the Greek yogurt, olive oil, orange juice, milk, orange zest, and vanilla.
6 Combine and fill
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Pour the batter over the cranberry topping and spread it evenly.
7 Bake
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8 Rest and invert
Rest the cake for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a serving plate. Remove the parchment and let it cool before slicing.
Notes & Tips
- What is an upside-down cake? A cake baked with its topping underneath. The fruit goes into the bottom of the tin, then you pour over the batter, and then you turn it over after baking, so the fruit ends up on top, already glazed by its own syrup.
- Can you use fresh cranberries instead of dried? This recipe is built around dried cranberries, which soften into a jammy layer. Fresh cranberries release far more liquid and are much sharper, so they would need their own sugar and a different simmer.
- Why did my upside-down cake stick to the tin? Usually it cooled too long before being turned, which lets the syrup set like glue. Rest it for 10 to 15 minutes and no longer, and line the base with parchment every time.
- How long does upside-down cake keep? Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Bring it back to room temperature before serving.
- Sweetener swap. Pure maple syrup works in place of the honey in both the topping and the cake.
- Already-sweetened cranberries. If yours are sweetened, reduce the honey in the topping to taste.
- Orange slices. Keep them thin and remove any seeds, which turn bitter in the bake.
- Batter consistency. Whole-wheat flour absorbs liquid differently depending on the brand. If the batter is too thick to spread, loosen it with a little milk.
Shreyat is a chef and recipe developer based in Goa, India, with a passion for creating wholesome, approachable recipes inspired by global flavors and fresh, seasonal ingredients.
