Cranberry Upside Down Cake

My cranberry hoarding resulted in a freezer bag of unused cranberries, and I wasn't sure what to do with them. So I tried this cake, and oh my. My husband says it's one of the best things I've ever made. I might agree. So yummy. Okay, but since cranberries have to be imported, they may not always be available. But, I think this would work equally well with frozen blueberries or blackberries or any other berries. And the cake was really simple to pull together. I made it in a cast iron skillet, but you could make it in a round cake pan too.

8 T. butter
1 c. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/3 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. milk

Butter your cake pan or skillet with 2 T. of the butter. Butter it well! Mix together 1/2 c. sugar and the cinnamon in a bowl. Then pour the cinnamon/sugar mix into the buttered pan or skillet. Tilt the pan till the bottom is covered evenly. Arrange cranberries in a single layer in the buttered, sugared pan. In a medium bowl, cream together the remaining 6 T. butter and 1/2 c. sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternating between the flour mixture and the milk, gradually mix both into the butter mixture. Mix well. Spoon batter over the berries and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.



After the cake is done, I let it cool for about 5 minutes before inverting it onto a cake pan.


Note: Clean up is pretty sticky, but I think it's worth it.

Blueberry Breakfast Bundt Cake

Yes, I'm a bit addicted to bundt cakes. I see a theme. I don't know what it is, but I love having a bundt cake under my glass cake plate on the counter. But, this one really is perfect for breakfast. We have out of town guests this week, and I made this a day ahead for breakfast. I'm sure it's even better warm, but it was incredible for breakfast. I will be making this again and again! Fwiw, this is a crumbly cake so best suited for breakfast and not one of those that you'd pack in a picnic. (I'm printing the original recipe from the internet, and making a note of my substitutes at the end.)


2-1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (substitute 1 c. milk plus 1 T. vinegar or lemon juice)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate (see below for substitute)
2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
3/4 cup oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, combine 2-1/4 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix well. Add eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and lemonade concentrate and beat well until combined. Stir in blueberries. Don't stir too much or your batter will turn purple!
In medium bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, 2/3 cup flour, and oatmeal and mix until crumbly.
Thoroughly coat the bundt pan with oil. Pour half of batter into pan and sprinkle with half of oatmeal mixture. Repeat layers, ending with streusel mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, cake is brown, and pulls away from edges of pan. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto cake plate. (If you allow it to cool too long, it will stick.) Serves 16.

Substitutions: No, I don't have frozen lemonade concentrate here so obviously a substitution was in order. I did, however, have a bottle of Nellie & Joe's Lime juice concentrate for key lime pies that I imported from the U.S., and that made a great substitution. Otherwise, I would just sub a bit of lemon juice...the kind from the little plastic lemon bottle. Or I would experiment with something else. Heck, I almost put 2 T. of peach vodka in there. There's always next time.

Rum Cake (aka...Jack Sparrow Cake)

So for my husband's birthday, I wanted a cake that was something different. (We're a little worn out on traditional birthday cake and frosting by the time his day rolls around.) And as shocking as it is, I'm actually a little tired of pumpkin this year. So this was a great change! Can't wait for the kids to go to bed tonight so we can sneak another piece...

2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar

4 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1/2 c. butter, cut into pieces

1/2 c. sunflower oil (or some other light oil)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1 package instant vanilla pudding (*see substutition below)

1/2 c. milk

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. milk

4 eggs

1/2 c. rum

Rum syrup:

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. water

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. rum

Combine flour, 1 1/2 c. sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in 1/2 c. butter with a pastry blender (or fork) till the mixture is coarse crumbly. Grease bundt pan with oil. Place chopped walnuts in bottom of bundt pan. Preheat oven to 180 C. Combine flour mixture with instant pudding powder or substitute. Add oil, milk, eggs, rum, and vanilla. Use wand blender or electric mixer and mix until completely smooth. Pour batter carefully into bundt pan on top of walnuts. Bake for 55 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the bundt pan. While cooling, combine butter, water and sugar in saucepan and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Syrup should thicken a bit. Remove from heat and add rum. Pour all of syrup over cake while it's still cooling in the pan. Allow to cool completly before removing from pan.

This cake is extremely moist and isn't easy to move once removed from pan so make sure to put it on the plate you want to serve on when you remove it from the pan.

*Substitution: Instead of instant pudding, I used instant "crema pasticcera" (il Molino brand). It comes 2 packets to the box, and I used one packet. Worked well.

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake

Well, this was my cake walk submission this year and probably what Scott will get for his birthday cake as well. Just one more recipe in my obvious obsession with pumpkin. For the spices, you can also substitute 2 t. of pumpkin pie spice.

3 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 c sugar
1 1/2 c butter, softened
6 eggs
3/4 c pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
3/4 c milk

Heat oven to 180 C. Combine flour, baking powder, spices, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Combine sugar and 1 1/2 cups butter in large bowl. Beat until creamy. Continue beating, adding eggs one at a time, until well mixed. Add pumpkin; continue beating until well mixed. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with 3/4 cup milk until well mixed. Spoon batter into greased bundt pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.

For icing: (lots of options here)
The easiest option is just to sprinkle the top of the cake with powdered sugar.

But for an icing, here's another option:
Combine powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons butter and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in small bowl. Glaze cooled cake.

Next time I may try the cinnamon or maple icing that I use on pumpkin scones for something different.

Tastes like birthday cake to me

I found this recipe in the Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook. The name of this cake is "hot-milk sponge cake"...which doesn't sound too appetizing to me. But, it looked easy, and I needed a quick cake for A's birthday. We loved it! It's moist and tastes more like an actual store-bought birthday cake than anything I've ever made. Next time, I may change the frosting to try a butter cream frosting, chocolate glaze, or some more typical birthday cake frosting. But, I will definitely make it again, and it was great with a scoop of gelato on the side.

1 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. milk

2 T. butter

Combine flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with a mixer on high speed for about 4 minutes until thick. Gradually add sugar and beat at medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes till light and fluffy. Add flour mixture, beat just until combined well. In a saucepan, heat and stir milk and butter till butter melts. Add to batter, beating till combined. Pour into a greased 9x9 square baking pan. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm or cool. Serves 9.

Frost with your favorite icing recipe or even a simple powdered sugar icing poured over.

Fleeta's Coca-Cola Cake

This is the cake Q requested for his birthday. I adapted it a little from a recipe that appeared in a novel, Milk Glass Moon by Adriana Trigiani. It's especially good served warm!!

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 c. coca-cola (reserve rest for icing)

2 sticks butter

3 T. cocoa

1 1/2 c. mini marshmallows

1/2 c. buttermilk (or plain yogurt without draining)

2 eggs, well beaten

1 t. baking soda

1 t. vanilla

pinch of salt

Haribo cola gummies for decoration (optional)

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in medium size mixing bowl. Set aside. In boiler, combine and heat butter, cocoa, Coca-Cola, and marshmallows until it begins to barely boil. Pour over sugar& flour and blend well. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes.

Coca-Cola Icing:

3 T. cocoa

1 stick of butter

6 T. Coca-Cola

1 pound powdered sugar (or 2 packets of powdered sugar)

1 t. vanilla

Combine butter, cocoa, and Coca-Cola in saucepan and bring to boil. Mix powdered sugar till it makes a thin paste, then drizzle over the cake while it's hot from the oven.

**Changes: For marshmallows, I use the pastel colored Haribo marshmallows and simply cut them into smaller pieces. And for the 1 pound of sugar, I use two of the powdered sugar packets.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Taken from Rosies' Bakery All-Butter, Fresh Cream, Sugar-Packed, No-Holds-Barred Baking Book...which I highly recommend!

3 c. flour
1 1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
8 oz. Philadelphia or any formaggio fresco
3 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla
6 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly grease a 10 inch tube pan with butter or oil. Sift flour and set aside. Cream the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in a medium sized bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture and mix on medium speed after each addition until blended, about 10 seconds. Scrape the bowl each time. When all the eggs are added, mix 30 seconds more.

Stir the flour gently into the batter. Mix on low speed for 5 seconds, scrape the bowl, and blend until the batter is smooth and even, 5 to 10 seconds.

Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake on center rack about 1 1/2 hours (or much less in a convection oven) till a tester inserted comes out dry. Allow cake to cool completely before unmolding and serving.

My personal notes: This cake is so moist and even better the next day and the next! Sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top for even more presentation. In the summer, I serve it with fresh strawberries or blueberries on the side. In the winter, it's perfect alone.