Recipe: Upside-Down Coffee Cake

Looking for a last minute piece of deliciousness to add to your Easter brunch menu? This lovely coffee cake recipe is by far the best I've found. It's incredibly moist, unlike many coffee cakes I've sampled, and gets rave reviews anywhere it's served. And the left overs are just as scrumptious. Yum!

image found here

Ingredients you'll need:

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

 Then here's what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap the outside of a 9 inch springform pan with aluminum foil to prevent leaking. (It's important to wrap it well all across the bottom. You might also want to put a cookie sheet on an oven rack under the cake pan to catch any drips.) Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar and 1/3 cup butter. Bring to a boil, then pour into bottom of springform pan. Sprinkle with cranberries and pecans. (I make mine without the pecans.)
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto serving platter and carefully remove pan. Serve warm. 

You can certainly use other fruit besides cranberries, but I've found it to have the best flavor. I use whole cranberries that I bought in Bayfield and froze, which wouldn't be all that different than using the whole ones found in the frozen fruit section at your grocery store. I haven't tried using dried cranberries, but if you do want to go that direction, make sure you let them soak in a bowl of really hot water for about 15 minutes first so they get nice and plump.

Not sure what a springform pan is? The first time I came across one for a recipe back in college, I had to call my grandma to get an explanation, so don't feel bad. It's a round pan with a latch on the side that makes it easy to release a cake. (Available at Target or Michaels or anywhere else you can buy regular cake pans.) They are often used when making cheese cakes. If you don't have one, experiment with something else. Even if it falls apart while you're getting it ready to serve, it will still taste amazing. Yes, I know such things from experience.

a springform pan

And that is that! Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!

Recipe originally found here.