Pumpkin Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Cake

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Pumpkin Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Cake

This week is one of my favorite weeks of the year. Thanksgiving is all about the food. And football. And family. And friends. It doesn’t get much better than that.

This cake can make Thanksgiving even better for you. I made this the other night and I had to literally put it away so I wouldn’t eat the whole thing. It’s absolutely amazing. It combines all my favorite Thanksgiving flavors with the pumpkin cake topped with a caramel/pecan/cranberry topping. And it is one of the easiest desserts to make ever. If you need a dessert for Thanksgiving, definitely give this a shot.

We loved it so much I will be making it again. Twice in one week. I never repeat recipes, let alone in the same week. Seriously, it’s that good.

One Year Ago: Thanksgiving Two-Fer Bars and NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two Years Ago: Oreo Brownies and Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Pumpkin Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Cake

Yield: 8-10

Ingredients:

8 ounces (2 sticks or 16 Tbsp) unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups cranberries
4 ounces (1 cup) coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
6 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line the bottom of a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.

Melt the butter in a small saucepot over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and whisk until smooth.

Pour the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of the cake pan.

In a medium bowl combine the cranberries and pecans. Place them in the pan over the brown sugar mixture.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree and oil.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Carefully spread the batter over the cranberry pecan topping.

Bake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.

Cool the cake for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Place a large plate or platter on top of the cake. Invert the cake and plate together. Remove the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.

Recipe from Martha Stewart

I’m using this cake as my monthly What’s Baking challenge. Be sure to check out Catherine’s blog for the roundup later this month.

Cakes, Dessert

13 comments »

19 Responses to “Pecan Pie Cookies”

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Carrie — October 19, 2009 at 12:25 pm

Wow those look awesome, I am going to have to add these to my cookie idea list which seems to be never ending
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Crystal — October 19, 2009 at 2:38 pm

These look delicious! I will have to try them. I have a recipe for pecan pie cake. It’s quick, easy and tastes just like pecan pie.
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3

Joe — October 19, 2009 at 5:36 pm

There is nothing better than a perfect pecan pie. These look great and really easy.
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4

stephchows — October 19, 2009 at 7:59 pm

perfect for a pecan pie addict!
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gaga — October 19, 2009 at 8:55 pm

These are such a great idea! One of my favorite pies is pecan, but I can never finish a whole slice because it gets too disgustingly sweet. These are perfect bite-size versions, I love it!
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Stephanie Wagner — October 19, 2009 at 9:38 pm

So thoughtful! My dad loves pecan pie, I’ll have to make these for his birthday this winter.
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Kat — October 20, 2009 at 12:18 am

What a great way to have pecan pie in moderation :). Sometimes I find pecan pie too sweet so the cookie base is a nice change.
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Jigginjessica — October 20, 2009 at 12:31 pm

These look and sound really great! I think these would be a perfect dessert addition to my families Thanksgiving!
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nutmegnanny — October 21, 2009 at 4:05 am

These looks great!
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Mansi — October 21, 2009 at 7:15 pm

I make these too, aren’t they simply delicious! loved your pic!:)

btw, they’d be perfect for my sweet celebration contest I’d be glad if you could send them in for my blog event!

I’off to check out your giveaway:)
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thereddeer — October 24, 2009 at 12:56 am

Yum! My hubby loves pecans so I might have to give these a try one day 🙂
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Amethyst — October 25, 2009 at 4:04 pm

These are perfect to add to my cookie bags for holiday gifts! Thank you for sharing!
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Tami — November 4, 2009 at 4:17 am

I love pecan pie so I can’t wait to try these little gems. 🙂
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How To Eat A Cupcake — November 4, 2009 at 3:04 pm

I totally saw the write up about Baking Gals in Taste of Home! I was so excited! 😉
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Tami — November 12, 2009 at 3:54 am

I made these this week for the Clean Plate Club Cookie Carnival. They’ve become a family favorite! Oh my are they good!!
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Tari McDonald — November 27, 2009 at 8:57 pm

Jen, you left a comment on my blog asking if I chilled my dough when I made these cookies (responded on my blog, but I’ll do it here, too!). I didn’t chill the dough, altough I think I will last time. Some of my cookies spread too much just making it following the recipe. Thanks for sharing and submitting it for the cookie carnival!
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booksncooks — December 11, 2009 at 2:37 am

You saved me this weekend – after being unable to find an ingredient for another recipe, I was in a jam, as all the desserts for my holiday party this weekend had chocolate in them. I remembered I had flagged these cookies to try out – I’ll be making these tomorrow night. Thanks!
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Shannon Pivetta — November 11, 2013 at 11:28 am
Does anyone know if these freeze well?
- beantownbaker — November 11th, 2013 @ 9:09 pm
  
  These freeze really well. I’m actually making a batch tomorrow night to freeze until Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Cake