Pumpkin Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
My son’s viola teacher, Sandra, asked for advice regarding traditional Thanksgiving family fare. The next thing I knew, she had given me a copy of a recipe for Pumpkin Cranberry Upside-Down Cake featured in Sunset Magazine’s November 2007 issue. I made several changes to it, most notably removing the sugar, dairy and gluten and was pleased with the results.
This dessert is a rich, moist cross between a pumpkin cake and a pumpkin pie. Perfect for that post-Halloween, pre-Thanksgiving time of year. Try it on a windy day with a warm cup of tea.
Pumpkin Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
Cranberry Mixture
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted
- ½ cup agave nectar or honey
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or palm shortening
Cake
- 3 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
- ½ cup agave nectar or honey
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups fresh baked pumpkin (learn how to roast pumpkin in 10 easy steps!)
Instructions
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Line an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with a piece of parchment paper (use scissors to cut to size)
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In a medium bowl, combine cranberries, walnuts, agave and grapeseed oil (or shortening)
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Pour cranberry mixture into lined baking dish
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In a large bowl, stir together almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
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In a vitamix, combine oil, agave, eggs and cooked pumpkin; blend on high speed for 30 seconds or until smooth like pudding
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Stir wet ingredients into dry
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Pour batter evenly over cranberry mixture
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Bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes
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Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes
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Run a knife around the edge of the baking dish, then place a large plate over the cake and invert cake and plate together
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Remove the baking dish from the cake and then peel off the parchment paper
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Allow to cool to room temperature and serve
Equipment
Be forewarned, this may be the most complicated recipe I have posted to date. Even saying the multi-syllabic name of the recipe is work. The most challenging part in making this fall comfort food is getting all of the ingredients together. After that, it’s really just a quick three step process.
Thus far, this gluten free, dairy free, naturally sweetened pumpkin cake appears to be a big hit with young and old. My little boy and his friend Leo recently devoured half the cake in one afternoon.
