Here I have adapted my gooseberry upside-down cake to make a cranberry version - a perfect fruity pudding for Christmas Eve or Boxing Day especially as the cranberries are so readily available at this time of year. I make it in my mother’s tarte tatin dish, but a 20cm cast-iron (straight sided) frying pan is just as good. Best served warm.
The topping – 50g butter, 150g caster sugar, 175g cranberries
The sponge – 125g butter, 125g self-raising flour, 125g caster sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp cinnamon, pinch of salt, 1-2 tbsp milk
Preheat the oven to 180ºC
Start with the topping.
Melt the butter in the tarte tatin dish over a medium heat. Stir in the caster sugar and allow it to dissolve before adding the cranberries. Gently coat the cranberries in the sugary mix making sure they are in an even layer.
Turn off the heat.
For the sponge, mix together the flour, cinnamon and salt and set aside. Cream the butter and caster sugar together, then add the eggs one at a time alternating with the flour mixture. Add a little milk to loosen the mix slightly and pour this slowly and carefully over the cranberries.
Place it in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. It is ready when the cake has risen and is beginning to shrink back from the edges. Take it out of the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Put your serving plate upside down on top of the tin and turn over - be careful as it will be hot! Then simply lift off the tarte-tatin dish and it's ready to serve. Best with ice cream or crème fraiche.
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