ALICE WATERS'S CRANBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Alice Waters's Cranberry Upside-Down Cake image

This recipe requires a little extra effort - you have to whip the egg whites separately and then fold them into the batter - but the reward is a light, ethereal cake topped with glistening, caramelized cranberries. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, and prepare yourself for accolades.

Provided by R. W. Apple Jr.

Time 1h

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
9 ounces (2 2/3 cups) fresh cranberries
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare topping: Put butter and brown sugar in a 9-inch round cake pan, and put it in the oven. As the sugar dissolves, stir to distribute the mixture evenly over the pan. When the sugar starts to caramelize, remove pan from the oven and allow to cool.
In a small bowl, combine cranberries and orange juice. Toss to coat berries well. Spread berries evenly in pan, and sprinkle with any juice remaining in bowl. Set pan aside, and prepare the cake batter.
To prepare batter: In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar until pale, light and fluffy. Add vanilla, and beat in egg yolks one at a time, scraping bowl once or twice. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, ending with dry ingredients. Set batter aside.
Using electric mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar just until whites are stiff enough to hold a slight peak. Fold whites into batter 1/3 at a time. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and spread it evenly over cranberries. Bake until top is browned and cake pulls away slightly from edges of pan, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cake cool for 15 minutes before turning onto cake plate. Serve with slightly sweetened whipped cream, flavored, if desired, with orange liqueur.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 432, UnsaturatedFat 6 grams, Carbohydrate 62 grams, Fat 19 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 5 grams, SaturatedFat 12 grams, Sodium 193 milligrams, Sugar 41 grams, TransFat 1 gram