NANCY SILVERTON'S CRANBERRY-GINGER UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Nancy Silverton's Cranberry-Ginger Upside-Down Cake image

Provided by Marian Burros

Time 45m

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

1 3-inch knob of ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 cups white wine
8 ounces cranberries
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons maple sugar or dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons sour cream or crème fraîche, more for topping
4 egg whites
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Steps:

Make the topping: Slice ginger into 1/4-inch disks. Combine with cinnamon and wine, and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, add cranberries and let them soak until liquid cools. Cranberries should be slightly soft but not mushy.
In a 10-inch, oven-safe frying pan, heat butter with maple sugar, stirring mixture until it melts. Tilt pan to coat the bottom evenly; cool.
When maple-butter mixture is at room temperature, arrange drained cranberries in concentric circles in pan, starting in middle. There should be a single layer of cranberries. Set aside.
Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter, and beat in brown sugar until well mixed. In a second bowl, stir together yolks and molasses. In a third bowl, sift together flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.
Alternate adding dry ingredients and yolk mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
Dissolve baking soda in 1 tablespoon hot water. Stir into batter. Stir in sour cream.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until stiff. Whisk a third of the whites into batter; fold in remaining whites.
Spread batter in an even layer over cranberries. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, and allow to sit a minute or so. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and invert it onto flat serving platter. Serve immediately with a large dollop of sour cream or crème fraîch.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 291, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams, Carbohydrate 37 grams, Fat 13 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 3 grams, SaturatedFat 8 grams, Sodium 220 milligrams, Sugar 23 grams, TransFat 0 grams