Clementine Upside Down Cake

This might be the most tender cake we’ve ever made. We’ll show you how to assemble this stunning pastry, talk tips for getting your cake perfectly out of the pan, and let you in on our secret to boozy whipped cream.

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Clementine Upside Down Cake

Servings: 8–10

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Print the Recipe

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
  • 4 clementines, sliced into very thin rounds
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3⁄4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • Zest of 2 clementines
  • 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the Orange Liqueur Whipped Cream:
  • 1⁄4 cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur
  • 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Prep your pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Make fruit layer: In a saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar until bubbling. Pour into the cake pan. Arrange clementine slices over the sugar layer and scatter cranberries to fill gaps.
3. Mix the cake batter: In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl or stand mixer, rub clementine zest into the sugar. Add softened butter and cream until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
4. Bake: Pour batter evenly over the fruit in the pan. Bake for 45–50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert onto a plate. If not serving immediately, reheat at 300°F for 15 minutes before inverting.
5. Make orange liqueur whipped cream: Simmer liqueur, sugar, and water in a small pan until syrupy, about 3 minutes. Let cool. In a stand mixer, begin whipping cream and powdered sugar. Slowly drizzle in cooled syrup and whip to soft peaks, about 3 minutes total.
6. Serve: Plate warm cake slices with a generous dollop of orange liqueur whipped cream.

Homemade | homemadecooking.com