Mini Cranberry Chocolate Upside Down Cakes

Makes 24 Mini Cakes

Cranberry Layer:

• 1 (roughly three cups) bag fresh cranberries (or frozen)

• 11 Tbsp unsalted butter

• 1 1/3 cup dark brown sugar

Devil’s Food Cake Layer (adapted from Dori Greenspan):

• 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup dark cocoa (now available in your local grocery)

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp fine sea salt

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• ½ cup dark brown sugar

• ¼ cup vegetable (or canola) oil

• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• 2 tsp vanilla paste

• ¾ cup buttermilk

• ½ cup steaming hot coffee

1)     Spray two muffin tins with baking spray (two dozen muffins)

2)     Melt the 11 Tbsp butter and 1 1/3 cup dark brown sugar in a saucepan, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and the mixture is smooth.

3)     Divide the butter/sugar into the muffin tin – roughly 2 tsp per muffin.

4)     Layer the cranberries over the butter/sugar (about 6-7 per muffin).

5)     Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

6)     Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, sea salt and cinnamon.

7)     In a standing mixer, cream together the 6 Tbsp butter and the two sugars until smooth. Slowly pour in the oil and mix on low speed until fully combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time. Then the vanilla.

8)     With the mixer on low, alternate adding the dry mix and the buttermilk:  1/3 dry, ½ buttermilk, 1/3 dry, remaining buttermilk, remaining dry.

9)     Finally, again with the mixer on low, slowly add the steaming hot coffee until the mixture is smooth and silky and shiny.

10) Add the batter to the muffin tins, filling them 2/3 of the way full.

11) Place a sheet of parchment paper on two baking sheets.  Place each muffin tin on a baking sheet and put them in the preheated over to bake. (The parchment lined sheets will protect your oven floor if the butter mixture begins to boil over)

12) Bake 20-25 minutes until the tops are mounded and firm to the touch.

13) Remove the cakes from the oven and cool the tins on a wire rack for five minutes.  Run a small knife around the edges of each cake and then invert the tin onto a baking sheet.

14) Dust the cool cakes with confectionary’s sugar (if desired) before serving.

Hint:  This recipe will also work with one box chocolate cake – substitute coffee for the required water to complete the box cake recipe