Pumpkin Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

My son’s viola teacher, Sandra, asked for advice regarding traditional Thanksgiving family fare. The next thing I knew, she had given me a copy of a recipe for Pumpkin Cranberry Upside-Down Cake featured in Sunset Magazine’s November 2007 issue. I made several changes to it, most notably removing the sugar, dairy and gluten and was pleased with the results.

This dessert is a rich, moist cross between a pumpkin cake and a pumpkin pie. Perfect for that post-Halloween, pre-Thanksgiving time of year. Try it on a windy day with a warm cup of tea.

Pumpkin Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

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1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted
½ cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

3 cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves

¼ cup grapeseed oil
½ cup agave nectar
3 eggs
2 cups fresh baked pumpkin (learn how to roast pumpkin in 10 easy steps!)

Line an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with a piece of parchment paper (use scissors to cut to size)
In a medium bowl, combine cranberries, walnuts, agave and grapeseed oil
Pour cranberry mixture into lined baking dish
In a large bowl, stir together almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
In a vitamix, combine oil, agave, eggs and cooked pumpkin; blend on high speed for 30 seconds or until smooth like pudding
Stir wet ingredients into dry
Pour batter evenly over cranberry mixture
Bake at 350° for 40 to 50 minutes
Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes
Run a knife around the edge of the baking dish, then place a large plate over the cake and invert cake and plate together
Remove the baking dish from the cake and then peel off the parchment paper
Allow to cool to room temperature and serve

Serves 24

Be forewarned, this may be the most complicated recipe I have posted to date. Even saying the multi-syllabic name of the recipe is work. The most challenging part in making this fall comfort food is getting all of the ingredients together. After that, it’s really just a quick three step process.

Thus far, this gluten free, dairy free, naturally sweetened pumpkin cake appears to be a big hit with young and old. My little boy and his friend Leo recently devoured half the cake in one afternoon.