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Home/Autumn Leaves/Spiced Pumpkin Sour Cream Upside-Down Coffee Cake

Spiced Pumpkin Sour Cream Upside-Down Coffee Cake

A wonderfully moist, tender, open-textured coffee cake with a baked-in topping of caramelized cranberries and hazelnuts. The entire cake is redolent with warm spices, fresh ginger, and orange.

Spiced Pumpkin Sour Cream Upside-Down Coffee Cake | LunaCafe

I planned to post Friday night, so that you could have the pleasure of baking this cake over the weekend and perhaps serving to family or friends, but mea culpa, mea culpa, the texture of the cake was not responding to my tender-loving intention and attention. It was okay but not memorable. And who wants to spend a weekend morning baking a just okay cake? Not me and certainly not you. Weekends are for spectacular baking, and I wanted this cake to be just that.

Thus, Saturday morning, I was up early baking the fourth attempt, after creating a recipe grid comparing the ingredient proportions of  a dozen pumpkin cake renditions from reliable sources (A Passion for Dessertsby Emily Luchetti, Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country’s Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe by Rebecca Rather, and Baking with Julia Savor the Joys of Baking with America’s Best Bakers by Julia Child, to name a few, plus every version of “vegetable” cake, bread, and coffee cake I have ever created.

Perhaps I should mention that I created hundreds of cake recipes over my culinary career, especially during the years I was a freelance writer for Cooking Light Magazine and Oxmoor House Publications. For some reason, they liked to throw me the dessert assignments. Thus, the difficulty getting this particular cake right caught me by surprise.

The texture I was aiming for is open, moist, tender and not too dense. The addition of solid pack pumpkin tends to produce a dense cake, so the amount has to be moderated to allow the pumpkin flavor to come through, without weighing down the structure of the cake. (In my early attempts, I added too much.)

I started testing using oil, hoping for a fast and easy muffin-method quick bread but after tasting a couple of renditions, moved to butter and the creaming method, which is more typical for cakes. It’s hard to beat the taste of unsalted butter.

Spiced Pumpkin Sour Cream Upside-Down Coffee Cake | LunaCafe

I created a version using a small amount of molasses, which was delicious, but the pumpkin flavor was obliterated, so that went into the “develop later” recipe folder. Because I began this exploration with the idea of pumpkin with sour cream, I stayed with sour cream throughout the testing, although other acidic dairy products, such as buttermilk or yogurt, should also work here. The spicing is traditional pumpkin pie-with vanilla, orange, and fresh ginger added for good measure.

I did achieve, finally, a proper balance between the flour, sugar, eggs, fat, and total liquid (including the pumpkin), in large part due to the ratios so clearly presented in Shirley Corriher’s inestimable contribution to the world of fine baking, BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes.

Thus, this cake now has a wonderful texture. As the final step, to take the flavor over the top, I added the cranberry and hazelnut topping, which is Delicious with a capitol D. You really have to make this cake. Yes. You. Soon. Make this cake.

Oh gosh, I haven’t even mentioned the Spiced Apple Cider Caramel Sauce, which now has a post of its own. I made a double batch last week and am now pouring it over everything. Don’t you just love fall?

Spiced Pumpkin Sour Cream Upside-Down Coffee Cake | LunaCafe

Spiced Pumpkin Sour Cream Upside-Down Coffee Cake with Caramelized Cranberry Hazelnut Topping and Orange Cream

A wonderfully moist, tender, open-textured coffee cake with a baked-in topping of caramelized cranberries and hazelnuts. The entire cake is redolent with warm spices, fresh ginger, and orange. This cake stays moist for days if covered tightly with plastic wrap. It is unlikely to last that long, however.

Cranberry Hazelnut Topping
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups fresh, whole cranberries (if frozen, thaw)
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and coarsely chopped

Pumpkin Cake
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1½ teaspoons nutmeg
1½ teaspoons allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
1 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup whole milk
½ cup unsalted butter, cool room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs, cool room temperature, lightly beaten
1 scant cup pumpkin puree (½ 15-ounce can)
1½ teaspoons vanilla

Accompaniments
Spiced Apple Cider Caramel Sauce
Orange Cream (recipe below)
coarsely grated zest of orange

  1. Butter and lightly flour ( or spray with an oil plus flour baking spray) a 10-inch diameter, 3-inch deep, 10- to 12-cup capacity, nonstick, plain (no decorative shaping) coffee cake pan. (Nordic Ware makes this baking pan.)
  2. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 350°.
  3. To make the topping, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, cranberries and hazelnuts. Spoon into the bottom of the coffee cake pan and use a flexible spatula to distribute evenly.
  4. To make the cake, in a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt. Whisk thoroughly for at least 30 seconds to completely distribute the leaveners. Stir in the orange zest and grated fresh ginger. Reserve.
  5. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream and milk until smooth. Reserve.
  6. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and sugars together at medium speed until creamy and pale, scraping the sides of the bowl several times, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, incorporating well after each addition.
  7. Add the pumpkin, a spoonful at a time, mixing briefly between additions, just to incorporate. The batter will break at this point and look curdled. Don’t worry, in this batter, it is not a problem.
  8. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream and milk mixture, adding the final third of the flour last. Mix for a few seconds longer to ensure that all ingredients are incorporated. Remove the paddle attachment and finish the batter by folding it several times with a large flexible spatula. The batter should now look creamy and stable.
  9. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and level the top with a flexible spatula.
  10. Bake in the lower third of a 350º oven for about 50 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean but moist. If the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, pull the cake quickly out of the oven. Ideally, you want to pull the cake before this occurs. Over baking will cause the cake to be dry. The center temperature of the cake should read close to 210º on an instant-read thermometer and no higher.
  11. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes only.
  12. While the cake is still warm, turn it upside-down onto a serving platter. If some bits of cranberry and nuts cling to the pan, simply scoop them out with a flexible spatula and add them back to the top of the cake.
  13. Serve while still warm with Apple Cider Caramel Sauce, Orange Cream, and a sprinkle of orange zest.

Makes one 10-inch coffee cake; serves 8-12.

Spiced Pumpkin Sour Cream Upside-Down Coffee Cake | LunaCafe
Orange Cream

2 cups very cold heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
3 drops orange oil

1. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the cream, and powdered sugar to the mixing bowl and mix at medium high speed until soft peaks are formed.
2. Add the orange oils and continue mixing at a slower speed until firm peaks are just formed.
3. Remove the whipped cream to a bowl or pastry bag fitted with a flower tip and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Makes 2 cups.

Copyright 2008 Susan S. Bradley. All rights reserved.

Written by:
Susan S. Bradley
Published on:
October 28, 2015

Categories: Autumn Leaves, Cakes, Cranberries, Desserts, Hazelnuts | Walnuts, Holiday, Pumpkin, Pumpkin DessertTags: Apple Cider, apple cider caramel, cake, caramel, coffee cake, Cranberries, dessert, hazelnuts, pumpkin, pumpkin cake

About Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sabrina

    October 29, 2015 at 11:41 pm

    What a bright and colorful coffee cake! Looks delicious!

  2. Marlynn

    October 29, 2015 at 8:39 pm

    Ooh this is fall on a plate. What a wonderful combination of flavors and textures in one dish!

  3. Laura

    October 29, 2015 at 5:02 pm

    This looks awesome! I think pumpkin cakes are quite tricky, just because pumpkin can be so moist. Sometimes the resulting cake is almost gooey and no in a good way/ Great job!

  4. Laura

    October 29, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    Every aspect of this cake has me drooling. I love cranberries and with orange cream sauce in an upside down cake – whoa! I’m with you on knowing full well that this cake might last for days in a technical sense, but realizing that it would never last in my house long enough to test that.

  5. Kacey

    October 29, 2015 at 11:41 am

    In all the years I have been baking cakes, I have yet to make a coffee cake!! I know! I actually do not own any funky pans like yours but I keep saying I will add one to my Xmas list. Maybe then I can try this delicious cake!

  6. Rachel Lloyd

    October 29, 2015 at 10:40 am

    I love the look of upside-down cakes. It’s as if you’ve slaved away in the kitchen to make this beautiful cake, but really they are pretty simple! What a great fall recipe.

  7. Alisa Fleming

    October 29, 2015 at 10:34 am

    Wow, what an amazing melange of flavors Susan! I love how thick the batter is, too – that usually means a more fulfilling crumb rather than just fluffy cake.

  8. Marye

    October 29, 2015 at 9:50 am

    This sounds so good! I would love a piece to enjoy with my coffee!

  9. Erin

    October 29, 2015 at 9:39 am

    This looks like the perfect Fall recipe! Pumpkin, cranberries, orange zest – I can just smell it baking now!

  10. Erin Mckalip

    October 29, 2015 at 9:35 am

    That is a great idea. I hadn’t thought of doing an upside down cake for pumpkin. That caramelized nut cranberry topping sounds fantastic. I was just thinking how I need to make my dad a birthday cake and like going the seasonal route – this might do the trick!

  11. allie

    October 29, 2015 at 8:29 am

    Gorgeous cake Susan! I would love to taste this. You are such an inspiration, thank you.

  12. Meredith {MarthaChartreuse}

    October 29, 2015 at 8:21 am

    It really looks like this has been a favorite of your readers for years! This would be so lovely for a holiday brunch.

  13. Darlene

    January 11, 2012 at 11:09 pm

    This is the best Pumpkin Sour Cream Coffee Cake ever.

  14. Cindy

    October 16, 2011 at 9:05 am

    Is there a mistake with the topping? Mine was swimming in butter when I turned it out of the pan. The bottom, then top, of the cake was not cooked. Managed to salvage by putting back in the pan and cooked for 15 more minutes.

    • Susan S. Bradley

      October 23, 2011 at 4:47 pm

      Cindy, I checked the recipe, and there is no mistake. The butter and sugar should have turned to caramel and thus thickened, as shown in the pictures. Did you use the suggested toothpick test or internal temperature test to determine if the cake was done? It sounds as though undercooking was the problem. You might want to check the temperature of your oven with a free standing temperature gauge.

  15. italian cooking

    May 31, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    Best cooking information.

  16. French Press

    February 25, 2010 at 8:36 pm

    This looks absolutely delicious! I am printing out this page right now so I can make this soon!
    .-= French Press´s last undefined ..Response cached until Sat 27 @ 4:28 GMT (Refreshes in 23.90 Hours) =-.

  17. Matt

    December 22, 2009 at 4:45 pm

    Mmmmmm cranberries. Living in Oregon when ever we head over to the coast we always pick up all kinds of cranberry products. Now we have a new recipe to try with them. Thank you.

  18. Jeanne

    January 24, 2009 at 7:21 am

    thank you so much for this recipe! It is a 10! I rarely give anything a 10. I did do a couple of things different. changed the hazelnuts to walnuts and used buttermilk instead of the sour cream and milk. this will be a regular thing at our house.

    • sms bradley

      January 24, 2009 at 10:52 am

      Wow, a 10, thank you, Jeanne! I have to say that I think this cake is sensational too. It was one of the blog’s very early posts so it didn’t get enough attention me thinks. I’ll point folks to it again in the fall. Your substitutions sound spot on. Darn, I wish I had a piece of this cake right now. 🙂

  19. smsb

    November 26, 2008 at 8:48 pm

    Thank you Lena! 🙂

  20. Lena

    November 26, 2008 at 5:12 pm

    Your blog is gorgeous! Lovely pictures.

  21. smsb

    November 19, 2008 at 12:17 am

    Joanne, I’m glad you bring this up. My recipe is a bit long, so I will post it under the Basics tab at the top of the blog and title it Cranberry Garnishes. The recipe contains directions for sugared cranberries and caramelized cranberries. Both are easy to make.

    Gorgonzola Cream Cheese mixture? That sounds so good!

  22. joanne

    November 18, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    i am looking for a process called “carmelized cranberries? to top a gorgonzola/cream cheese mixture…i don’t know how to carmelize cranberries, can you help me…thank you…

Trackbacks

  1. Spiced Apple Cider Caramel Sauce says:
    September 23, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    […] love this distinctive, unusual caramel sauce. It was included as part of the Spiced Pumpkin Sour Cream Upside-Down Coffee Cake post, but was unfortunately buried at the end. It deserves a home of its own, so that folks […]

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Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy. Read More…

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