Cranberry Upside down Cakes with Pastry Chef Andreja Juknevicius

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Chef Andreja Juknevicius

These individual cakes are perfect for the holiday season. Not only are individual cakes more special – they are easy to make!

I chose to showcase these tart jewel-like berries because I find that they are underrated in the baking world. In addition to being red and festive, they are inexpensive, readily available and lend a wonderful tartness to make this dessert not overly sweet. If you are not a fan of cranberries, you may interchange them for any other berry such as raspberries or blueberries or even with diced up apples or pears with a pinch of cinnamon.

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Cranberry Upside down Cakes

Makes 12 individual cakes

2 cups frozen cranberries
3 Tbsp butter
⅓ cup sugar
1 cups all purpose flour
⅓ cup ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
⅓ cup softened butter
¾ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract

  1. Preheat oven to 350° and generously butter the muffin pan.
  2. In a frying pan or saucepan over medium to high heat, combine the cranberries, butter and sugar and cook until the liquid from the cranberries reduces and gets syrupy. Approximately 7-10 min. Let cool.
  3. Divide the cranberries evenly between the greased muffin pan.
  4. Measure dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
  5. In separate bowl, cream the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until fluffy and combined.
  6. Whisk in the eggs one at a time.
  7. Whisk in the sour cream, vanilla and almond extract.
  8. Stir in the dry ingredients all at once, until combined.
  9. Using a spoon, divide the batter evenly between the muffin pan.
  10. Bake for 10-12 min or until the centre is springy to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.
  11. Let cool in pan. Using a small knife, cut around the edges to loosen the cake. Turn muffin pan over and the cakes should come out of the pan.
  12. Dust with icing sugar before serving for a snowy touch.

About Andreja

Andreja Juknevicius is a Pastry Chef based in Toronto. After graduating from University, she followed her passion for baking and studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France. Her experience includes working at a top pastry boutique in Paris, as well as creating dessert menus for some of the finest restaurants in the city.