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Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Coffee Cake

This Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Coffee Cake is light and moist. Baked upside down with a cranberry pecan topping that is infused with a brown sugar and butter sauce. Flip it over for a beautiful and tasty breakfast treat or dessert!

Slice of Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Coffee Cake on white plate on wood counter with red napkin.

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This Upside Down Coffee Cake is a delicious holiday treat that can be served for breakfast, brunch or dessert. The cake is moist and flavorful and the cranberry, pecan, butter, brown sugar topping takes it next level! 

All cranberry lovers will be excited to see this impressive, made from scratch cake on the menu.

Other cranberry recipes to try include these Cranberry Banana Muffins and Cranberry Pecan Muffins.

Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Coffee Cake on a white cake pan with icing drizzled on top.

If you need more holiday dessert ideas here are a few favorites to try!

Ingredients

See printable recipe card below for specific measurements and complete instructions.

Topping Ingredients

light brown sugar
unsalted butter
dried unsweetened cranberries
chopped pecans

Cake Batter Ingredients

unsalted butter
granulated sugar
eggs
vanilla extract
Greek plain yogurt
all purpose flour
baking powder
baking soda
ground cinnamon
salt

All Ingredients to make coffee cake on counter ready to use.

How To Make Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8 or 9 inch cake pan with a non-stick spray. For easier removal you can also line the bottom with parchment paper.

Make The Topping

Add the dried cranberries to a small bowl and fill with hot water. Soak them for 10 minutes then drain the water. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a small saucepan melt 5 Tablespoons of butter and stir in 2/3 cup of brown sugar.  Once melted and combined, pour the mixture into the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Cover the bottom with the cranberries and pecans. Set aside.

Make The cake

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and mix in the vanilla. Alternating with the sour cream, mix in the flour mixture a little bit at a time.

The batter will be thick. Spoon the batter over the topping layer and carefully smooth to the edges.

Bake

Bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. I used an 8 inch cake pan and it took 60 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then place a plate on top and carefully flip the cake over onto the plate.

If any topping is left behind just spoon it onto the top of your cake before it cools.

This cake is best served warm.

Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Cake on cake stand Drizzled with icing.

Frequently Asked Question

Do I need to soak dried cranberries before baking?

Yes! Add the dried cranberries to a small bowl filled with hot water and soak them for 10 minutes to plump and rehydrate.

How do you make an upside down cake not stick?

To keep the topping from sticking, prepare your pan by greasing the bottom or you can line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with non-stick spray.

Helpful Supplies and Tools

Here are a few items that I recommend and use in my kitchen that are helpful when baking and cooking. (Affiliate links).

  • This 3-piece Pyrex Mixing Bowl Set is regularly used in my kitchen. I highly recommend them.
  • If you need a new mixer this Hamilton Beach Electric Hand Mixer is a great one for the price and it has a handy snap-on storage case. I use it in my kitchen.
  • This Heat Resistant Silicone Spatula Set works great for scraping sauces and mixing batters. They come in 6 different color options.
Slice of Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Coffee Cake drizzled with icing on white plate.

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I hope you enjoy this Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Coffee Cake! If you try this recipe, please come back and rate it and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from you!

Slice of Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Coffee Cake on white plate on wood counter with red napkin.

Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Coffee Cake

Author: Judy Wilson
This Cranberry Pecan Upside Down Coffee Cake is light and moist. Baked upside down with a cranberry pecan topping that is infused with a brown sugar and butter sauce.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Greek plain yogurt
  • cups all purpose flour
  • teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Topping

  • cup light brown sugar
  • 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
  • ½ cup chopped pecans

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8 or 9 inch cake pan with a non-stick spray. For easier removal you can also line the bottom with parchment paper.
  • Add the dried cranberries to a small bowl and fill with warm water. Soak them for 10 minutes then drain the water. Set aside.
  • Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • In a small saucepan melt 5 Tablespoons of butter and stir in 2/3 cup of brown sugar.  Once melted and combined, pour the mixture into the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Cover the bottom with the cranberries and pecans. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and mix in the vanilla. Alternating with the sour cream, mix in the flour mixture a little bit at a time. The batter will be thick. Spoon the batter over the topping layer and carefully smooth to the edges.
  • Bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. I used an 8 inch cake pan and it took 60 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then place a plate on top and carefully flip the cake over onto the plate. 

Notes

If any topping is left behind just spoon it onto the top of your cake before it cools.
The nutritional information provided is approximate and should only be used as a general guideline. It is an estimate that will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Did You Make This Recipe? Please Rate, Comment & Share. Thank you!
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Recipe Rating




Christie

Saturday 6th of May 2023

Cake ingredients say 1 butter. 1 what? Stick? Cup?

Judy

Saturday 6th of May 2023

Hi Christie, Thank you for catching that. I have updated the recipe card. It is 1 stick unsalted butter.

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