Cranberry Upside Down Cake (2024)

By: April Woods On: 12/24/18 • This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Cranberry Upside Down Cake is only two basic ingredients and is a beautiful and simple recipe for your holiday dinner menu.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake – what do you do when cranberry sauce and cake mix go on sale at the same time? Well you make this cake, of course.Serve it alongside more holiday favorites like roasted red potatoes, dutch oven mac and cheese, and of course the best prime rib roast recipe ever.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Cranberry Upside Down Cake Ingredients

• Vanilla cake mix – batter prepared per box directions.
• Whole berry cranberry sauce – I do not suggest using the jellied version of cranberry sauce as you will not get the same result. You can use canned or home made cranberry sauce.
• Glaze ingredients – Whole milk, melted butter, real vanilla extract, powdered sugar

How Do You Make Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Preparing the Cake

⭐ First, dump cranberry sauce into a bowl and give it a good mash (this is a great step for little helpers). You just want to break it up a bit so it’s not so can-shaped.

⭐ Next, pour mashed cranberry sauce into greased baking pan and spread it about evenly. Do the same for the cake batter, right over top of the cranberry sauce.

⭐ Then, bake at until a toothpick comes out clean and place on a cooling rack.

⭐ Finally, when cooled, turn out onto a cake platter.

Preparing the Glaze

First, combine milk, butter, and vanilla in a bowl or small cup.

Then, pour the liquid slowly into the sugar, stirring constantly until desired consistency is reached. I like mine thick, but maybe you like a more drizzly drizzle?

Finally, drizzle glaze over cake and allow it to set before serving.

Tips and Tricks

🍰 If you use a bundt cake pan for your cranberry upside down cake, I strongly suggest a pan release with flour in it. You can easily make our three ingredient cooking spray alternative.

🍰 Or you can cheat and buy a pan release spray at the market. Just make sure it’s one that contains flour!

🍰 To make the cake taste more like a bakery cake, make these easy changes to the batter: substitute the oil for melted butter, the water for whole milk, and add an extra egg!

More Cake Recipes

• Chocolate Overload 5 Layer Cake – Start with a box cake mix, and finish with a glorious tower of chocolaty cake goodness.
• Easy Cinnamon Mug Cake – Careful, this cinnamon mug cake is ridiculously easy and ridiculously delicious. And you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry!
• Spiced Apple Cider Cake – Top this spiced apple cider cake with some salted caramel frosting and don’t share.
• Salted Caramel S’mores Cake – I don’t know which I like more, eating this cake, or torching the marshmallows on top!
• Candy Bar Stuffed Texas Sheet Cake – Who’s still got a bag of candy bars in the back of the cabinet from Halloween? /raises hand/ This candy bar stuffed cake is the perfect way to finish them off!
• Strawberry Poke Cake Recipe

Cranberry recipes to try next

• Homemade cranberry sauce recipe
• Slow cooker apple butter with cranberries
• White chocolate oatmeal cookies with cranberries
• Goat cheese and cranberry ball
• Steak salad with dried cranberries

More Holiday Recipe Ideas

• Scalloped Potatoes and Ham Recipe
• Ham in the Crock Pot
• Baked Macaroni and Cheese
• Creamy Mashed Cauliflower