Today’s  Secret Recipe Club post comes with a little good-news-bad-news.

Do you want the bad news first?

The bad news as that this post is the final Secret Recipe Club reveal day. I’ve spent 2 1/2 years with this wonderful group of people and I’m sorry to see it come to an end. I’ve made great friends, some even in-person! I know there will be other blogging opportunities that will cross paths with a lot of these wonderful bloggers.

Ready for the good news?

Today’s SRC post helps me kick of #CranberryWeek! Because I don’t want to steal the show from honoring my last SRC assigned blogger, I’ll delve into the brains behind #CranberryWeek tomorrow. (Hope you understand Caroline and Christie), but you can search #CranberryWeek to keep up to date and follow the #CranberryWeek Pinterest board for more cranberry inspiration.

I had no problem finding a recipe that would be the perfect kick-off to #CranberryWeek from my assigned blog this month. Heather of Join Us, Pull Up a Chair happens to love cranberries about as much as I do and my secret Pinterest board had 4 great contenders (and 11 non-cranberry recipes) saved to it! On the cranberry front I debated between Upside Down Cake, Shortbread Cookies, and Muffins. Heather’s Kung Pao Chickpeas and Hot & Sweet Chicken Thighs tempted my savory pallet.

So who is this Heather behind all of those delicious looking recipes? Heather is busy mom of two with a full time job in marketing as well as running an independent sales consultant gig. She started her blog to help organize her recipe hording lifestyle. I can completely relate as the magazine pages tend to pile up in my home, too. Heather grew up helping her mom in the kitchen and has passed on that love of cooking and baking to her kids. She says having her kids in the kitchen helps them be more adventurous in trying new foods – I hope Firecracker will end up being that way, but at age 2 it’s not quite as successful.

The Cranberry Upside Down Cake I settled on was a huge hit. So popular in fact, I made it twice! And it had nothing to do with the fact that I got pulled away from it and didn’t upend it on time and had a non-photography worthy cake. Instead of getting frustrated, I got excited that I’d be getting to make the cake again! The second time, I didn’t allow the kids to derail me and I flipped that cake when the time went off. A successful endeavor for a dessert I brought to the church to support their ministry of feeding the hungry once a week. (But not before stealing just one more piece for myself. I mean, I did need to do a quality check before serving others!)

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

• 8 tbsp butter, softened, divided use
• 1 C sugar, divided use
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1 3/4 – 2 C fresh cranberries
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 C flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 C milk

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread 2 tbsp softened butter along the bottom and sides of an 8″ round or 8×8″ square cake pan.
3. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 C sugar with the cinnamon and allspice. Pour evenly into the prepared cake pan. Arrange the cranberries in an even layer in the cake pan.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the stand mixer, mix until combined. Add the milk, mixing until incorprated. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients.
7. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out cleanly. Let cake cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife along the edges and carefully flip out onto a plate.

*This recipe is adapted from Heather at https://joinuspullupachair.com/2011/11/20/cranberry-upside-down-cake/*

To see the other bloggers who participated in the final Secret Recipe Club click here:

But don’t stop your recipe stumbling there! Check out all of these great cranberry recipes to kick of #CranberryWeek:

Cranberry-Apple Sauce from The Chef Next Door

Cranberry Cornbread from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Cranberry Maple Delicata Squash Galette from Caroline’s Cooking

Cranberry Orange Baked Brie from Books n’ Cooks

Cranberry Palmiers from The Bitter Side of Sweet

Cranberry Rosemary Cornbread from Life Currents

Cranberry Snack Cake from Cooking With Carlee

Cranberry Upside Down Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Noreaster from Family Around The Table

Pork Shashlyk and Tkemali from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cranberries from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Slow Cooker Cranberry Brisket from Palatable Pastime

Stuffed Endive with Blue Cheese, Walnuts & Cranberries from Full Belly Sisters

Upside Down Cranberry Cake from Hostess At Heart