Flipped Out Pumpkin Cherry Cake

Pumpkin Cherry Upside Down Cake

When it comes to desserts, for me, there are many choices that do not tantalize.  I can walk away from ANYTHING vanilla, pecan pie, and most ice cream without a backward glance.  But there are four flavors that I cannot resist listed here in order of temptation:  dark chocolate, cherry, cinnamon and pumpkin.  This concoction hits three of the big four combining cherries, cinnamon and pumpkin in a beautiful upside down cake.  I flipped when I found this recipe, which is like having your pumpkin cake and eating cherry pie, too!  

Pumpkin Cherry Upside Down Cake

adapted from a recipe on BHG.com
2 10 oz. jars cherry preserves
1 cup Craisins
1/3 cup butter
1/2 t cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup butter softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 t vanilla
1 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil.  Grease foil; set aside.  In a saucepan, combine cherry preserves, Craisins, cinnamon and butter.  Heat and stir until boiling; remove from heat.  Pour 3/4 of the cherry mixture into prepared baking pan and spread evenly.  Set aside.









In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and spice.  In a mixer, combine butter and shortening.  Add sugar; cream.  Add eggs and vanilla until mixed.  Beat in pumpkin.  Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to the pumpkin mixture.  Beat after each addition until just mixed.  Carefully spoon pumpkin batter and smooth atop cherry preserves in baking pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack fro 5 minutes.  Turn onto a large patter.  Serve warm!  Use reserved topping if needed to cover entire cake.

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