Growing up in Florida there was no shortage of citrus growing in our yard so it's probably not surprising that I ended up a long-time fan of the tart, juicy flavors of the many tribes of citreae. However, my appreciation for Cuties didn't start until I had kids and one of our neighbors brought over a crate for the boys. She went on, gushing about how perfect they were for their little hands and how easy to peel they were. She was not wrong. My then 3 year old peeled them with ease (though our then 1 year old took a little longer to learn how to peel them). Thanks to Grace, the boys had a new favorite fruit and one that made them feel 'big' enough to peel and eat themselves. Almost 6 years later they have become a staple for lunches and snacks in our house.
So I'm sure you can imagine my excitement when Cuties tapped me on the shoulder to create something special for the Cuties #100DaysOfSummer campaign. Since the holiday season is upon us, the boys and I decided we wanted to create gift-able treats for our neighbors but wanted to step outside of the cookie and chocolate box. After some deliberating and brainstorming we came up with this Mini Cranberry and Clementine Upside Down Cake recipe. It's perfect for little helpers and is the perfect combination of holiday flavors. Wrap them individually in clear cellophane with a little bow and voila! edible gifts...
Like I said before, this is a great recipe to make with your little ones- especially during the holidays. They can arrange the clementines and cranberries in the muffin tins without the worry of them having contact with raw eggs from the batter. They can snack on extra Cuties slices and be the 'official taste tester' once they're pulled from the oven and cooled. Though, I will say, they are best when warm!
Check out the recipe below and grab yourself a bag of Cuties.
( I got mine at Target, because what don't they have?!).
Mini Cranberry Clementine Upside Down Cakes
(12 Mini Cakes)
Cake:
1 1/2 C Flour
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
6 Tbsp. Butter, Melted
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup Plain Yogurt (Greek, Whole Milk)
2 eggs
Juice of 1/2 a clementine
Upside-down:
3 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Fresh Cranberries
3 Cuties (Clementines) Peeled
Pre-heat oven to 350˚
1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In another medium sized mixing bowl combine eggs, clementine juice, 6 tbsp. melted butter, yogurt, sugar and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
3. Add wet mixture to flour mixture, 1/2 Cup at a time, stirring until combined.
Next, for the fruit!
4. In a small saucepan add butter and brown sugar. Bring to a medium heat and stir until smooth.
5. Spoon the brown sugar and butter mixture into greased muffin tins.
6. Arrange the fruit on top of the brown sugar and butter to your liking. I stuck with one slice and a couple of small cranberries.
7. Spoon batter over fruit, filling tins 2/3 of the way.
8. Bake for 15-20 or until toothpick comes out clean.
