If you're still looking for just the right recipe for Christmas morning, or New Year's Day, this Cranberry Cake will be a good choice. I served it at church coffee time earlier in the month and it was a hit. And I had some to bring home that was also a hit with my family.
I keep cranberries in the freezer so when the winter season recipes call, I'm ready. For this recipe it works well to let the frozen cranberries thaw a little before adding them to the batter. Otherwise, the batter could become very stiff and hard to spread. Another unique feature of this recipe is that the eggs and sugar are beaten together first for a longer time. Be sure to read the directions before you do the usual and put butter and sugar together. The air incorporated into the eggs in the mixture is the leavening, there is no baking powder or baking soda.
The tart fresh cranberries and sweet buttery cake are a perfect combination for a Christmas time dessert. But you can vary the recipe and use frozen fruit for other times of the year.
CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS CAKE
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
¾ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
12 oz fresh cranberries
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 °. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as the leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.
2. Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.
3. Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.
4. Let cool completely before cutting into small slices. A slice of 1”x2” is a good size for a party or group.
