Cranberry Christmas Cake

 

A couple of weeks ago, Mom sent me the link for this recipe and I wanted to use it for my recipe of the week. There was one problem with that plan of mine... it was October and no grocery stores had fresh cranberries. Flash forward a couple of weeks, Mom and Dad were at the store and Mom found some and grabbed a bag.

The batter before cranberries

This recipe is called Cranberry Christmas Cake. It reminds me of a coffee cake... the kind of cake that is good as a snack anytime of day. The awesome thing about this recipe is, it only has 6 ingredients - 3 eggs, 2 cups sugar, 2 cups flour, 3/4 cups butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 12 oz (one bag) fresh cranberries.

 

The batter with cranberries

You might be wondering "well, how does it rise if there is no baking soda or baking powder?" Or "does it not rise at all?" It does rise. Instead of using baking powder or baking soda, you cream the sugar and eggs till the batter almost doubles. This step helps it rise, but it also makes it light. While you're creaming the eggs and sugar, you should butter your pan (or spray it).

After you're done creaming it, you add the butter and vanilla. Then you add the flour until it is just combined (that way you don't lose the fluff). And finally you stir in the cranberries and put it in your pan.I put it in for exactly 40 minutes at 350.

Dixie (left) and Einstein (right) checking out the foreign object.

The taste test... This is an awesome cake. I love how it is not dense, but not to fluffy, it is just right. I also like how the bottom is not burnt. I am a huge fan of the way the cranberries sort of just melted... almost. When you taste a bite of the cranberries it's a pop of tartness that balances out the sweetness of the cake perfectly.

This recipe is without a doubt 5 out of 5! In fact I made this last night and it is all most gone!I think it is a new favorite of my dad's... he took a piece for lunch after having a piece with breakfast!

The link to the recipe is here.