Time to celebrate! And what could be better than a cake topped with bright red cranberries? At this time of the year, I go through two phases of culinary fever. First the pumpkin. Then these tasty ruby-red babies. In my mind, both are mandatory part of the end of the year festivities. Typing that gives me a sense of nostalgia. 2016 went by way too fast. Oh, well. Back to food. Cranberries are perfect in sweets, because they are tart. Yin and yang. In this cake, drizzled with a little powdered sugar icing, they shine. Make this festive cake and take it for holiday potlucks or simply share with your co-workers, neighbors, family, friends. A little coffee or tea will go well great with a slice. Or two. All credit goes to Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, the moment I saw her blog post about it, I could not stop thinking about it.
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for the glaze:
1 cup (4 ounces) powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
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Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 10 or 12-inch bundt cake pan with butter – making sure to grease all the nooks and crannies really well. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the bottom of the pan, then layer the cranberries evenly over the sugar.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the granulated sugar together with the zest from the lemons. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until the sugar is infused with the lemon fragrance. Add the butter to the bowl with the lemon sugar and, using the paddle attachment on the stand mixer, beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, mixing and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Combine the buttermilk with the 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a measuring glass. To a large bowl, add one-third of the dry ingredients (eyeballing is fine). Mix until just combined and a few dry streaks remain. Add half of the buttermilk/lemon mixture. Mix again until just combined. Add another third of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, followed by the remaining half buttermilk/lemon juice mixture. Mix. Add the final third of the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Spread the batter carefully into the prepared pan over the cranberries.
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Bake for 45-55 minutes or until lightly golden on top and just set. Transfer the bundt pan to a wire rack and let cool about 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving platter, tapping lightly so the cake falls out. Let the cake cool completely.
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For the glaze, combine the powdered sugar with the 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice and whisk until smooth. Add additional lemon juice or milk for a thinner consistency, if needed. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and let set, 5-10 minutes, before slicing and serving.
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ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: Can you believe that I had zero issues with this cake? I know, how can it be possible? It is shocking. I loved the smell as it baked, and the way it un-molded so perfectly, maybe one or two cranberries stayed stuck at the bottom of the pan, but they were carefully picked up and placed on the correct spot. Plus, the icing takes care of eventual boo-boos. Very forgiving. My kind of cake. The crumb was moist and tender, the tartness of the cranberries in perfect balance with the sweetness of the cake and icing. And, it looked pretty good too.
I wish all my readers a wonderful holiday season!
ONE YEAR AGO: Have a Cran-Merry Christmas!
TWO YEARS AGO: Merry Christmas!
THREE YEARS AGO: The Avocado Mousse that Stole the Show
FOUR YEARS AGO: Sourdough Popovers
FIVE YEARS AGO: Merry Christmas!
SIX YEARS AGO: Sourdough Focaccia, with a twist
SEVEN YEARS AGO: Merry Christmas!
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Bewitching Kitchen 
I’d give my right arm for fresh cranberries. We can get frozen ones a few months of the year but that’s it. I would love this cake and how festive it looks. Merry Christmas!
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Fresh cranberries are great, aren’t they? This year I WILL buy a few bags to store..
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Merry Christmas Sally and Phil. And a Happy New Year filled with success in your research.
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Thank you so much! We hope 2017will be productive… 2016 was not that bad, actually, but there’s always room for improvement!
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Beautiful cake. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!
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Same to you!!!!
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Wow, now this is my kind of cake if it’s not fussy to make. My cakes are usually fails, lol. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
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My cakes are soap operas in flour form.. (sigh)
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This looks incredible. I’ve been buying and freezing cranberries all November and December. This cake would be perfect.
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This year I am freezing a bunch of cranberries. MARK. MY. WORDS… HA!
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A wonderfully festive cake, Sally, and a great way to mark the holidays. I hope yours were truly memorable in the best possible ways. Joy and peace to you and your family in the New Year.
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