Its Cranberry Time

Cranberry Time

Cranberries, love them or hate them.  With Thanksgiving right around the corner the cranberries are coming into their own. This time of year you can find cranberry bread, cranberry muffins, cranberry sauce, Cranberry jam, cranberry juice, Cranberry Christmas Cake and now I have a new keeper. Cranberry Breakfast Cake.

Blueberries and cranberries are close cousins and every fall the bogs of southeastern Ma and Cape Cod blossom as cranberries are harvested and fall festivals abound. 

I’ve always loved cranberries from cranberry sauce to cranberry cocktails like the Madras Cocktail. But its only been in recent years that I’ve started baking with the little red berries. I love the Cranberry Christmas cake (follow link above for the recipe) but I only make it once a year. Its too sweet to eat large portions and there is too much for just me but now I’ve added a new recipe- Cranberry Breakfast Cake. 

Cranberry Breakfast Cake

 

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Plain Flour
• 1 Cup white sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Cups fresh or frozen Cranberries
• 1/2 Chopped toasted walnuts
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 Tsp almond extract
• Confectioners sugar to dust

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350° . Butter a 9 inch round cake tin well. Set aside

Whisk: flour, sugar and salt together. Stir in cranberries and walnuts. 

In a separate bowl mix together the melted butter, eggs and almond extract. Stir into dry ingredients. Batter will be very stiff if you are using frozen berries.

Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top is golden brown.

Serve warm, dusted with confectioners sugar.

Notes

*Although called a breakfast cake this is great as a dessert. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

*Be sure to mix the cranberries and walnuts into the dry flour before adding the liquids. This will keep the berries and nuts more evenly distributed 

* The recipe calls for almond extract but I’m not a fan. Next batch I’m going to try the old standard of vanilla extract.