Sweet and Tart

Last Sunday, my in-laws celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary. That's just amazing to me! We invited them over for dinner, dessert and Christmas tree decorating. Dinner was roast chicken, mashed potatoes and glazed carrots and dessert was this delicious cranberry cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. This cake was also baked by all the other Cake Slice Bakers and judging by their comments, it's an all around winner. Pretty darn perfect for the holidays too.

I decided to make this cake for their anniversary, because it was far less fussy than the one I made last year and because it's loaded with cranberries (an entire bag), which I know my MIL loves. That night, we carefully placed hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of ornaments on the tree, placed the embroidered tree skirt around the base then sat down to have a nice slice of cake. Afterwards, Mr. H and I presented them with a photo of themselves, framed in aubergine velvet and a silver border. A friend of mine took this photo of them and I think it's just beautiful (thanks Lori!) It's also special because they don't have any formal photos of themselves, and now they do.

Back to the cake, I did have a minor issue, but nothing that would keep me from making it again. The recipe says to bake it for 60-70 minutes at 300 degrees F, but after an hour and 30 minutes it still wasn't done. So I upped the temp to 325 F and baked it for an additional 15 minutes and it was finally done. Of course, it delayed my dinner plans, but it was well worth it. Just keep this in mind if you decide to make it. This cake stayed moist and tender for days- the cranberries were tart and the almond streusel was sweet and crunchy. Light enough to eat for breakfast and sinful enough to have for dessert.

Cranberry Almond Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes

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For the streusel:

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 bag (12 oz.) fresh cranberries

Make the streusel: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan.

Combine the almonds, butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Work the mixture between your fingers to form large crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the eggs and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on a medium high speed until the mixture is lightened and increased in volume, about 5 minutes.

With the mixture on low, add the butter in a slow stream. Turn the mixture to medium speed and beat for another 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.

Gently but thoroughly fold in the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in the cranberries.

Scrape the batter into a prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the streusel over the batter. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes (mine took over 1 hour and 30 minutes).

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Release the sides of the pan and use a large spatula to slide the cake from the pan bottom to a wire rack. Cool completely, cut into wedges and serve.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To see more cakes, head on over to The Cake Slice Bakers!