CRANBERRY ALMOND BUNDT CAKE
The almost-famous, always reliable, absolutely delicious Christmas cake I've been making for years
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Hello!
Happy mid-December (how?). I’ve had a small sick elf home with me all week, and people around me seem to be dropping like flies with various ailments. Half the holiday cards are still in the box, and I have wrapped zero presents. When it feels like we’ll never get it all done in time for Christmas, focusing on the small bright spots works—like a surprise call from my 91-year-old Aunt Dorothy yesterday, who told me about the house my grandmother was born in and the sweetest little story about when my dad was a baby boy. Another bright spot: I’ll be baking this Cranberry cake in pairs this weekend to host a small, stripped-back version of my annual tree-trimming party that I haven’t been able to host since pre-COVID times.
Those who know me know I love a house full of children, especially charming, mischievous types who embody real-life elfdom this time of year. Little people love this cake, but adults especially so. It’s toothsome, satisfying, and not overly sweet while still hitting that celebratory cake note.
I called this cake, which first appeared in my book Every Day is Saturday, Almost Famous, because it evolved from a similar style bundt cake in a well-loved book by a friend of mine, Sarah Kieffer. After making it once and loving it, I put my spin on it to make her summer cake a wintery almond-cranberry cake I’ve baked for every major holiday, baby shower, and New Year’s party for the last eight years. Since it’s what people most request me to make, you could say it’s become actually famous in my small circles.
My friend Danielle dressed up my simple cake with candied cranberries for a party one year—because she’s a bit fancier than me—so I’m bringing her photos out from the archives for you (with her permission). This bundt is also beautiful naked (no icing—see here), as I often make it, especially when I’m in a rush.
Here’s the thing about a great recipe, even if it comes—as so many beloved family recipes do—off the back of the Libby’s can or the box of Hershey’s (what Atlas Obscura calls The Dirty Secrets of Family Recipes): we get to make it our own. Origin is essential in the public sphere— crediting original work and citing inspiration is vital for preserving the livelihood of recipe creators and food writers (like me!)—but it’s of little matter in the history-making of your family. When we take a recipe and bake it again and again for the people we love, it becomes almost famous—even if it’s the teeny, tiniest bit famous —to our kids, grandkids, church friends, schoolmates... You’re writing love on their hearts, a tiny tradition, a nod to belonging. And these things matter greatly—in this season, most of all.
Sending holiday love,
xx
Sarah
ALMOST FAMOUS CRANBERRY BUNDT CAKE
SERVES 10 TO 12
1½ cups (3 sticks/336 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
1 Tbsp grated orange zest
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 hearty dash bitters
2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour or (310 g) gluten-free flour, plus more for the pan
1 cup (120 g) almond flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp fine sea salt
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup (60 ml) half-and-half
2 heaping cups (200 g) cranberries or (280 g) wild blueberries, fresh or frozen
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Position a rack in the lower middle. Butter and flour a 10-inch, 12-cup (25-cm, 2.9-L) nonstick Bundt pan.
Beat the butter, granulated sugar, and zest together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until uniform. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, add the vanilla and bitters, and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flours, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the juices and half-and-half, and beat on low to combine, scraping the bowl after each addition. Stir in the cranberries.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan (it will come to the top of the Bundt pan) and bake on a baking sheet until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a tiny crumb, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Remove from the pan, and let cool completely on the rack.
VANILLA GLAZE (OPTIONAL)*
1½ cups (180 g) confectioners’ sugar
2 to 4 Tbsp half-and-half
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean, scraped, or ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
Pinch of fine sea salt
Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, half-and-half, vanilla seeds, and salt to make a slightly runny glaze. Set the cake on a wire rack on parchment paper and drizzle the glaze over. Let it set slightly before slicing and serving.
PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES // TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR AND 25 MINUTES
*CRANBERRIES: Danielle shared how she made the sugared cranberries for these photos, in her post here.
GET AHEAD
This Bundt can be made in two stages: Make the batter, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Or bake the cake and let it cool completely on a metal rack, then freeze, well wrapped, for up to 2 weeks, adding the glaze after thawing it.
GOOD TO KNOW
Be sure to butter and flour your Bundt pan well—those cranberries burst and want to stick if they hit the pan. Use an angel food cake pan for a cleaner, modern look. And get all Jackson Pollock if you want—this is awesome with raspberries, blueberries, or a mix of berries, splattered and streaked ever so slightly.
BITTERS
As the name suggests, bitters are a blend of herbs, barks, roots, and fruits (like orange peel) that lend a pleasantly bitter depth to cocktails and, as in this case, baked goods. If you don’t have bitters at home, make your tablespoon of orange zest a heaping one.
Photos and styling by Danielle Karragiannidis. Recipe copyright Every Day Is Saturday by Sarah Copeland with permission, Chronicle Books.
This will be our Christmas dessert! Thank you! 🎄❤️
Looks delicious!
Merry Christmas!