Great cake that makes use of any leftover cranberry sauce you might have after a Thanksgiving dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups homemade cranberry sauce (or 1 14-ounce can)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3½ tablespoons juice and 3 tablespoons grated zest from 2 lemons
- Salt
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into chunks
- 3 large eggs
- 1⅛ teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
- Set the rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch nonstick Bundt pan liberally with baking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, brown sugar, 1½ teaspoons lemon juice, and a pinch of salt, and set aside. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt, and set aside. In a third (nonreactive) bowl, whisk ¾ cup buttermilk and 3 tablespoons lemon juice and set aside.
- With a hand-held or standing mixer at medium speed, beat the granulated sugar and lemon zest until moist and fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the butter, and beat at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, beat well, and scrape again.
- Reduce mixer speed to low; add about one-third of flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk mixture, mixing until just incorporated after each addition, about 5 seconds.
- Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk mixture. Scrape again and add remaining flour mixture; increase mixer speed to medium-low and mix until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds.
- Scrape half the batter into the pan and spread evenly.
- Pour the cranberry mixture over the batter and with a dinner knife make shallow swirls.
- Add the remaining batter evenly, smooth the surface, and bake until the cake is deep golden brown, feels firm to the touch, and a long toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.
- Place the cake on a wire rack and cool for about 15 minutes; turn the cake out, place it right side up onto the rack, and cool to room temperature.
Note: Original recipe called for a glaze to be drizzled on top, but the cake is sweet enough that it doesn’t need it. A light sprinkle of powdered sugar can pretty it up if you’d like.
