Cranberry Almond Christmas Cake Food

CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.
• Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.
• Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan. (This pan is my favorite!) Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. (I baked mine for 43 minutes.)
• Let cool completely before cutting into small slices. I cut mine into fairly small pieces, about 1"x2", so that they could be easily eaten at a party. Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE ALMOND CAKE WITH SUGARED CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Make the sugared cranberries: Bring 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Put the cranberries in a large bowl and pour the sugar syrup over them; let sit 1 hour. Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar with the cardamom in a large bowl. Drain the cranberries, add to the spiced sugar and toss to coat. Spread the cranberries and sugar on a rimmed baking sheet. Let sit, rerolling the cranberries in the sugar occasionally until dry, 2 to 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Coat the parchment with cooking spray. Whisk the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice and cardamom in a large bowl; set aside. Put the cocoa powder in a separate large bowl. Heat 1 cup water in a small saucepan until almost simmering; pour over the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Set aside until slightly cooled, about 10 minutes.
• Add the eggs to the cocoa mixture and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until just combined. Add the granulated sugar, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla; beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low; gradually add the flour mixture, then increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans; lightly tap on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes in the pans, then invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely. Remove the parchment. (The cake layers can be made 1 day ahead; let cool, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap.)
• Make the frosting: Beat the butter, confectioners' sugar and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until just combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts; increase the mixer speed to high and beat, scraping down the side of the bowl, until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the milk and almond liqueur; beat until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 more minutes.
• Halve 1/2 cup of the sugared cranberries. Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread with 1 cup frosting, then sprinkle with the halved cranberries. Top with the second cake layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Top with the remaining sugared cranberries.

TART CRANBERRY CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until slightly thickened and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Add butter and extract; beat 2 minutes. Gradually stir in flour just until combined. Stir in cranberries and pecans. Spread in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. , Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

CRANBERRY ALMOND COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream almond paste, butter and 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy. Add two eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine 1 cup flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture. Beat in the remaining egg and flour. Stir in extracts. Gently fold in cranberries., Spread evenly into a greased 8-in. square baking dish; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 325° for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

CHRISTMAS CRANBERRY ALMOND COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat over to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Grease one 9 inch pie pan.
• Combine flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, clove. Mix well. Stir in cranberries and the almonds and toss to coat. Or add almonds and put berries in bottom of pie pan. Stir in butter, eggs and extracts. Spread into pie pan.
• For topping: mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, almonds. Press in soft butter until you get a crumble mixture. Put on top of batter.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden tooth pick inserted near center to come out clean. Serve warm or cold. Heats up nicely in microwave for a few seconds.
• P.S. Frozen berries last one year. Make sure to pick through your frozen berries before using. The more wrinkles on a frozen berry the older it is. The batter will be a little thicker if you use frozen cranberries. It is easier to see the bad berries if you unfreeze them in warm water.

CRANBERRY ALMOND BUNDT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350, position rack in center of oven.
• Grease and flour a 10-12 cup bundt or kugelhopf pan (or 12 1-cup mini bundt pans) Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• With a stand mixer (with paddle) or a hand mixer, beat butter and almond paste on medium speed until smooth and soft- 2 minutes.
• Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy- 2 minutes.
• Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping after each addition.
• Beat in vanilla.
• With mixer on low, alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour.
• Scrape down as necessary.
• Beat about 20-30 seconds until batter os completely smooth.
• Fold in cranberries with a rubber spatula.
• Spoon batter into pan, spread evenly.
• Run a knife through batter to eliminate air pockets.
• Bake until wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean- 40-45 minutes (20 minutes for mini cakes), Set pan on rack to cool for 20 minutes, invert cake on rack to release cake, cool completely.
• Serve at room temperature with a dusting of powdered sugar.