Holiday Flavor Pairing - Cranberry + Orange

The holidays are always a favorite time for baking - at least it is for me! And one of my favorite flavor combinations this time of year is cranberry and orange. It’s a classic combo that works so well in many different kinds of baked goods such as muffins, scones, cookies and especially pound cake.

This year for Thanksgiving, I needed a dessert to bring to a group of friends and wanted something different than the classic pie selection or pumpkin based sweet treat. I also wanted to bring something that one of my friends, who has a very strong aversion to cinnamon, would be able to enjoy as well. So, I began my search for something that would celebrate the holiday, have an appeal to dessert lovers of all kind, and not include cinnamon. My mind instantly went to a pound cake (which is a classic and all-year long favorite for our family) but I wanted it to have a holiday flair while meeting the criteria already mentioned. So I decided to take one of my favorite recipes for Blueberry-Lime Pound Cake and switch it around to achieve this classic flavor pairing. Substituting cranberries for blueberries and orange zest for lime zest worked out easily and I added a little holiday flair with sugared cranberries as the garnish. Although it looked like more of a Christmas than a Thanksgiving dessert, I thought it turned out deliciously and will now be adding it to my holiday recipe collection going forward.

Wishing you a holiday baking season that is merry and bright and a holiday season that is as sweet as can be!
Michele

My Personal Recipe Notes:
After making this recipe several times, I thought it might be helpful for me to share with you some useful tips so you have as much success as possible when you try it:

Make sure your butter, cream cheese, eggs, and berries are all at room temperature before making your cake. Because this is baking, the temperature of your ingredients truly makes a difference - it helps the ingredients mix together easier and room temperature dairy products form an emulsion that trap air so when baking in the oven that trapped air can expand producing light fluffy baked goods. Having room temperature berries will also help your cake bake more evenly.

Wash, drain and dry your berries completely. Once they are completely dry, give them a light toss with some flour. This will help the berries be evenly distributed throughout the cake instead of settling at the bottom (or top) of the cake.

I used one large orange that yielded the amount of zest and juice needed plus extra.

For the glaze, I make two recipes of the glaze. The first one I make with a little more juice which makes it thinner and clearer (not as thick and white). I drizzle the lighter glaze mixture over the cake first and let it set which allows the orange flavor to soak into the cake a bit. I then make the second glaze recipe which has less juice and is a little thicker than the first glaze which results in a whiter, thicker glaze that you see in the picture. I pour the second layer over the cake and let it set.

I used Martha Stewart’s recipe for Sugared Cranberries and they were delicious!

Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

Source: original recipe for Blueberry-Lime Pound Cake from Fine Cooking, June/July 2008; substitutions are mine

serves 12-16

FOR THE CAKE:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2-1/3 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon table salt
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2-1/2 cups room-temperature cranberries

FOR THE GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice; more as needed

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Make the Cake:
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.

Put the sugar and orange zest in a food processor and pulse 20 times, or until the zest is in small pieces. (If you don’t have a food processor, omit this step and blend the zest into the flour.)

With a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar mixture and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer still running, add the whole eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and stopping the mixer to scrape the bowl twice. Beat in the egg yolk. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture. Stop the mixer one last time to scrape the bowl and then beat at medium speed until the batter is smooth and light, about 20 seconds. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the cranberries into the batter.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with the spatula. Run a knife through the batter or tap the pan lightly against the counter to eliminate any air pockets. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes.

Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes and then invert onto the rack, remove the pan, and let cool completely.

Glaze the Cake:
In a spouted measuring cup or bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar and the orange juice together until smooth. The glaze should be thin enough to pour. If not, add more orange juice, 1 teaspoon at a time. Put a baking sheet under the rack to catch drips and drizzle the glaze over the top and sides of the cake. Let the glaze set fully before transferring to a cake plate and serving.