Monday, December 27, 2010

Cranberry Orange Walnut Cake

There is abundance of fresh cranberries in the market now and I just bought a big packet without knowing what to do with it. It has been sitting in the fridge for nearly two weeks until I finally used it to bake some cakes to be given away as Christmas gift with the cookies. The orange juice and the zest in the cake compliment the cranberries very nicely. The fresh cranberries are tart and refreshing, while the cake is sweet. This loaf will be great for breakfast, afternoon tea especially during the holiday season.



Ingredients:

1 stick/113 gram soft butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp of orange zest
½ cup orange juice
½ cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
½ cup walnuts – toasted and chopped


Glaze:

½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

1. Line and greased a large loaf pan or two medium size loaf pans. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degree F. Shift the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and set it aside. Combined the orange juice and sour cream. Mix well and set it aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy for 5-6 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time and beating continuously until well incorporated. Slow down the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour in 3 batches alternating with the orange juice – sour cream mixture. The last edition should be the flour. Do not over mix.
3. Stop the machines, using a spatula fold in the fresh cranberries and walnuts. Mix well. Pour into the baking pan and bake for 55 – 65 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let it rest on the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out on the cooling pan.
4. Let it cool completely. Combined the glaze ingredients and spread it over the top of the cake. Cut and serve.


Note: This cake improves in texture and taste after a day or two.

16 comments:

Unknown said...

THe inside look so super good and vibrant, nice baking.

Healthy and Homemade said...

Delicious flavor combo, but the presentation is just amazing. I would be so proud to serve that to guests!!

Rosemary @ Sprigs of Rosemary said...

Pretty as a picture and better to eat! This looks like something I'll definitely save for next Christmas . . . but since I have some cranberries, too, I think I'll try now, too. Too good to wait.

Kitchen Corner said...

That's a nice orange walnut cake. The orange flavor must have made the cake very tasty!

busygran said...

I'm sure the cake is bursting with flavours of orange and juicy cranberries!

MaryMoh said...

Beautiful cake. I love the simple icing. merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

ReeseKitchen said...

Merry X'mas Gert,....:)
Its so nicde that you can get all fresh fruits and berries there, here is always too expensive & got rotten very fast.
I like your cake here...walnuts my mom's fav, cranberry is mine! Definetely will try this out...thanks for sharing..:)
I'll like to wish you & family a happy merry Christmas & a happy!!! New Year

Peggy said...

What a beautiful cake! I definitely have an idea now to use up my leftover cranberries!

Anonymous said...

Hi Gert

Definitely this cake is good for breakfast and afternoon tea. Thanks for sharing. Wishing you and family happy New Year!!!

Yen

Shirley @ Kokken69 said...

We don't get alot of fresh cranberries here. When I was in the US, I did see loads of them but had no more luggage space to bring them back....love the cross section of the cake. This must be so good with a cup of tea!

Noob Cook said...

I can only find frozen cranberries here, fresh ones will be such a treat! your cake is gorgeous and love the white glazed top. Happy New Year! ♥

Cheah said...

A lovely cake just the festive season!

kak rus said...

Hello Gert.... Salam Perkenalan, saya kak rus dah lama masuk ke sini dan dah banyak kali mencuba resepi-resepi anda...kali ini datang nak mencuba Udang Celup Tepung yang bercampur daun bawang tu...TQ...dan nak c&p resepinya....

ICook4Fun said...

Jennifurla, thank you.

Healthy and Homemade, make some for yourself and your guest :)

Rosemary, you don't have to wait till next Christmas. You can have this cake anytime you want :)

Grace, yes it taste even better the next day.

Busygran, yes it is.

Mary, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too.

Reese, Merry Christmas to you too. Yes we can get fresh berries all year round here and the prices depend on the season. It is much cheaper during summer though.

Peggy, thank you.

Yen, Happy New Year to you too.

Shirley, I had the same problem like you. Each time I went back to Malaysia my luggage will be overweight and I have to leave some stuff behind.

Noobcook, thank you and Happy New Year to you too.

Cheah, thank you and Happy New Year.

Kak rus, Salam perkenalan to you too. Kak Rus ada blog tak. Bagi lah link so I can visit you jugak.

Cooking Gallery said...

Looks super! I made a cake too a few days ago, but it was too sweet and had to be chucked away :(...

Jeannie said...

Love the simple way you decorate this cake, not that it needs any decoration, it's beautiful enough on its own with the cranberries providing the lovely colour...Happy New Year to you!