When cranberries are in season, I can't help but buy as many as I can. What I don't use (or eat) immediately gets stacked in the freezer. I must confess that I sleep peacefully at night knowing that I have cranberries on standby in my kitchen!
Cranberries are quite popular in this festive season as they feature in many savory dishes and desserts. They definitely add an extra flavor that cannot be replaced by any other ingredient.
With that said, I wanted to try a recipe that is very easy to make and is packed full of flavor. Now as you can tell from the title of the post, the ingredients used will certainly deliver a complex, fragrant, rich and tangy flavor. The frosting, with its creamy texture and Bourbon flavor adds another layer of complexity making this humble pound cake an absolute winner.
For the cake you need (23 x 10 cm pan)
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 100 g soft butter
- 50 g creme fraiche
- 100 g white sugar plus 50 g brown sugar
- 150 g flour
- 5 g baking powder
- dash of salt
- 1 tsp mixed spices (cloves, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom)
- 80 g fresh cranberries (frozen is fine too)
- 100 g chopped white chocolate
- 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
- 1 tsp bourbon
For the frosting you need:
- 100 g cream cheese at room temperature
- 75 g powdered sugar
- 1 tsp of bourbon (or 2 if you like a stronger flavor)
- 1 tbsp or 2 of milk
To make the cake, start by combining the flour, baking powder, mixed spices and salt.
In a bowl, whisk the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one by one and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix well.
In a bowl, whisk the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one by one and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix well.
Lastly combine the cranberries and the white chocolate.
Pour the mixture in a greased and floured pan and bake in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 min or until a skewer placed in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Pour the mixture in a greased and floured pan and bake in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 min or until a skewer placed in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Once done, take out of the oven and let the cake cool down for 5 min in the pan and then remove and continue cooling it on a wire rack.
While the cake is cooling tackle the frosting.
With a whisk, cream the cheese for a minute or two. Add the sugar and whisk again. Mix in the milk then the bourbon. If the mixture is too thick, thin it down with milk, adding one teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Once the cake has cooled completely, pour the frosting over and let it drip on the sides. You can microwave the frosting for just a few seconds in order to become just a tiny bit runnier.
Decorate to your liking. I added a few sprigs of rosemary and sugared cranberries!
If you want to make sugared cranberries, all you need to do is to whisk an egg white until frothy. Drop in the cranberries and coat them with the egg white. Remove them from the egg white and roll them into sugar. Leave them to dry for a couple of hours! The sugared cranberries look like frozen ones, a tribute to the winter season and the holiday spirit.
Make this cake during the holidays. It is the perfect accompaniment with your afternoon tea or coffee or as part of your breakfast. Eaten alone or with family and friends, the cake is delicious, but as always sharing food with beloved ones just reinforces our ties with them. And what better time to do so then during the holidays?
Happy Holidays!
With a whisk, cream the cheese for a minute or two. Add the sugar and whisk again. Mix in the milk then the bourbon. If the mixture is too thick, thin it down with milk, adding one teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Once the cake has cooled completely, pour the frosting over and let it drip on the sides. You can microwave the frosting for just a few seconds in order to become just a tiny bit runnier.
Decorate to your liking. I added a few sprigs of rosemary and sugared cranberries!
If you want to make sugared cranberries, all you need to do is to whisk an egg white until frothy. Drop in the cranberries and coat them with the egg white. Remove them from the egg white and roll them into sugar. Leave them to dry for a couple of hours! The sugared cranberries look like frozen ones, a tribute to the winter season and the holiday spirit.
Make this cake during the holidays. It is the perfect accompaniment with your afternoon tea or coffee or as part of your breakfast. Eaten alone or with family and friends, the cake is delicious, but as always sharing food with beloved ones just reinforces our ties with them. And what better time to do so then during the holidays?
Happy Holidays!
