Delicious Cranberry Orange Delight!

Keeping in the Christmas spirit, I decided to take the time to make this marvelous recipe from Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking From My Home to Yours." It is a bit time consuming to make the fresh cranberry and orange jam from scratch, but it is so worth it! This treat is called the Cranberry Shortbread Cake, and really isn't a cake at all. It's similar to a bar cookie or torte. While my "brutti ma buoni" treat was baking in the oven, I looked up this recipe online and saw how other avid bakers had called it "ugly, but delicious," as well! :) Since I let my mom and sister try the jam, before I baked the "cake," we were all anxious to try the completed dessert since the jam was amazing by itself. No kidding, this "cake" is delicious! I also served this warm with Madagascar vanilla ice cream, and it made the flavors pop! Thank you, Doriee for another great treat!

Cranberry Quatre Quarts (Pound Cake)

This afternoon, I was debating on what to make. I wanted a "cake" of some sort, and suddenly remembered that I had one cup of fresh cranberries in the fridge...just enough to make the Cranberry Quatre Quarts cake that I had my eye on for a couple of days. The recipe comes from Krystina Castella's book, "A World of Cake: 150 Recipes for Sweet Traditions From Cultures Near and Far."
As the cake baked in the oven a tantalizing aroma filled the entire house! Almost immediately, my sister dove into cutting slices. It was perfect, exactly what I had wanted. I made several changes to the cranberry frosting recipe that came with the recipe for the cake, but I can't reveal my secrets! ;) Everyone, including my Nana adored this cranberry gem! My family keeps asking me when am I going to make it again, and I reply, "Soon, soon enough!" But, really, I think I'll make it for Christmas morning. :)

Cranberry Upside Downer

From the minute I purchased Dorie Greenspan's book, "Baking From Home to Yours," I wanted to make this scrumptious sounding cake. Well, lucky for me the holiday season rolled around rather quickly and fresh cranberries are in abundance at grocery stores lately. This was the second time in less than a week that I made this cake. It is simply that GOOD! It is divine! The tangy cranberries, the crunchy walnuts, the syrupy topping, and delicate cake combine so well, and create a party in your mouth. My taste buds were really happy with this cake. Instead of adding the current jam on top, I just served it with a little sweetened whipped cream. Hopefully, you'll decide to make this beauty while the fruits of the season are at their peak!

All-in-one Holiday Bundt Cake...

Who knew you could have all the holidays thrown into one shiny bundt cake mold and it would actually taste good?! This pumpkin cake is dotted with cranberries and walnuts, and has a really soft, yet hardy crumb. It's actually quite nice. Again, this is another outstanding recipe from Dorie Greenspan's book, "Baking from My Home to Yours."