For many of us the holidays are synonymous with baking. We not only bake our family’s traditional favorites, but many of us love to find a recipe with a new twist on an old favorite. While browsing through my past November issues of cooking magazines (remember I mentioned that is a pre-Thanksgiving ritual of mine), I discovered this wonderful Bundt cake created by Dorie Greenspan, an accomplished baker and author of several cookbooks on baking.
Ms. Greenspan describes this as “a Bundt cake that bundles up a bunch of holiday ingredients. There are cranberries, both fresh and dried. There are nuts and brown sugar. There are spices, both traditional (cinnamon and ginger) and unexpected (Chinese five- spice powder). And finally, there’s a drizzle of old-fashioned sugar icing. That the cake feeds a crowd, stays fresh over a whole weekend, and makes people happy are the extras; that it can be made by baking first-timers sends it to the top of its class. Oh, and it’s pretty, too, but that has nothing to do with the recipe, with my skill, or with yours-buy a Bundt pan, and "pretty” gets tossed in for free; the shape of the pan makes all of us look like pros.“
What really intrigued me about this recipe was the addition of the Chinese five-spice powder. Ms. Greenspan describes the addition of this spice to the recipe as an accidental triumph. She had decided on cardamom, but being unable to locate it, and noticing an unopened jar of the five-spice powder she decided to use it in the recipe. She describes it as a necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention moment.
The Chinese five-spice powder which includes cinnamon, cloves, and star anise (perfect Thanksgiving through Christmas spices) is what I think sets this spice cake apart from all others. From the aroma filling my house while the cake was baking I had a suspicion this was going to be a great cake, and the first bite confirmed it.
I think you’ll want to add this one to your holiday baking list.
Spiced Cranberry Bundt Cake (Bon Appetit, November 2008)
12 to 14 servings
Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
¾ cup almond flour or almond meal (about 2 and ½ ounces)*
2 and ½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder**
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 large eggs
1and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup plan reduced-fat (2%) Greek-style yogurt
1 cup chopped toasted almonds
1 cup halved fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw)
½ cup dried sweetened cranberries
Icing
1/3 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons (about) orange juice
Cake/ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Whisk first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract, then Greek-style yogurt. Add dry ingredients; beat just until blended.
Fold in almonds and all cranberries.
Transfer batter to prepared Bundt pan.
Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes.
Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely.
Icing/ Stir powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons orange juice in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Mix in more juice by ½ teaspoonfuls to reach consistency of heavy cream. Spoon icing over cake, allowing it to drip down sides. Let stand until icing sets, at least 30 minutes.
DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature. */Sometimes labeled "ground almonds”; available at specialty food stores and natural foods stores.
**/ A spice blend that usually contains ground fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, and cloves; available in the spice section of most supermarkets.
Note: I mixed a second batter to bake as loaf cakes. One recipe will make 2 loaves, each 8 and ½ by 4and ½. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, testing for doneness as above. Drizzle glaze on top as above.
