Nothing says Thanksgiving like cranberries, right? Tis their season. They are harvested in late September/early October and by the beginning of November, they are starting to appear in grocery stores. If you want to learn more about cranberry harvesting, check out my Cranberry Cove Series!
I thought I would make this cake and freeze some for Thanksgiving but it is already ALL GONE! It was delicious and so easy. It would make a great alternative for those who don't care for pumpkin pie (there are such people? Seriously?) or even for Thanksgiving breakfast--warm and with a bit of butter spread on top.
The recipe is from Taste of Home. The one change I made was to not toast the pecans. To toast or not to toast, that is up to you. I always end up burning the nuts and I only had just enough for the cake so I didn't want to take any chances.
1 package white cake mix (you will be dividing it)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup red raspberry preserves
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Preheat oven to 350°.
TOPPING; Combine 3/4 cup cake mix, melted butter and water. Mix until combined. Stir in pecans.
FILLING: In another bowl, combine cranberries, sugar, preserves and 2 tablespoons cake mix.
BATTER: In another bowl, combine cream cheese, eggs, milk, pie spice and remaining cake mix. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium 2 minutes.
Transfer batter to a greased 13x9-in. pan. Spoon cranberry filling over top to within 1/2 in. of edges. Sprinkle with topping to edges of pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
SPEAKING OF CRANBERRIES, BOOK 6 IN MY CRANBERRY COVE SERIES IS OUT!
"Recipes, well developed characters and a solid whodunit. It doesn’t get better than that!" Amazon Reviewer
An ambitious TV personality takes a star turn in murder in the new Cranberry Cove Mystery from USA Today bestselling author Peg Cochran!
With
the cranberry farm in full harvest mode, Monica is thrilled to learn
that they’ll be the featured guests on a local TV news show. Certain the
exposure will give her bakery products and the farm’s store a welcome
boost, she’s also nervous about how she’ll come across on-screen. But
her real worries begin when the show’s ruthless star is found bludgeoned
to death on a side road of the farm—and Monica’s own brother heads up
the list of suspects.
Launching an investigation to find the real
killer and clear her brother, Monica discovers there was no love lost
between the victim and those closest to her. From the dead woman’s
husband, a calculating politician with his sights set on more lucrative
pastures, to the timid cameraperson she repeatedly bullied, there’s no
shortage of suspects or motives. And when Monica unearths a compromising
secret that turns the spotlight on one of them, she suddenly realizes
the solution has been staring her in the face. As she closes in on the
killer, she’ll need sharp wits and steely nerves to avoid taking her
final bow . . .
Includes tasty recipes!
And for a quick trip to England--Murder in the Margins!
Amazon
I wish the SU liked cranberries - this sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeletepjcoldren[at]tm[dot]net
This does sound like a winner.
ReplyDeleteMy mother had a recipe for fruit cake from a Jacksonville, FL newspaper from around 1950. Instead of the glace' fruits that many of us dislike, it called for dates, raisins, pecans, chocolate chips, and cherries. Since they were supposed to be maraschino cherries, they added a visual pop of red that was nice. But, really...maraschino cherries are IMHBAO pressed paper with color and sugar.
We tried many alternatives and finally tried fresh cranberries. Perfect! Bright red and a nice tart balance with all the sweet stuff.
This was a serious cake with just enough batter to hold the ingredients together.
That sounds like my kind of fruitcake!
DeleteThis looks yummy. I'm going to try it gluten-free! :)
ReplyDelete