Brandied
Cranberry Cake & Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries
If you like cake and cranberries (oh-and a little
toddy now and then), you'll like the cake recipe that we are sharing with you
this week. This recipe is perfect for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's
also a great recipe to split into two small Bundt pans or two small angel food
pans and make two, then cool, wrap in cellophane with a pretty ribbon and give
as gifts to family and friends.
I created this recipe when I had leftover
cranberries with brandy in them. Hmmm, what could I do with them? Since cake is
always on my mind, this was the perfect solution. I had to work at it a little
but the recipe came out just fine. I hope you like it. Let me know.
Then for a side dish, I can't think of a more
delicious way to use sweet potatoes than to pair them with cranberries and
maple syrup. This recipe is great with chicken, turkey, pork tenderloin and a
great big ham.
Enjoy!
To start
the cake you will need to make the cranberries first.
Brandied Cranberries
3 (12- ounce) bags fresh or frozen cranberries
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup brandy*
Place cranberries in a single layer on a two foil
lined 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly roll pan. Pour sugar over the cranberries. Cover
tightly with foil.* Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven and spoon the
cranberries into a large bowl. Gently stir in brandy. Refrigerate until ready to use. Makes about 6 cups. Save the
rest for dinner because the berries will keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge,
or just cut the recipe in half if it makes too much for you.
*Start checking the cranberries after 30 minutes,
stirring every 5 minutes after that. If they look caramelized, then remove them
from the oven.
*If you don't want to use brandy, just use about 3
teaspoons of brandy extract, available in the grocery store.
Cake
This Cake is delicious! I promise. It is also a
great holiday gift cake. Wrap it in cellophane, tie a red ribbon around it, and
deliver it to the luckiest recipient ever. Happy Holidays!
3 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups brandied cranberries
All ingredients need to be at room temperature
before starting this cake. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 12 cup tube or Bundt
pan with a floured baking spray. Mix flour, sugar, soda, baking powder, salt,
eggs, cream cheese, butter, buttermilk, and extracts in a mixer bowl. Beat on
medium speed for 3 minutes. Remove from the mixer and fold in the brandied
cranberries. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a cake tester
comes out clean.
Maple
Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Cranberries
4 pounds sweet potatoes
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 sticks butter, melted
1 cup pure maple syrup
Peel sweet potatoes. Cut into quarters lengthwise;
cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces. Combine sweet potatoes and cranberries
in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine butter and maple syrup. Pour over the
cranberry mixture, and mix well. Pour into a greased 3-quart baking dish. Cover
tightly, and bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are very soft.
Visit Linda at her website: www.cheflindaweiss.com
and her blog: www.lindaallaboutfood.blogspot.com
---Posted
November 6, 2009---
