Whenever I spot fresh cranberries for sale in the run up to Christmas I excitably buy a pack to make this cake and/or these muffins.
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A used teabag for classy background decor.
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Christmas 2022/New Year when I baked both the cake and the muffins. These were my first bakes in our new home. I still can't quite believe we moved house 2 days before Christmas that year. Madness.
However whenever I look for the recipe in my recipe file I remember I haven't written it down so I have to check my blog archive. . . only to remember I've never given the cake its own blog post either. My only mention of it is in a 2015 festive bakes round up.
I baked this cake again recently and felt it was time to rectify the lack of dedicated blog post. It's only taken close to 10 years. My yellow-tinged, night time photography with zero styling does not do the cake justice but the recipe is documented and should be easier to find in the future.
The original recipe was from a lovely old blog called Honey and Dough but I've tweaked it to suit myself over the years. If you still have festive cranberries hiding in your fridge or freezer this is a lovely way to use them up.
Apple, cranberry and cinnamon cake
Recipe adapted from Honey and Dough blog
125g softened butter/margarine
125g soft light brown sugar
2 eggs (large)
125g self raising flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tblsp milk
1 cooking apple (peeled, cored and sliced)
Approx. 100g fresh cranberries (chopped in half if they're big)
1 tblsp Demerara sugar for sprinkling on top before baking.
Preheat the oven to 160C fan / 180C/ gas mark 4 and grease and line a 7" deep round cake tin.
Beat together the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with a food mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the flour, cinnamon, vanilla and milk and mix until everything is fully combined. Stir in around half of the cranberries.
Pour the cake batter into the tin and arrange the apple slices on top in a circular fan shape. Scatter the remaining cranberries on top along with a tbsp of demerara sugar.
Bake for approx. 1 hour until golden, well risen, firm to touch and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. I check on mine after 50 minutes and add a layer of greaseproof paper to the top if it looks well coloured but the inside isn't fully baked yet.
Serve with a dusting of icing sugar. Eat warm or cold, both ways are delicious.