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Cranberry and Orange Cake


Over the last few months, I've been trying to get organised around the house. That's included having a mega clear out of 'stuff'.

All different kinds of 'stuff'.

It's been liberating, but there is still a lot around the house (not that I'm a hoarder or anything ...).

So, last week, I decided to weed out the recipes I wanted to keep from a pile of foodie type magazines I'd accumulated. Rediscovering recipes I had forgotten about was fun - and got me back baking again.


This cake is adapted from a recipe I found in an issue of 'Baking Heaven' (the original, though, uses blueberries).

It's a great big comfort blanket of a cake - billowy sweet sponge which shakes you up whenever you hit a cranberry. (Yes, I'm one of those people that love the tingly taste of Haribo Tangfastics).

It's lovely just warm from the oven.

A scoop of vanilla ice cream would seal the deal.


Cranberry and Orange Cake

Ingredients

300g self raising flour
295g caster sugar
2 medium free range eggs
190ml milk
grated zest and juice of one orange
130g butter, melted
200g fresh or frozen cranberries

Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 Conventional / 350 F / Gas 4.

Grease and baseline a 22 cm (9 inch) spring-form pan.

I used a Ruby Orange - love the amazing colour!
Combine all the ingredients (except the cranberries) in a bowl and mix until combined.

Spoon the mixture into the tin, and then top with half the cranberries.

Frozen cranberries - you can add these as is (no need to defrost)
Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove (carefully, as the centre will still be soft), and sprinkle over the remaining cranberries (try and spread the cranberries out, and if you can, press them into the surface of the cake a little - I didn't, and so some that simply sat on the top got a little singed!).


Bake for a further 25 - 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes to cool. Then run a knife around the edge, loosen the spring-form and gently take it off. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.



This is quite a generous cake, so should serve 10 people easily. I enjoyed mine this afternoon, alongside a cup of tea, while staring out of the window at apple blossom being drenched with pouring rain. 

In other words, the typical run up to a British Bank Holiday weekend.

Enjoy,

Susie xx


Wow!

I've actually managed to post something.

I'm sorry it's taken me nearly four months to do so. I hope you're still around and reading (and enjoying)!

Sadly, depression is a complete bugger - you never know when it's going to overwhelm you. I'm finally feeling like I'm making some progress, though, so hope to be around a bit more often.

'til next time ... xx

Comments

  1. Welcome back, Susie! I'm still around and reading and enjoying! Your cake looks fabulous and your photography is stunning as ever.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Emma - it's nice to know someone is still out there after my hiatus! x

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  2. I love the way you describe this cake. It makes you want to dive in!

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  3. Great to see you back Susie! The cake looks gorgeous.

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  4. Welcome back Susie! I think I probably bookmark or pin lots of your cakes - but this one is definitely going on the list. I've grown my own NZ cranberries/Chilean guavas this year for the first time - they're littler and sweeter than the traditional sort and very easy to eat in the picking process, which is why I wouldn't have enough to go in this cake - but frozen ones are very easy to come by. I wonder what else I could use as well... In the meantime, really glad to have you back and hope that you continue to feel more like yourself. Hang in there x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lucy - those cranberries sound like they would be just perfect! Thanks for your kind thoughts, too! :) x

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  5. Thank goodness you had a clear out, it's lovely to have you back with a great looking cake! Love the burst of colour from the cranberries. I'm also a big fan of sweet cakes with a sharp punch of tang.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Jo - yes I think the tang balances out sweetness very nicely. I'm a bit put off by cakes that are just all sugary sweetness. :)

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  6. This cake is my kind of cake for nibbling on often, it looks and sounds delicious!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Laura - it is a very tempting cake! Definitely a great discovery for me. :)

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  7. I'm still here and delighted you're back! You take you're time, we can all wait. Cake looks ace and your clear out sounds as 'fun' as mine. We're getting our home ready to put up for sale and it's amazing how much stuff we've acquired!
    Hope to see another post from you soon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks CC - that's so great to hear.
      I dread to think how much stuff we have that we really don't need. I'm on round two of the clear out - things that I thought I might use but still haven't touched eight months later! :)

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  8. Of course we are still around! Have have been a bit busy myself of late and hadn't realised you had posted until just now. That cake looks truly scrumptious! I love the tangy bits too. We are having a kitchen extension - which I was dreading as I just know the amount of clearing out before it could start. Welcome back hope to see more of you from now on.

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  9. WOW Oh Wow, I love the look of this my only question is...... do I really have to share it with 9 people, I am sure that 3 would be a much better number. I plan on trying to grwo cranberries next year so will be printing this off to keep. I hope that you are well, the black dog sits on my shoulders at times, yesterday I found myself sobbing for no apparent reason. Sometimes i do something manic to hoist myself up but yesterday I decided to go with the flow and watched Steel Magnolias and Beaches. Oh and ate half a bag of peanut M&M's.

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