Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

A fruity fall twist on a classic treat. Serve with a hot cup of cinnamon tea.

Ingredients:

1¾ cups sugar

1 cup butter, room temperature

3 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

¾ teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon orange extract

2½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¾ cup buttermilk (whole is best but low-fat also works)

2 cups fresh cranberries, whole

A little more sugar to sprinkle on top.

Optional Glaze: (If glazing, do not sprinkle sugar on top before baking.)

1½ cups powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon orange juice

1 Tablespoon half-and-half (or whole milk)

¼ teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Add eggs and orange zest until well blended. Add vanilla and orange extract.

In a separate large bowl, combine dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients alternatively with the buttermilk to the butter/sugar/orange zest/egg mixture. Finally, gently fold in cranberries. Grease and flour a 9x 5 x 2.5-inch bread pan or spray with a baking spray that includes oil and flour such as Baker’s Joy. Pour batter in pan. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and bake at 350 degrees F for 55 to 60 minutes or a bit longer, just until a cake tester comes out clean. Do NOT over-bake. If it begins to get browned, cover loosely with a rectangle of foil placed lightly on top.

Let cool for 25-30 minutes and then flip out of pan and onto a cooling rack. Make glaze and pour it over the top. Serve cooled and store any that is left wrapped tightly in foil.

Glaze directions: In a small bowl, whisk glaze ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the loaf.

*Photo by Marina Khrapova on Unsplash

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