December 23, 2013

Cranberry Pound Cake with Almonds

Here’s a delicious recipe to make for your family during the holidays. Cranberry Pound Cake with Almonds is especially good after it has set for 1-2 days. It is amazingly flavorful and moist, and I love the added sweet bites of cranberries. So yummy!

(Recipe modified with new photos on 1/19/22.)

I love making pound cakes. They are so simple and unpretentious with no luscious layers or creamy frosting. But never underestimate the wondrous flavor brought on by a few simple ingredients–including butter! This pound cake has become one of my favorite cakes to make during the holidays, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Our daughters often request this recipe, which says a lot! Browse more Pound Cake Recipes Here.

Special Ingredients Needed

To make this Cranberry Pound Cake, you’ll want to shop for a few special ingredients, which may also go on sale during the holiday season. Watch for sales on fresh cranberries, butter, cream cheese, all-purpose flour and granulated sugar. I always try to stock up heavily when these items are on sale. If you don’t believe me, ask my husband, daughters, or sons-in-law, as they’ve witnessed my giddiness when butter is on sale!

Another special ingredient that I encourage you to buy is the Princess Cake and Cookie Flavoring Emulsion, as it really adds a lovely flavor to this cake. This may seem like a trivial addition to the recipe, but believe me when I say it’s a secret weapon! It turns an average cake into an amazingly flavorful cake. It is well worth having in your pantry stash. See Other Recipes which use this flavor emulsion.

Ingredients to Make Cranberry Pound Cake with Almonds

fresh cranberries
granulated sugar
lemon juice
ground cinnamon
all-purpose flour
baking powder
baking soda
salt
butter, softened
cream cheese, softened
large eggs, at room temperature
vanilla extract
Princess Flavoring Emulsion

Glaze:

powdered sugar
whole milk
lemon juice
vanilla extract
almond extract
sliced almonds for garnish

A Note about Bundt Pans

Nordic Ware offers an amazing selection of Bundt Pan styles to choose from. The one pictured above is the Vaulted Cathedral. The one I made this cake recipe in is their standard 12-cup pan, which you may purchase Here.

Instructions for Making This Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gather all the ingredients so that you have everything close at hand.

Prepare the Cranberry Sauce

In a small saucepan, combine the fresh cranberries, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, lemon juice, and ground cinnamon. Cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until cranberries begin to burst, stirring frequently. Cool completely.

Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan. Dust lightly with flour. Alternately, you may spray the cake pan with Baker’s Joy, which is what I use when baking with any specialty cake pan.

Combine Cake Ingredients

In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add remaining sugar, mixing well between additions, beating for 3-4 minutes total.

Add eggs, one-at-a-time, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in vanilla extract and Princess Flavoring Emulsion.

When making a pound cake, it’s important to have your ingredients at room temperature. This includes the butter, cream cheese, and eggs. When these ingredients are at room temperature, they will cream together easily which will help make a light and fluffy texture in your cake.

Slowly add flour mixture and beat together until combined.

Spoon half of batter into the prepared Bundt pan.

Spread cooled cranberry mixture in an even layer over batter, being careful not to touch the edges of the pan. Top with remaining batter.

Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Glaze

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, whole milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Whisk together until smooth and creamy.

Drizzle over the cooled cake. Garnish with sliced almonds.

This cake will serve 16 – 20 people. Feel free to make this cake a day or two ahead as the flavors get even better with time. Store this cake in a covered container for 5-7 days at room temperature.

See more Dessert Recipes Here. View more Recipes with Cranberries Here.