It's Christmas Eve and our whole family will be coming over tomorrow to celebrate on Christmas day. I think a warm spiced cake with toasty browned buttercream and tart sugared cranberries will be just the thing to get everyone in the Christmas spirit.
Our children are young, and we are in the stage of life when Christmas morning is still magical. Our eight-year-old son, Allan and five-year-old daughter, Diana peeped into our room at 6:30am blankets wrapped around their small shoulders. "Did Santa come?" Allan asked. Our two-year-old son Edmund, who snuck into our bed around 2 in the morning, jumped up, excited at the sound of Allan's voice. Ryan slipped on his robe as I pulled on my cozy slippers, and we all made our way to the living room. Nothing can replace the sparkle in the eyes of our children when they see the gifts piled up under the Christmas tree. And I'm reminded to soak it all in because all too soon the magic and mystery will dwindle away.
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
350g (2 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
380g (2 cups) brown sugar
200g (1 cup) coconut oil
113g (1 stick) butter
4 eggs, room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla
200g (3/4 cup) plan yogurt, room temperature
For or the Frosting:
226g (2 sticks) butter, browned
566g (5 cups) powdered sugar
4 tablespoons heavy cream (add more if needed)
1 teaspoon almond extract
pinch of salt
For the Sugar Cranberries
12oz fresh cranberries
99g (1/2 cup) sugar
114g (1/2 cup) water
198g (1 cup) sugar (for tossing)
4 sprigs of rosemary (optional)
Method:
The night before, place the butter in a small pan and over a medium high heat melt it until it becomes brown and toasty. Pour it into a bowl and let it sit out at room temperature until it solidifies.
Preheat the oven to 350° and prep two 9-inch round baking pans with parchment paper.
Sift all the dry ingredients together and set it aside. Next, whip the vanilla, coconut oil, butter, and brown sugar together until it is light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, incorporating each one completely. Next, add your dry ingredients mix until just combined, then add the yogurt and mix again until fully combined.
Separate your cake batter into the two cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean allow cakes to cool on a wire rack.
While the cakes are in the oven, make the sugared cranberries. In a large pot, add 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar place on the stove and on medium low heat stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Do not let the sugar boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove it from the heat and add the fresh cranberries and toss them all to coat. Then place them on a wire rack to allow them to dry. The cranberries should still be tacky to the touch. Toss them in granulated sugar and then set it aside.
Once the cakes have cooled, make the brown buttered cream. Place the brown butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the powdered sugar, almond extract, a pinch of salt, and 4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream. Mix on high until everything is well combined and creamy. Generously frost the cake and decorate the top with the sugared cranberries and rosemary if you are using.
I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and remind you to slow down and soak it all in.
I sure hope you this Spiced Cake with Browned Buttercream and Sugared Cranberries a try this holiday season! There is still time to make this cake for a New Years Eve Party! If you want to stay in the loop and never miss another blog post, subscribe to my blog here.
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