This is my favorite cake of all time! I usually only make it on Thanksgiving, Christmas and when my daughter requests it for her birthday. Why??? Because I would eat the whole thing (if no one was watching). The tartness of the cranberries in the cake combines with the sweet creamy butter flavored sauce to create a bit of heaven on earth. This sauce is so amazing!!!
This is one of the recipes from my first recipe box – I think I wrote it down as I was getting ready to move to Iowa for my first teaching job after I graduated from college. The recipe is for a 9 x 13 pan, but I made half a batch for these photos, which fits into a 9 x 9 pan.
Cream the butter and sugar (it doesn’t get really creamy), add vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Mix well. The batter will be thick.
Add the cranberries and gently fold in.
Bake about 35 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Let it cool for about 10 minutes. You want to eat this cake warm. But you can warm up individual pieces in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Yum! So pretty and so delicious!
A repeat….this is best warm and very best right out of the oven…and you need to have the Hot Butter Sauce ready to flood the plate. It is really best to use a bowl – so you can add more sauce. You won’t believe how wonderful this cake is. If you make it, it will become one of your family’s new traditions. You might want to try it this weekend…just to see if you want to add it to your Thanksgiving menu this year. Happy Weekend! Enjoy!
Cranberry Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 4 cups whole raw cranberries
Hot Butter Sauce
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup cream
Instructions
Cake
- Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla. Mix well.
- Sift dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture, alternately (beginning and ending with dry ingredients) with the milk. Fold in cranberries.
- Pour into sprayed 9 x 13 dish. Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes, until slightly browned on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool about 10 minutes. Cut in squares and serve with Hot Butter Sauce
Hot Butter Sauce
- Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Blend in sugar and add cream. Simmer 3-4 minutes. Pour over warm cake.
