This a wonderful holiday cake to have around if you have a group of people. Love the tart cranberries with hints of cinnamon and eggnog. Enjoy with some coffee and tea and get your baking game going. Make this on Christmas Eve and enjoy it on your Christmas morning breakfast ! Merry Christmas

Yield 1 8×8 cake

A perfect Christmas Morning treat

Ingredients:

for cake:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream (full fat)
  • 1 cup eggnog
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum
  • 2 ½ cups unbleached flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries

for streusel:

  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

for glaze:

  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

sugar coated cranberries (optional garnish):

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries

Directions:

for cake and streusel:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix streusel together by placing brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour together. Set aside. Stir until combined. Spray an 8×8 inch pan with cooking spray. In a standing mixer with paddle attachment, combine softened butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down sides as needed. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a third bowl, whisk remaining wet ingredients together. With the machine running, add some of the flour mixture followed by some of the wet ingredients and continue the process ending with dry ingredients. Fold in cranberries until distributed in batter. Fill baking pan with cake batter and even out. Distribute streusel on the top of batter. Bake in oven for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cake to fully cool in pan. Combine all ingredients for glaze in a measuring cup. Carefully invert cake on platter and drizzle with glaze.

for sugar coated cranberries:

While cake is baking prepare sugared cranberries. in a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a simmer. When all sugar is dissolved stir in cranberries to fully coat in syrup. Remove cranberries with slotted spoon and transfer to parchment and allow to dry. Roll cranberries in remaining sugar to coat. Garnish as desired.