One Perfect Bite: Cranberry Streusel Cake

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Cranberry Streusel Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...My honesty sometimes gets me in trouble. I hope this won't be one of those occasions. I began my Thanksgiving countdown with 2 pounds of cranberries and a determination to use them all before the holiday arrived. That determination led me to this recipe, and the fact that it used several cups of cranberries made it, from my perspective anyway, a perfect candidate candidate for the blog. I had no great expectations for the cake, as its appearance, even in the professional photo, lacked the allure that makes some recipes irresistible. I dutifully worked my way through the recipe, plopped the cake in the oven and got on with making the rolls that I planned to serve on Thanksgiving Day. Save for the fact that it took 15 minutes longer than expected to bake, the cake was trouble free and didn't look half-bad when I pulled it from the oven. I still had no expectations and was in no hurry for that first bite, but when that came 4 hours later I had to eat my words along with the cake. I really think you'll like this. The cake is buttery, the cranberries sweetly tart and the streusel appropriately other worldly. Those of you who enjoy barely sweet, European desserts are in for a real treat. What I thought would be acceptable, is instead, different, delightful and delicious and I highly recommend this cake to you. Here is how it's made.

Cranberry Streusel Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food and Wine magazine

Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cranberries
2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (10 ounces)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, divided use
Streusel Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform cake pan.
2) Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in bowl of an electric mixer. Using mixer at low speed, beat in butter until it looks like coarse meal.
3) Whisk egg yolks, sour cream and vanilla together in a small bowl. Beat egg mixture into dry ingredients at medium-low speed just until incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape cake batter into the prepared springform pan.
4) Combine cranberries, lime juice, zest, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a medium bowl. Spoon mixture over cake batter.
5) Mix flour, oats and brown sugar in another bowl. Stir in reserved 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in chilled butter until it resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle topping over cranberries and bake cake for about 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely, then remove ring and serve. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.