Cranberry Crème Fraîche Bundt - I Like Big Bundts 2013 - Day 7 with Snapware Giveaway!

Cranberry Crème Fraîche Bundt

I Like Big Bundts 2013 - Day 7 

It's Day 7 of I Like Big Bundts 2013 and I cannot lie, I'm happy to be almost half-way there! National Bundt Day is November 15th and I hope you'll bake a Bundt to celebrate the best food holiday ever.

Today, we have a special Bundt and a very special giveaway too! Fun times people. Fun times.

In 2010, cookbook author Christie Matheson emailed me about Bundt cakes, and I ended up in her book Cake Simple. (It was sooo cool - see the page here!) For Day 7 of my little Bundt celebration, I made a delicious bundt from the book that uses a favorite holiday leftover: cranberry sauce!

What's the best part of Thanksgiving? Of course, the leftovers! Snapware has a line of leak-proof food storage containers that are pretty awesome. The bowls are Pyrex with BPA-free leak-proof lids that are color coded and have a Write n' Erase space.

I'm really into noting the prep date of my food and sometimes throw a piece of blue painters tape on it. However, these lids make it so much easier and the writing washes off when you do the dishes!

Snapware gave me their Total Solution 8-piece Glass Food Storage set (two 4-cup medium squares, one 1-cup small round, one 4-cup medium round) for me to try out. They are easy to use, leak-proof (I held one upside down with cranberry sauce in it). I love that they are Pyrex because that makes microwaving easy as pie. And, let's get to your benefit, the cool thing is that they are giving one set to a reader!

** UPDATED: GIVEAWAY IS OVER. Congrats to Sara D who won! **

This cake is easy to make. It involves two layers of whole cranberry sauce and batter. I used a 10-cup Bavaria Bundt Pan (isn't it pretty?!)

Be sure to make a double batch of cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving - you have to have some on your turkey sandwiches, yogurt, and this cake! I'm including the recipe from the book that uses both brown and white sugar.

The cake is topped with a cranberry, almond extract, powdered sugar glaze. The cranberry juice provides a lovely pink color.

This is my first time baking with crème fraîche. Oh my goodness, where have you been all my life? This is just great stuff. It's so smooth.

The book has instructions to make your own crème fraîche, but I didn't have time to make it myself so I picked up this carton for $4.99 (next time, I should definitely make it myself as it will be less expensive).

Make some extra cranberry sauce and go to town with this Cranberry Crème Fraîche Bundt!

I Like Big Bundts 2013 (so far)
Day 6: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day 5: Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt
Day 4: Moosewood's Fresh Apple Spice Bundt Cake
Day 3: Butterscotch Bundt Cake
Day 2: Ultimate Lemon Pound Cake Bundt
Day 1: Orange Marmalade Jubilee Bundt

Cranberry Crème Fraîche Bundt

Recipe adapted from Cake Simple: Recipes for Bundt-Style Cakes from Classic Dark Chocolate to Luscious Lemon Basil

Find the book in your library or on Amazon!

Cake:
1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (300 grams) sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) crème fraîche (the book has a recipe for homemade crème fraîche, but I didn't have time to make it and purchased it)
2 cups whole berry cranberry sauce (fresh or canned)
1/2 cup (45 grams) chopped toasted almonds (I omitted the almonds)

Directions for cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 10-cup Bundt pan (This is a smaller cake so the 10-cup Bundt pan is fine to use. I used the Bavaria Bundt) with Pam with Flour, Baker's Joy or by greasing and flouring the pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.
3. In a standing mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Add vanilla and mix to combine.
4. On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture (3 increments) with the creme fraiche (2 increments) , beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
5. Pour half the batter into the pan. Swirl half the cranberry sauce on top. Add the rest of the batter on top, then the rest of the cranberry sauce (I used about 1 1/2 cups of cranberry sauce instead of 2 cups). Sprinkle the almonds on top (I omitted the almonds in my Bundt).
6. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean and the cake springs back when touched.
7. Let the cake cool in the pan on a cake rack for 15 minutes, then invert onto rack to cool completely.
8. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake. Enjoy!

Cranberry Glaze:
1 cup (93 grams) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 Tablespoon cranberry juice

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. To get the cranberry juice, remove 1 Tablespoon of juice while making the whole berry cranberry sauce - about 10 minutes into the simmering of the sauce. If you use canned sauce, remove some from the can. If glaze is too thick, thin with water or milk.

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce:
12 ounces  fresh cranberries
3/4 cup water
2/3 cup (147 grams) brown sugar
1/3 cup (70 grams) white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the all the sauce ingredients. Cook for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Let cool completely before using it in the cake.



Disclosure: World Kitchen LLC gave me a Snapware Total Solution Storage Set and a gift card to reimburse the cost of ingredients. The opinions and ideas expressed are my own. World Kitchen LLC is providing this prize for one reader who will be selected at random and contacted by email. Giveaway ends November 13, 2013 at 12am PST. Giveaway is only open to residents of the United States.