November 10, 2013

This vintage cranberry cake recipe is bound to be a surefire holiday dessert hit


While a few late season pears and apples continue to trickle onto the local supermarket shelves, by and large autumn's fruit harvest is behind us. As the last wisps of faux cobwebs and suddenly smooshy pumpkins are removed from the front porch, one notices an icy wind rush to greet their cardigan clad arms. The official start of winter may still be more than a month away, but already the telltale signs of the next season are upon us.

Where just last week we were up to our eyeballs in candy corn, caramel apples, and pumpkin shaped sugar cookies, today one's thoughts can't help but shift towards Thanksgiving (if you live in the US), which falls on November 28th this year, and further down the road a little ways, Christmas. With November comes foods laden with hearty flavours and scents, ingredients all but forgotten during summer's blazing reign of warmth, now become beloved dinner table companions once more.

Once supper wraps up and a hankering for something sweet sets in, out are the light and airy Italian ices, angel food cakes, and pastel hued macarons of the past few months, and in their place come everything from gingerbread cookies to stewed fruit, rum balls to pecan pie - and of course, plenty of desserts teaming with cranberries.

It is this mainstay of the cold weather culinary repertoire which shines like the jewel that it is in today's super easy, wonderfully tasty vintage Holiday Topsy-Turvy Cranberry Cake (so called because, much like a pineapple upside-down cake, the fruit goes into the pan first, followed by the cake batter, then the whole shebang is turned right-side up with the cranberries on top once it has finished baking).


 photo 3230189252_8c3ebe984f_o_zps1d54884b.jpg

{Perfect for everything from Thanksgiving Day breakfast to a mid-afternoon coffee break on Boxing Day, this quick to prepare, economical vintage cranberry cake recipe is a fun mid-century take on one of the best flavours of the season. Image source.}


Other than swapping out the lard for butter, margarine, or a vegan margarine substitute (just depending on the crowd I was baking for), I wouldn't do much to this recipe at all. It's lovely - pleasingly tart and sweet in the same forkful - as it is.

For those, like me, who need to go the gluten-free route, sub in your favourite GF white or golden cake mix (I used two boxes of Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Golden Cake Mix when I made this recipe last and it delivered the perfect amount of batter for a pan of approximately the same size as the one indicated here) or homemade white cake recipe instead.

One thought that occurred to me though (not to contradict what I just said about leaving things as they are) is that, if you were making this recipe at a different time of year, such as for July 4th, is that you could swirl some blueberries through with the cranberries for a patriotic/festive red, white and blue upside-down cake. The colour palette would of course work great for celebrations in those countries (such as France and the UK) that have flags in these same hues.

With US Thanksgiving (we had ours back on October 14th here in Canada) and Christmas little more than a snowball's throw away however, I'll stick with just the cranberries for now - save perhaps unless a few pomegranate seeds - another treasured cold weather fruit - want to make their way into the mix for an extra dose of red-as-Rudolph's nose festive fruit fun.

Speaking of important celebrations this season, I want to take a moment to wish each of you a peaceful, lovely Remembrance Day or Veteran's Day tomorrow, depending on which side of the 49th you live.

This is a truly important day and one which I think those of us with a deeply rooted passion for the 1940s are especially in tune with, as we know and honour the sacrifices and triumphs made by all those that fought - whether on the battlefield or home front - to ensure freedom would reign supreme continually through our devotion to the history of this unforgettable era the whole year round.


31 comments:

  1. I might try it with butter and olive oil. Most of Andalucian cakes are made with extra virgen olive oil.
    It loos so delicioussssssss.
    Have a wonderful Sunday, dear Jessica.
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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  2. I so love cranberries! I like this Topsy-Turvy idea with cranberries instead of pineapples. I will have to try this one!

    It is so strange to think that you have already had your Thanksgiving. Since you are so far north, Thanksgiving is probably ideal in October, but here we have barely entered autumn, especially in California. By November, the weather is more likely to feel a bit chilly, making one long to cozy up to baking and a warm fire.

    I love this time of year!
    ♥Hope

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    1. Great point, dear Hope, and you know, it really does work out wonderfully in that way. Yes, some places in the country have had snow already by early October, but many still have pleasant weather then and it really does help the day feel less like Christmas and more like a celebration of autumn's rich bounty and many blessings.

      It's a wee bit early, but I hope you and your family have a beautiful, joyous Thanksgiving this year!

      ♥ Jessica

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    2. Jessica: thank you for sharing this wonderful Cranberry Cake recipe! Think I will make it for our Thanksgiving potluck that the office is having in a few weeks!! Love, love, love your blog! Not much season change here in Tucson Arizona but I bet it beautiful where you are!
      Christine

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    3. Hi Christine, you're very welcome. Many thanks in turn for your sweet-as-cake comment. It's an absolute pleasure to hear from you and to know how much you adore my blog. We're well on our way to winter here in my corner of Canada, having got our first snow fall last Monday, it's safe to say autumn (which was late to arrive this year) is on its way out.

      Big hugs & tons of happy (early) Thanksgiving wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  3. your blog is one of my favourites!! keep up the good work!!!

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  4. Oooo cake!! It looks delish! Wish i could get hold of cranberries, but we don't have them in Norway :( I might try it with blueberries, that has be yummy too!

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  5. Looks delish old recipes are such treasures and a dish like this can be adapted so many ways
    Kate the old fashioned way

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  6. The following was written by Lt Col John McCrae of the Canadian Army.
    It remains a poignant reminder of the futility of war.

    In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row,
    That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly
    Scarce heard amid the guns below.

    We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
    Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.

    Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw
    The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die
    We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

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    1. No matter how many times I read or hear this poem, it sends chills up my spine. It was one of the first pieces of poetry I remember learning by heart in school as a child, and to this day and am so grateful that I did. It is incredibly poignant and timelessly important. Thank you so very much for posting it, my sweet friend.

      ♥ Jessica

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  7. So fun to use an old recipe like that. Can you believe the amount of lard people used to consume? Makes me shudder just thinking about it. Although my Mom would firmly argue on the side of lard LOL.

    bisous
    Suzanne

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  8. OMG I AM DROOLING. I LOVE baking, I love baking for other people so that I can share and not eat it all, hehehe. Sometimes I go to trivia night at a bar near my house, and my friends and I take turns baking goodies to share with each other and the employees. I think I might have to make this one week! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. A vintage cake Jessica! I want to eat it!

    http://www.hungrycaramella.blogspot.it

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  10. So beautiful! Thanksgiving is not celebrated another holiday here in Spain. However, I'm loving all the recipes of sweet cakes .... and if they are vintage recipes, Oh, delight! I have to try this ...

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  11. It's a shame I can only find frozen cranberries here in Portugal! :/ x

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  12. This sounds like a really tasty and unusual treat... Unusual from an English perspective anyway, where cranberries seem to less of a staple than in Canada and America. I'm envious of the Americans having Thanksgiving to celebrate in late November. I was just thinking today that, with Halloween and Bonfire Night over here, I'm kind of sad there's nothing specific between now and Christmas to celebrate... I'll just have to make my own reasons to celebrate November!

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    1. As I am! I was just texting my step-dad about this very point a few hours ago, actually. I love that those in the US celebrate their Thanksgiving at the end of November, instead of early October like us. Here, once Halloween is done, it so often feels (and this year is no exception) like winter starts on November 1st, especially because we usually start getting (or already have) snow around then (we got the first fall here on Nov. 4th). As such, fall can feel so very, very short for us (and you guys in the UK), whereas in the States there's a sense of it lasting until the end of November, which we just don't have here unless we get a (very rare) long Indian summer.

      I agree completely, we just need to come up with our own reasons to celebrate November. I think bringing one's vintage winter coats out of hibernation is a good place to start! :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  13. Sound delicious, I love cranberries!

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  14. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here (I'm from New Zealand) but for Christmas I'm always looking for delicious things to make to take to family Christmas. My grandma is allergic to strawberries, which is a summer staple here, so I think this would make an excellent substitute! It's got the same gorgeous colour. I will be using frozen cranberries though, it's just easier haha.
    Thanks for sharing this recipe, I can't wait to give it a try!

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  15. Looks wonderful!
    I can give it a try I guess! :)
    http://balearaitzart.blogspot.com.au/

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  16. Oh, my!!! That sounds simply scrumptious! I do love cranberries and with a few tweaks, this can become a gluten free recipe. Perfect for the holidays. And considering it will just be the four of us Thanksgiving means we can do whatever we want. :)

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    1. That you can! I love cooking for small groups during the holidays for just that very reason, too. You bet! As I mentioned in the post, I've made this with two boxes of Betty Crocker GF Golden cake mix before (and no real eggs), and it came out fabulously! It's also fun to make at other times of the year with different berries such as blueberries, loganberries, red currants (which I love, but they're hard to get around these parts), Saskatoon berries, or ripe pitted cherries (the latter with a little chocolate sauce drizzled over is sublime!).

      ♥ Jessica

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  17. Oh, Jessica, thank you for sharing this recipe (and how many boxes of gluten-free cake mix you used!)—it sounds delicious and like it would look very tempting on the table, too. Though I must confess I'm picturing it with raspberries when they're back in season!

    Thanks too, pigsmightfly, for posting the poem. It touches me deeply every time I read it.

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  18. Its so much fun cooking off vintage recipes! I have a Everyday Women's magazine from 1955 that I have a few recipes I'm planning!

    -Paige, kaydove.com

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  19. I love finding old recipe books! This one looks really yummy. I will have to try it. Thanks for sharing.

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  20. Thank you for the recipe which will be saved for later use. I had to re-read the first four lines of this blogpost - so poetic. Have you ever considered being an author? :)

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    1. You're very welcome, dear Sanne, it's my pleasure. I really hope you and anyone you serve it to adores this cold weather perfect cake if you make it.

      Thank you deeply for your beautiful compliment. Writing has always been one of the biggest joys and most important elements of my life. Whether writing poetry, blog posts, freelance and ghost writing (I did both in my early 20s), or penning a letter to dear friend, I simply need to write and love it dearly. One of my life goals is write and publish a book actually. It's not something I've been actively working on thus far, but as I near the next decade of my life (I'll be 30 next July), I've really been thinking lately that it's something I truly want to focus on trying to make a reality in the coming years.

      ♥ Jessica

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  21. Jessica: I forgot to tell you that I made the Topsy Turvy Cake when my office had a Pot Luck-everyone loved it!! It went so fast that I didn't get a slice for my husband & ended up making another one for home! I'm getting hungry thinking about it! Have a great week!
    Christine in Tucson

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  22. Hi Christine, thank you very much for both of your wonderfully lovely messages today. I'm honoured to know that you enjoy my blog - very much including the vintage recipe posts - so much. If there's any specific type of vintage recipe that you're ever on the prowl, please don't hesitate to email and I'll try (either amongst my own vintage cookbooks or online) to find it for you and make it the star of a post.

    Heartfelt thanks again & the happiest of Sunday wishes,
    ♥ Jessica

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