Cranberry And Pepita Cake

This holiday season, instead of the usual pie, why not try shaking things up with this Cranberry and Pepita Cake!

INGREDIENTS
Cake:

  • 150g sugar

  • 3 eggs (room temperature)

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 150g all purpose flour

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 70ml buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk, you can use 70ml of whole milk with 1 tsp of lemon juice mixed in)

  • 75g melted unsalted butter

  • 1/2 cup (or a bit more of less) cranberries (here, I used frozen- do not thaw them)

Topping:

  • 125g unsalted butter

  • 125g light brown sugar

  • 50ml whole milk

  • 3/4 tsp salt

  • 150g pepitas

STEPS

Heat your oven to 320°F. Prepare a 9-inch springform cake pan by spraying the sides with nonstick spray and lining the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.

  1. If you don’t have buttermilk and doing the hack version, mix the lemon juice with the milk and let it sit for a few minutes.

  2. Melt the butter for the cake in a small to medium saucepan, then transfer it to a bowl to cool. Keep the saucepan to use after for the topping. Alternatively, you could microwave the butter for the cake to melt it.

  3. In a stand mixer, whip the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract on high speed for about 5 minutes. The mixture should turn pale and thick, forming a visible trail when the whisk is lifted.

  4. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.

  5. Once the egg mixture is ready, gently fold in 1/3 of the dry ingredients using a spatula. Next, add half of the milk and fold gently. Repeat the process with another third of the dry ingredients, the remaining milk, and then the final third of the dry ingredients.

  6. Finally, drizzle the melted butter over the batter and fold it in, in two additions. Ensure there are no pockets of flour.

  7. Take your frozen cranberries and rinse them under cold water to remove any frozen bits or juice that might be on them. Pat them dry and roll them in about 1 TBS of flour to coat them. Fold those into the cake batter.

  8. Pour the cake batter gently into your cake pan to maintain its airy texture.

  9. Bake the cake for 30 minutes, or until the top is just set, to support the topping.

  10. While the cake bakes, make the topping. In the saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, milk, and salt. Heat gently, stirring as the butter melts, until the mixture bubbles and thickens slightly. Stir in the pepitas and set aside (I like to make this half way through the cake’s bake, so that it’s ready right before the cake if done).

  11. When the cake is baked, increase the oven temperature 390°F. Remove the cake from the oven and gently pour the pepita caramel evenly over the top, spreading it out in an even layer.

  12. Return the cake to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

  13. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife or offset spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen it. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

  14. You can store the cake in a container at room temperature for up to a couple days.

katherine sprung