Description
A tender butter cake loaded with whole fresh cranberries and topped with a golden cinnamon brown sugar streusel, baked in a square pan and dusted with powdered sugar.
Ingredients
For the cake: 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon for the cranberries
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (150 g) fresh or frozen whole cranberries
For the streusel: 3/4 cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (100 g) packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup (76 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
For finishing: powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×9-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.
2. Make the streusel: mix the 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until coarse crumbs form. Refrigerate while you make the batter.
3. Whisk the 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Toss the cranberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour.
4. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the milk and vanilla.
5. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the cranberries.
6. Spread the thick batter evenly in the pan and scatter the streusel over the top, pressing lightly.
7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center, away from the cranberries, comes out clean.
8. Cool completely in the pan. Lift out using the parchment, dust with powdered sugar, and cut into 12 squares.
Notes
Original Poulef recipe adapted from published cranberry Christmas cakes and cranberry crumb cakes (Shugary Sweets, Taste of Home, and Little Sweet Baker) that use a tender butter cake studded with fresh cranberries and baked at 350°F, shaped to match the streusel-topped squares in the photos. The amounts, pan size, and bake time were not readable from the sources, so they are estimates and the recipe has not been tested.
Use fresh or frozen cranberries. Do not thaw frozen cranberries before folding them in.
Tossing the cranberries in flour helps keep them from sinking.
Nutrition is an approximate estimate per square (12 squares).
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 328
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 65mg