Cranberry Bundt Cake with Butter Cream Sauce

Today is my Mia's 14th birthday!

Mia loves cranberries. She has devoured pounds and pounds of cranberry sauce in her 14 years--probably way more than the average person consumes in a lifetime. I'm not even joking. She prefers homemade, but she'll eat the stuff in the can too. :)

This cake is delicious. People who don't like cranberries have told me that, so even if you don't, you should still give it a try. If you like to have something besides pie for Thanksgiving, this would be an excellent addition to your dessert table. I've had the recipe long enough that I don't remember where it originated from, but I do know that my version here is half the butter cream sauce of the original, cutting out a lot of fat and calories that it really didn't need. It's really good topped with whipped cream!

Cranberry Bundt Cake with Butter Cream Sauce
serves 16

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 t. almond extract
1/2 cup sour cream
3 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained

Butter Cream Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup half & half


Preheat oven to 350. Combine and sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, oil, almond extract and sour cream until smooth. The sour cream will form lumps at first, but keep whisking and it will smooth out. Pour liquid ingredients into flour mixture and mix on low until all flour is completely incorporated. Fold in the cranberries.

Pour cake batter into a well-greased Bundt pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While cake is baking, prepare butter cream sauce by melting the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Once butter is melted, whisk in sugar until combined, and then stir in the half & half. Turn heat up to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat once it boils. When cake is done and still hot, pour 1/3 of butter cream mixture over the cake in the pan and allow it to set for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, invert cake onto a serving plate and slowly spoon the rest of the butter cream sauce over the cake so it can absorb into the cake. Cool before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.