Cranberry Bundt Cake with Butter Sauce

Cranberry Bundt Cake with Hot Butter Sauce

 6 tablespoons butter
2 cups white sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk milk
1 (12 ounce) package cranberries
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
very generous splash of white rum (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, cream together the 6 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture alternately with the whole milk. Gently fold in the cranberries. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Hot Butter Sauce: 
In a saucepan, combine 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, and the heavy cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. If you are going to add the rum, add it at this point and beat everything very well. Serve slices of cake generously covered with hot butter sauce.

CRANBERRY PUDDING CAKE WITH SAUCE

CRANBERRY PUDDING CAKE WITH SAUCE

1 pkg. plain white cake mix
1 pkg. lemon instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 (16 oz.) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 pkg. regular cooked lemon pudding mix
1 tbsp. butter

Combine cake mix, instant pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and nuts in large bowl. Mix on low speed 2 minutes, then 2 minutes on medium. Fold in 1/2 of cranberry sauce. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9"x5" loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes then on a wire rack.

SAUCE:
Add water to remaining cranberry sauce to make 2 1/2 cups. Combine pudding mix, and measured liquid in medium saucepan. Cook until thickened, add butter, serve warm over cake.

Grandma's Pudding Cake

GRANDMA'S CRANBERRY PUDDING CAKE 

Cake: 

2 2/3 cups Robin Hood flour
4 teaspoons Magic baking soda
2/3 cup boiling water
1 cup light molasses - I use Grandma's Brand
4 cups (1 bag) Ocean Spray, whole, washed cranberries

Sauce: 

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1 1/2 cups melted butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla

In a large bowl mix the boiling water with the molasses. Beat well. Sift the flour overtop of the molasses a bit at a time and mix well. Add the baking soda and the cranberries. Stir to mix. Pour the mixture into a 10 inch bundt pan or equivalent pudding mold. It should be 1/2 to 2/3 full but no more. Gently set the pan in a larger pan with lid or roasting pan that is filled with 3 inches or so of water. Cover. Bring to a boil and steam for 1 1/2 hours. The heat must stay pretty consistent  I put it on a slow simmer and keep a watch on it. It has to steam steady so the pudding is cooked through. You have to check the water level every 30 minutes and add more water if needed.

This seems like a lot of work but it actually isn't. You don't have to stand over the cake, you can let it simmer away and go and do other things. Just set a timer for 30 minutes so you can come and check the water level.

For the sauce, 
Combine the cream, butter and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil for a count of 5 then remove from heat and add the vanilla. Serve warm over the cake.