Cranberry Kuchen
by Jan Hazard (reprinted with permission)
Christmas is my favorite time for baking. A selection of different American, French, and Italian cookies inspires me each year. An authentic Bûche de Noël—or Yule Log Cake—is usually also part of my sweet holiday repertoire. Even though it takes two to three days to create this intricate cake, it’s worth it.
This year, however, I found myself short of time having just arrived back home shortly before the holidays after a month’s stay in Paris. I planned a Christmas dinner party for seven which featured a simple lobster risotto. But what would be quick, easy, and delicious to prepare for dessert? No time to fiddle with making dainty meringue mushrooms, delicate sponge cake or dangerously delicious chocolate ganache this year. Yet the dessert needed to reflect the specialness of the occasion.
Then, it dawned on me. Why not continue my French experience by replicating the iconic Provençal “Treize desserts.” This is an old tradition from the South of France which is served at the end of an elaborate Christmas eve family dinner. The thirteen desserts represent the twelve Apostles and baby Jesus. For good luck, people try to eat all thirteen to guarantee good luck for the coming year.
Granted, when you think of thirteen desserts, it does sound overwhelming. However, the term “dessert” can be stretched a bit as long as it incorporates a sweet component. For example, my selection included mandarin oranges and candied pecans a friend made. In fact, I ended up making only two desserts for my dinner party, or so I thought: poached pears in white wine and a cranberry kuchen using a recipe from my friend and amazing cook, Jan Hazard. Everything else was either brought by a guest, purchased, or defrosted!
I fleshed out the rest of the requisite thirteen desserts with nine more items. This consisted of a Bûche de Noël from Éclair, my local bakery; whipped cream sweetened with Grand Marnier and slivers of candied orange rind repurposed from a previous dessert; date nut bread made by a friend; fruit jellies from France; Peppernuts, a Dutch holiday specialty brought home from Amsterdam; honey cake leftover from a Passover celebration; and Christmas cookies brought by Jan. The final two desserts were with green and white striped candy canes snatched from my TD Bank and a party favor of sugar cookies baked last minute after realizing I had miscounted the desserts. Count ‘em up now. There are thirteen there!
(The recipe for the Bûche de Noël appeared here on December 24, 2018.)
Ingredients:
FOR THE TOPPING:
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
FOR THE CAKE:
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sweet butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Grated peel from one medium orange
2 cups fresh cranberries (if washed, be sure to dry thoroughly)
Whipped cream (optional)
Cooking Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan or cake pan with removable bottom. Line bottom with waxed paper; grease and flour paper and side of pan.
2. Make topping: Combine sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
4. Beat butter in a food processor until creamy. Add sugar until mixture is light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs. Pulse/beat until well combined and batter is smooth. Stop processor and scrap sides of bowl occasionally. Add orange rind.
5. Gradually beat in flour mixture just until blended. Add cranberries to processor bowl. Pulse a few times to chop the cranberries. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Sprinkle topping over top of cake.
6. Bake 48-50 minutes until top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Run knife around edge of pan and release springform ring; cool on a wire rake for 15 minutes. Gently invert cake onto a flat plate; remove bottom of pan and waxed paper. Invert cake onto a large serving platter and lift off top plate. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Serves: 8-10
Beverage suggestion: Do as in France: offer coffee, preferably espresso, after dessert. Then, if you are still thirsty, a nice snifter of aged Cognac or Armagnac.