Cranberry ~ Orange Coffee Cake

Ahhhh, what to make to accompany the luxurious purchase of organic heavy cream? Why, an ethereally light cranberry orange cake from the Moosewood of course! For those wondering about my tiny recipe archive, it's true. My sweet cookbooks are limited to: "Moosewood Restaurant: Book of Desserts" a Christmas present from dad, "In the Sweet Kitchen" by Regan Daley (a gift from Mom), "Professional Baking" by Wayne Gisslen (a post- George Brown Baking course reference book), "Home Baking" by Toronto's Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (a wedding present from the actor), and a small recipe box section of photo copied and scrawled recipes. My hopes for the future do involve a larger personal collection of baking and dessert books-- however, this will follow the paying off of the student loan and the acquisition of a reliable day job! In the meantime I rely on the Moosewood for many recipes that can be whipped up without making an additional run to the grocery store or a large dent in the weekly food expenses. Funny how these often turn out to be the most satisfying recipes as well! I have attempted a few desserts from Daley's book--one was outstanding and some others required more time and cost than were warranted for the results. Has anyone found this with her recipes? Antonio approximated the cost of one tart I made at around $60 (but this of course included much more of some expensive ingredients than could be used for just 1 dessert--organic almond extract for example)!

The tart sweet cranberry topping was so deserving of its buttery light base! My first attempt at this recipe, it will definitely become an old standard, especially because the ingredients will usually be on hand.

Recipe, slightly adapted:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar (or combo or white sugar + molasses)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1/4 cup milk (or cream!)
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
~
2 cups rinsed cranberries (fresh or frozen & thawed)
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (or white + molasses)
1 1/2 tsp grated orange peel and/or
dash of grand marnier or cointreau
pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a light coloured 8" square or 9" round pan
2. Sift flour, salt and baking soda into a small bowl
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light, add egg and mix well
4. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk and juice and ending with the vanilla, mixing gently to incorporate
5. Scrape into the pan and bake for about half an hour, until the top springs back and a skewer emerges clean
6. While the cake bakes, combine the topping ingredients in a small pot over medium heat, stirring until the berries soften, about 10 minutes--put aside to cool
7. After cake has cooled about 10 minutes, unmould onto a plate and cover with cranberry topping
8. Serve with softly whipped organic cream, or ice cream, or even thick yogurt... (the whipped cream had already been devoured by the time I got around to taking the photo--I'm sure you can use your culinary imaginations!)