Christmas Yumminess

I'm not sure if 'yumminess' is a proper word but not to worry. It's just three sleeps until Christmas Day and we still have plenty of snow, its so exciting!
Since we will be having visitors for dinner on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day I have been dreaming up menus and treats for a couple of days now. I need the evening meal to be fairly quick and easy as we will be eating when the children are in bed. The Christmas Day dinner will be the full 3 course affair with all the trimmings:)

This cake is great for an easy dessert or just to have for tea time.

Cranberry Cake

I love cranberries, this year I intend to grow them with my blueberry bushes as the berries are only in the shops here for a couple of weeks.

You can make this cake without the pecan topping but the nuts work so well with the tartness of the cranberries it wouldn't be quite the same:)

Cranberry Cake Recipe
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups SR flour
pinch of cinnamon (optional)
2 1/2 cups cranberries

10 inch springform tin

Optional Pecan Topping

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup toasted pecans

Preheat the oven to 350F / 18oC / Gas mark 4 / moderate
lightly grease a 10" springform cake tin and line the base with baking paper

Beat the eggs and sugar together for 5 - 7 minutes, the eggs will increase in volume and stream into ribbons when you lift the beaters. The mixture should be pale yellow - (unless you use a golden sugar)
Add the butter and beat for 2 minutes.
Stir in the flour.
Fold in the cranberries.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin.
For the pecan topping, heat the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the sugar and stir.
Add the toasted pecans and cook for a few minutes, until the butter and sugar mixture is smooth and the nuts smell toasted.
Spread over the cake mixture.
Bake in the oven for just over an hour. You might need to tent some tin foil over the cake in the last 15 minutes to prevent browning.
Cool slightly in the tin, then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack.

Tastes just like Christmas!