Recipe: Cranberry Cornbread

This great recipe for Cranberry Cornbread is quick and easy.. looks great and tastes great... perfect for the holidays... when you need something around for guests to enjoy... a great little addition to a brunch... or maybe just for the family to grab for a quick weekday breakfast.....I make it at the beginning of a week.. so I have a quick breakfast for picky eaters.. who would normally forego eating breakfast  but can't resist a good breakfast cake/bread (can you hear me, Warren?)

This recipe is a version of my Sweet Cornbread recipe.... it's is light and airy and moist… the cranberries add a little tartness to the sweetness of the corn bread.. a winning combination!.... oh and did I mention how easy it is to make?

Here’s the easy part.. it uses a cake mix and two Jiffy Corn Muffin mixes… yep.. it’s that easy… just a little tweak of the other ingredients and you have a wonderfully Sweet Cornbread... now add cranberries ... and well.. it's over the top with flavor!



TIPS

First let’s talk about the size.. this makes a 9 x 13 pan of cornbread….about double the size of most cornbreads… notta a problem.. for sure… it will disappear.. trust me.

I use milk… fat free (skim milk) instead of the water in the recipe… my Butter Recipe cake mix box lists 2/3 of a cup water and each of the Jiffy Corn Muffin mixes list 1/3 of a cup milk… but that is really too much liquid altogether… 1 cup is enough.

If you substitute a yellow cake mix…I recommend that you still use the 1 cup of milk… and use the fat free milk because it has a consistency closer to water than the other milks.

I found it mixes best if you mix the Butter Recipe Cake mix and the soften butter and eggs first… using a hand mix on low… add the milk.. beat with the hand mixer…. Then add the Jiffy Cornbread mixes and mix with a spoon by hand.. if you just add everything as some other recipes tell you… you end up with small (and some large) butter clumps… which are a pain to disperse… and you end up over mixing the cornbread mix.

In a small bowl, toss the cranberries in about 2 tablespoons flour... this will help keep them all from sinking to the bottom... some will still sink but most will stay throughout the bread.

Baking times vary… I used 9 x 13 baking dish… I baked it a total of 45 minutes… which is about 5 minutes longer than my plain cornbread... I imagine the cranberries added a bit of moisture as they baked....

I baked it for 30 minutes then tested it.. the toothpick came out clean but the center jiggled too much… gave it another 6 minutes.. it only jiggled a little… took it out.. the center pieces could have used a few more minutes…. with that said… 45 minutes should be about right…. Depending on your oven. You want a toothpick coming out clean and no jiggle in the center…

If the top starts to brown too much (it shouldn’t)… just lay a piece of foil on top.. just lay it loosely… and you should be fine.

Try this delicious and easy Cranberry Cornbread.... it's wonderful!






Recipe:  Cranberry Cornbread

All you need:

1 (18.25 oz) Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Golden cake mix
1 stick ( ½ cup) butter, softened
5 eggs
1 cup Fat Free Milk
2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin mix
1 bag (12 ounces) fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons flour

All you need to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with butter flavored cooking spray or grease with shortening.

In a very large bowl, mix the cake mix eggs and butter. Using a hand mixer, mix for about 30 seconds or until well distributed. Add the milk and continue mixing for about 4 minutes at medium speed.

Add the Jiffy Corn Muffin mixes and mix with a spoon by hand until blended.

In a small bowl, toss the cranberries in about 2 tablespoons flour to coat them.  Fold them into the batter until evenly distributed. 

Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean AND the center does not jiggle.

Cool for 10 minutes… serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe: Cranberry Apple Cake

The flavor combination of cranberries and apple in deliciously moist cake... perfect cake to start the weekend...

Last week I posted a Cranberry Buttermilk Cake that is out of this world...  the recipe left me with about 3/4 of a cup of cranberries leftover...  not enough for a second cake... not really enough for any of my cranberry recipes... and I sure didn't want to run out to the store for more.. and besides that would just leave me with more leftover.

So what did I do?.. I simply combined them with a couple of apples I had in the fridge....

TIPS

If you're not big on a tart flavor .... I'd recommend you use  sweet apples for this cake...  I used Granny Smiths but we like the tart flavor.

Unlike the last cake.. I highly recommend you use the two teaspoons of flour to coat the fruit.. don't cut it back.

Try this delicious cake.. it's easy to prepare and in fact you can refrigerate the batter overnight in an air tight container .. just spread it in the pan in the morning and pop it in the oven.

Recipe:  Cranberry Apple Cake

All you need:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh cranberries

2 medium sized apples, peeled, cored and diced

1/2 cup buttermilk

Butter flavor cooking oil spray

All you have to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9 inch baking dish with butter flavor cooking oil and set it aside.

Add 2 cups flour to a medium bowl. 

Put the cranberries and diced apples into a medium bowl and remove 2 tablespoons flour from your other bowl.  Toss the cranberries and diced apples with the flour to evenly coat them.

To the flour bowl, add the baking powder and salt.  Mix completely with a wire whisk. 

In a standing mixer, cream together the butter, 1 cup sugar and vanilla. Beat in the egg.

Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, alternating between the two, to the butter mixture... beating at low speed.  Beat until well combined.

Fold in the fruit.

Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake 35-45 minutes until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Set the timer for 35 minutes and check every 5 minutes until done.  Mine took 40 minutes this time. 

Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

 

Cranberry Buttermilk Cake

 I love baking with buttermilk and I love the tartness of cranberries , a hint of orange.. just perfect for a morning cake to go with your coffee. 

This is slightly adapted from a recipe I have from a Gourmet June 2009 recipe for a Raspberry Buttermilk Cake.

TIPS

I almost tried the recipe without the orange zest because I didn't have oranges in the fridge.. I decided to wait and when I was at the market I picked up an orange...  good decision.. I truly think the orange zest adds the perfect balance to the cranberries... I highly recommend you don't omit it.

The recipe instructions include tossing the cranberries in 2 tablespoons of the flour... 2 tablespoons was a little bit too much... so be prepared to toss a little out.

As for tossing the cranberries in flour.. it is a must... this is a tip to use whenever adding berries and baking chips) to batter..  you coat them in flour to prevent them from sinking while baking...

I always use a wire whisk to mix together dry ingredients like flour, salt and baking powder... it helps to evenly distribute the ingredients.

You can make the dough the night before and store it in an air tight container in the fridge.. the next morning prepare your baking dish and spread the dough in it.  You may have to adjust the baking time, you may need to increase it a bit.

Recipe:  Cranberry Buttermilk Cake

All you need:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

The zest from 1 orange

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

1/2 cup buttermilk

Butter flavor cooking oil spray

All you have to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9 inch baking dish with butter flavor cooking oil and set it aside.

Add 2 cups flour to a medium bowl.  Remove 2 tablespoons flour and put it into a medium bowl.

Put the cranberries into the medium bowl with the 2 tablespoons of flour.  Toss the cranberries with the flour to evenly coat them.

To the flour bowl, add the baking powder and salt.  Mix completely with a wire whisk.  *See TIPS

In a standing mixer, cream together the butter, 1 cup sugar, vanilla and orange zest. Beat in the egg.

Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, alternating between the two, to the butter mixture... beating at low speed.  Beat until well combined.

Fold in the cranberries.

Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle reserved tablespoon of sugar on the top.

Bake 35-45 minutes until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Mine took 45 minutes.. and was perfectly done. 

Baking times do vary with different ovens.  Also if you are baking this from batter stored in the fridge overnight, it may take a bit longer. 

TIP:   Set the timer for 35 minutes and check every 5 minutes until done.

Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.