Cranberry-Nut Bundt Cake

By Hklbrries

Bundt cakes should be the go-to sweet for any busy home baker, because no matter your degree of artistic talent, the pan's fancy fluting always makes Bundts look like party cakes. This Bundt is one of my favorites - with brown sugar, pecans, orange zest, and dried cranberries, it has as many twists as the pan it's made in.

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Freezables:

I don't think I'd been cooking for more than six months when I had one of those eureka moments. I'd spent an entire day racing across New York City shopping for food and the next whole day cooking it, only to have my houseful of guests go gaga over the simplest dish of the night: a big, buttery Bundt cake.

I'd seen it before and I've seen it since, but it was that evening, more than 30 years ago, when I realized what was at play and how primal it was. No matter how much I'd fussed over dinner and no matter how good dinner was, the offering of a homemade dessert trumped it all—and it always would. We never get over the idea that dessert is a reward and that a dessert that's homemade is a sign of affection.

Of course there's no time better than the holidays to have homemade sweets on hand—no time busier, either. But, happily, lots of sweets can be baked early, stowed in the freezer, and pulled out at party time, their taste, texture, good looks, and power to delight completely intact. Here's how to get it right—plus a few no-fail recipes for bake-and-freeze desserts.

Begin with butter:
Pound cakes, tight-grained loaf cakes, sturdy Bundts, brownies, cookies—all the butter-based sweets—freeze best.

Freeze pies raw:
Fruit pies make fine freezables, but you should get them into the freezer right after they're assembled. Then, pull out and bake.

Don't freeze creams:
Meringues, puddings, custards, creams, mousses, and whips don't freeze well—some break down, some weep, and they all lose their lovely textures in the defrosting process.

Cool first, freeze second:
A sweet isn't really finished until it's cooled—cooling is what sets the texture and gives the flavors time to blend.

Pack it airtight:
Oxygen is what causes freezer burn. There are fancy freezer containers on the market, but old-school twist-tied plastic bags or plastic wrap is most effective. Because the seal should be snug, draw together the top of the bag, then suck out as much air as possible before shutting it tight with a twist tie.

Label everything:
Put the name of your goody on the bag (mystery cakes are as frustrating as mystery meat), and mark the date that you made it.

Defrost slowly:
It's best to put the frozen dessert—still in its wrapping—in the refrigerator to defrost overnight, then bring it to room temperature before serving. If you're in a rush, go directly from freezer to counter. Never defrost frozen desserts in the microwave. That's a sure-fire way to cook or melt them.

Don't be smug:
You're bound to feel like a genius, a hero, a magician—even a saint—when, after pulling out all the stops for dinner, you also pull out a homemade dessert. Try not to crow.

Dorie Greenspan is an award-winning cookbook author, including Baking: From My Home to Yours (Houghton Mifflin, 2006).

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or ginger (optional)
• Pinch of salt
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 F. Generously butter a 9- to 10-inch Bundt pan, dust the inside with flour, and tap out the excess; you can omit this step if your pan is nonstick.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon or ginger (if using), and salt and keep at hand.

Working with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar for about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add the eggs one at a time and beat for 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add one third of the flour mixture, beating only until it is just incorporated. Pour in half the buttermilk and beat until mixed. Repeat, mixing in half the dry ingredients, the rest of the buttermilk, and then the last of the flour mixture, beating only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the orange zest, cranberries and pecans.

Scrape the batter into the pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Slide the cake into the oven and bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for about 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan and onto the rack to cool. Just before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.

Storing: Wrapped well, the cake will keep for 4 to 5 days. Pack it up airtight, and you can freeze it for up to 2 months.

Nutrition Information:
Per serving
443 calories
6 g protein
61 g carbohydrates
1 g fiber
20 g fat (11 g saturated fat)
95 mg cholesterol
170 mg sodium