Christmas Cranberry Cake

Tis the season for baking, desserts, and...cranberries! 

When I saw this 6 ingredient, made-from-scratch cake, I knew that I had to try it.  It is so simple to make and the end result is the perfect combination of sweet and tart.

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Christmas Cranberry Cake
(Original recipe from Barefeet In The Kitchen)

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups all purpose flour (or 100% whole wheat pastry flour - Bob's Red Mill is my favorite)
12 oz. fresh cranberries

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter.

2.  Beat eggs and sugar for 5-7 minutes on low.  Mixture will thicken slightly and close to double in size.

3.  Add butter and vanilla; beat for 2 minutes.  Add flour and mix until just combined.  Stir in cranberries.

4.  Place batter evenly into greased 9x13 baking dish.  Bake for 40-50 minutes until edges are golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

5.  Cool completely before cutting and serving.  Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Note:  If you want to be able to make this amazing cake throughout the year, buy several bags during the holiday season and freeze them. 

I made this especially for my husband because he loves cranberries so much.  Well, he took one bite and wanted to eat the whole cake.  I'll admit that the kids and I felt the same way!  I'll definitely be taking this to our family's Thanksgiving...and probably Christmas too.

It's the perfect holiday treat - sweet, simple, and everyone loves it!  Happy baking and Happy Thanksgiving!

And now for a Christmas gift for my subscribers!

These Christmas beauties are going out to email subscribers on Thursday morning, December 22, 2016!

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I'm linking up with these awesome parties!

Last Minute Thanksgiving Day Ideas

For Thanksgiving, we head down to my parents' house and hang out with all of my siblings and their spouses/kids. We are a relaxed bunch - we eat the usual Thanksgiving food courtesy of my amazing mom and play games all afternoon. If you need any last minute Thanksgiving day ideas, here are my favorites from years' past!

Last year, I was a cranky first trimester pregnant lady...and I didn't get any pictures on Thanksgiving. I did make Abby a fun turkey snack, similar to the picture below, but think less perfect ;)

Source

Two years ago, I made Abby a cute little outfit and Josie a matching hair bow. If you have a glue gun and can cut ribbon, this is super easy to make.

It's crazy how little they look! Our girls are so grown up now!

If you need some last minute party game ideas - play Minute to Win It! They don't require a lot of planning and most of the supplies you can find around the house. I highly recommend Elephant March and Bite Me...they are hilarious to watch! :)

Find all the games here and here

John and I are in charge of bringing a snack and drink. This Pumpkin Pie Dip is delicious - and I'm not a huge pumpkin flavored type of person. We eat it with apple slices and cinnamon graham crackers.

Source

As for the drink, we make the same one every year. John got this recipe from his brother, and they call it Spiced Wine. There is no wine involved, so I'm not sure where that name comes from! You can leave out the alcohol if you want. It really tastes great either way! Here's the recipe:

Spiced Wine

2 jugs of cranberry juice (64 oz each)

2.5 cups apple juice

6 Tbsp sugar

2 whole cinnamon sticks (about 3 inches long)

1 tsp all spice

2 cups brandy (optional)

Place in a large stock pot and heat until warm. Or, you can place in a slow cooker and keep on low for several hours (this is the method we use).

Hope you all have a great weekend - stay warm! :)

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Sharing my Thoughts for Thursday with Natalie and Annie,

5 on Friday/Friday Faves along with Darci, Natasha, Christina, April, 
Karli, Amy, Andrea, Erika, and Narci