A New England Christmas Dessert
The New England Christmas Pound Cake is a rich, buttery cake made with pure whipping cream, topped with an elegant cranberry compote. The cranberry compote is similar to a holiday cranberry sauce by its whole fruit and zesty ingredients. However, this compote is more tart to offset the sweetness of cakes and muffins that accompany it.
During Christmas time, the New England cranberry bog is a valued treasure, and its gracious harvests please millions every holiday season. Cranberries combined with an American favorite, the pound cake, not only make this a delicious dessert, but it creates a beautiful center piece for your dessert table.
This pound cake recipe is made with rich butter and heavy cream as two main ingredients. The cake is served with a warm cranberry compote to balance the sweet richness of the cake. To make the compote, follow this easy recipe and use generously as a perfect topping over this pound cake, cheesecake, ice cream, or custard.
Cranberry Compote Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 package of fresh cranberries
- 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest
- 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- 3 tablespoons of cornstarch
Cooking Method
Put cranberries, orange zest, grated ginger, orange and lemon juices, sugar, vanilla, and water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 8 minutes on medium-high heat.
To thicken mixture, dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 cup of cold water. Pour slowly pour into hot mixture while stirring. Reduce heat and cook until compote has thickened. Set aside and cool. Serve cooled, yet warm compote drizzled over pound cake slices.
Buttery Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups of sugar
- 1/2 pound of softened butter
- 7 eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups of cake flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
Cooking Method
Do NOT preheat oven
Use a bundt pan
- Butter and flour a bundt cake pan.
- Cream together softened butter and granulated sugar.
- Add each egg one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix in half the flour, then the heavy cream, and finally the the rest of the flour. Beat on medium speed until thoroughly blended.
- Add pure vanilla extract.
- Pour into prepared bundt pan.
- Set in COLD oven and turn to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 1 hour or until knife inserted is clean (60-70 minutes).
- Cool for 5 minutes then remove from pan to continue cooling.
- Serve sliced with cranberry compote.
- After a few hours have passed when everyone has finished a nice Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner, enjoy this rich, comforting yet simple dessert with hot coffee or tea.
