I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season with friends and family.
Although I promised myself I was going to take time off until Jan 1, I just had to share this recipe with you for my Cranberry Ginger Coconut Cake.
Earlier this year I bought a Bundt cake pan. I’ve always wanted one, well, just because. There’s just something about a cake with a big hole in the middle, kind of like an enlarged donut with an intricate design on top.
Ever since bringing this pan home, I constantly think about ways in which I can fill it’s dark grey cavity with a luscious baked good.
Just about everything I make over the holidays has ginger in it. I don’t really think about this a prerequisite for my recipe development, it just sorta happens. What also happened in this cake were coconut and cranberries.
Cranberries are the plump, tart, ruby jewels of the holiday season that adorn everything from cakes to drinks to tablescapes.
Cranberries are way more than just a pretty face. They have disease fighting antioxidants that protect against heart disease and also have anti-aging phytochemicals. They have also been known to help with controlling high blood pressure and improving the immune system. Cranberries also help to alleviate inflammation in the body thanks to the nutrient quercetin.
Feel free to also toss in your smoothies in place of or in addition to traditional fruits like strawberries and blueberries for an added immune boost.
Now I do have to warn you that you may want to start the recipe the night before or even in the morning if you plan on making the sugared cranberries. They are quite easy to make, they just require prep ahead of time. You can check out the recipe for them here. I just made them the night before and adorned my cake with them the following day once the cake was baked.
If you like ginger I highly recommend using both fresh ginger and powdered ginger. Don’t – skimp – on – the – ginger.
I made this cake on Christmas eve for my family while cranking up some holiday tunes. After whirring the cranberries in the food processor and adding them to the batter I must admit that I had to stop for a moment to just bask in the beauty of the colour.
With it’s electrifying crimson colour, the cranberries had me temporarily mesmerized as the sounds of Michael Buble cooed in the background.
The oven bellowing to signal that it had reached it’s peak warmth jarred me back to reality.
Since it was Christmas I decided to get a little fancy by decorating with some bay leaves and thyme. Feel free to omit these as well as the sugared cranberries, after all, it really is just about the cake.
Wherever you are in the world, I hope that you continue to enjoy the holidays with family, friends and great slice of cake 🙂
Cranberry Ginger Coconut Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- Cooking spray for pan
- 1½ cups fresh cranberries
- 4 large organic eggs
- 1 cup coconut palm sugar or brown sugar
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose gluten free flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 heaping tablespoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the glaze
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- ¼ cup tablespoons full fat canned coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the garnish
- Chopped crystallized ginger
- Sugared cranberries optional, directions below
- Orange zest optional
- Bay leaves optional
- Thyme or rosemary sprigs optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt pan thoroughly with cooking spray making sure that the entire pan is well coated. Set aside.
- Whir cranberries in a food processor processing until pieces are quite small. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until mixture is pale in color, about 4-5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add the melted cooled butter, buttermilk, coconut milk, grated ginger, extracts and orange zest. Mix until incorporated.
- While wet ingredients are being mixed, in a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger and salt until combined. Add the wet mixture to flour mixture gently folding just until incorporated. Add cranberries and gently fold until just incorporated.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake has a few crumbs clinging to it.
- Cool for 15 minutes in the bundt pan on a wire rack, then invert onto a plate and allow the cake to cool completely.
To make the glaze
- In a medium bowl sift confectioners' sugar and add coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined. Use a spoon to drizzle glaze over cooled cake or transfer to measuring cup and pour glaze directly over the cooled cake.
- Garnish with sugared cranberries, chopped crystallized ginger and bay leaves and thyme if using.