Since the arrival of our son, Samuel, life is definitely hopping! Before his arrival, I made up a batch of Cranberry Preserves, a la Linda Zeidrich, a lovely baked preserve that keeps the berries whole and imbued with lovely citrus flavours. What I love most about this recipe is its adaptability – you can either can it or store it in the fridge for up to a month. I chose the latter, since I had some big plans with the preserves and today, my first day of being alone with two kids, I managed to whip up this dessert using the stored Cranberry Preserves, but any kind of cranberry sauce will do.
For my American buddies, you may have plenty of leftover cranberry sauce and this is just one way to use it up besides pairing it with turkey. For my gluten-free/grain-free/dairy-free buddies, this cake is for you! The cake is beyond delicious and really easy to prepare. Enjoy!
Cranberry Preserves
German Chocolate Cranberry Cake
Recipe courtesy of a friend.
100 grams unsalted butter (or dairy-free margarine, if needed)
100 grams sugar
3 eggs, separated
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking powder
150 grams almond flour
1 348 mL can whole cranberry sauce or equivalent home made
250 mL whipping cream, whipped (or whipped topping, if going dairy-free)
Dark chocolate shavings for topping.
1. Mix butter, sugar and egg yolks until they are frothy.
2. Add cocoa powder and baking powder, then almond flour.
3. Whip egg whites until stiff then fold into above mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes in a greased spring-form pan and when you take it out, spread the cranberry sauce immediately over the top. Cool. Spread with whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Serve.
** Since I’m going dairy-free, I cut an individual slice and topped it with whipped topping and dairy-free dark chocolate, but feel free to slather the top of the cake with whipped cream and chocolate shavings before serving. **
As a side note, here are a few things I’ve learned about cooking with a toddler and newborn:
1. Wear your baby.
2. Now is the time to have “mise en place”! As much as you’d love to tackle a recipe from start to finish, chances are mayhem may ensue and you’ll get called away from your recipe. If you’ve got all your ingredients in place, it’ll make finishing that recipe even easier when you have a minute.
Mise En Place is Critical
3. Toddlers need to be watched like a hawk. No matter how many times I mentioned how we’d have cake when it was finished, I turn my back for a second and my 2 year old has eaten a big chunk of cake dough. Let’s hope those farm-fresh eggs won’t do any harm.
uncanny preserves -- thinking outside the jar 
I’ve never liked Black Forest Cake because of the too-sweet cherries. What an inspired substitution.
Thanks! The sweetness level really does depend on how sweet your cranberry preserves are – mine were pretty sweet. However, you can easily adjust the sweetness by omitting some sugar in the cake mixture or leaving your whipped cream au natural.
I love that you are wearing the baby! That’s fantastic. The cake sounds fabulous – I can’t believe you gave it a go on your first day alone with two little ones! What a domestic goddess you are!
Baby wearing is the way to go! Having two hands available is a must with a toddler.
My birthday is in a few weeks and this sounds like just the ticket to kick up the standard black forest cake I always make for myself. It is so sweet to see you with your sweet angel!