Spiced Cranberry Bundt Cake

Once a month, the Yoga Journal finds itself in my mail box. A while ago I subscribed to it because I enjoyed the articles in it. I don't actually practice yoga but I like the way of life and I try to incorporate it into mine. In the December issue there was an article about a woman who found peace in baking and spent her Saturday mornings making a bundt cake and giving it out to someone who would appreciate it (whether it would be a friend or stranger). This sparked something in me. It's been a while since I've baked something, never mind baked something for someone else. I've been enjoying all the cooking that I've been doing but my heart and soul belongs to baking.
After a short shift at work today, I walked to Granville island with my coworker and we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon in the sunshine. It's been beautiful and I decided to take advantage of the weather instead of going to the gym. As soon as I got home, I put on my pyjamas and apron* and started playing with sugars, butters and other ingredients that make baking so satisfying. While some people shy away from getting their hands covered in butter to cover the baking pan, I find pleasure in it. I like feeling the butter squish between my fingers as I smother it into the pan. I'm a very tactile baker and would rather use my hands to scoop up flour into measuring cups. There's something so satisfying about the feel of what you're putting into your dish.
Anyways, I ended up making two bundt cakes. One for work and one to be split between home and Heidi's. She'll be the first to receive a bundt cake baked with love :) Without further ado, here's the recipe for my spiced cranberry bundt cake

Spiced Cranberry Bundt Cake

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup almond flour or almond meal (if you have a food processor, just grind almonds into a flour, otherwise you can get it at Capers)
2 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger (I used freshly grated ginger)
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar (the recipe calls for 1 cup, I halfed it)
1 cup brown sugar (they called for packed, I left it fluffy and it was well under 1 cup of brown sugar)
3 large eggs
1 cup plain Greek Style Yogurt (the recipe calls for reduced fat... I used the real deal)
1 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (I added this in because they're in season and they're so beautiful! I like, therefore I add)

Icing: 2/3 cup icing sugar & approx. 4 tsp orange juice

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
• Whisk first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until smooth.
• Add both sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition.
• Beat in vanilla, then Greek style yogurt. Add dry ingredients; beat until just well blended.
• Fold in almonds and all cranberries. Transfer batter to prepared bundt pan.
• Cook until cake tester (aka toothpick) comes out clean, approximately 50 minutes to 70 minutes.
• Cool cake in pan about 10 minutes, then turn out on cooling rack to cool completely.
• For Icing: Sift icing sugar, then add 2 tsp orange juice. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Add more orange juice until mixture reaches consistency of heavy cream. Spoon icing over cake, allowing to drip down sides. Let stand until icing sets, approx 30 minutes.

Apparently the longer this cake stands, the better it'll taste. I haven't actually tried it yet but if it tastes anything like what the house smells like now, I am sure it will be amazing! I'll update this blog post once I've tried a piece (I'll wait until tomorrow because it's almost 11pm and I won't eat before bed).

Update: The bundt cake is really yummy! But next time, I would split (or do 1 1/2 cups to 1/2 cup) the flour half whole wheat and half white... I would even venture with spelt flour or an alternative. I would also be tempted to remove the sugars and add honey (1 cup). Nix the dried cranberries and the pomegranate (pom doesn't add or take anything away from the recipe) and replace it with 2 cups of frozen cranberries. But then again I enjoy the tartness of the cranberries as you bite into it.
Left alone, this cake is still delicious but I like to try a recipe and play with it to make it a little more unique.

*Jenny gave me this awesome apron for my birthday! I love it!!!