For our Christmas Eve supper, I made a lovely cherry cake using my Mom’s recipe (you can’t have Christmas without cherry cake). The taste and texture were so nice that I decided to make a cranberry loaf to go with supper on Christmas day, using a version of the same recipe. My mom had brought me fresh cranberries from Newfoundland when she visited earlier this month, so I thought this would be a great use for them.

INGREDIENTS

3 ½ cups fresh cranberries
1/4 cup cognac
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups flour, plus more for berries and pans
3/4 cup almond flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cream
for the sauce;
1 tablespoon cognac
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 cup icing sugar

DIRECTIONS

Combine the cranberries, 1/4 cup of cognac, and 2 tablespoons of sugar, and set aside for several hours (this step isn’t crucial, but makes for a lovely flavour).

Preheat the oven to 350F (~180C); butter and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside. Place the butter, and cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer, and mix on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and mix until fluffy.

Meanwhile, combine the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and set aside.

Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture. Continue mixing for several minutes more.

Alternate adding the flour mixture and cream into the butter mixture. Mix on lowest speed and only until just combined.

Strain the berries, and toss with flour to coat.

Stir the berries into the batter by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, and bake for ~45 minutes, util golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Place the loaves onto a cooling rack; allow them to remain in the pans for 30 minutes before removing.

Prepare the sauce;

Place the cognac, butter, and cream cheese into a small sauce pan. Heat over medium until the butter and cream cheese have melted, and stir until ingredients come together.

Add the icing sugar, and whisk until smooth.

Slice the loaf, and drizzle the sauce over each slice. Enjoy!