Ingredients

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 2 1/4 c. flour, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 1/2 c. fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
• 1/2 c. pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/4-1/2 c. powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 10-inch tube or large fluted tube pan and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, butter, and vanilla until well mixed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. In a small bowl, sift together 2 cups of the flour, the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the batter, one third at a time, mixing well after each addition. In another small bowl, toss the cranberries and pecans with the remaining flour until well coated. Stir gently into the batter. Pour into the pan and bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes, until the cake is lightly browned. Do not over-bake. Let stand about 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Sift powdered sugar lightly over the warm cake.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 1 c. vegetable oil plus oil for the pan
• 1 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. light honey, such as clover
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 c. flat cola or brewed coffee, room temperature
• 1/3 c. slivered or sliced almonds
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate or chips
• confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder, for dusting

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil the bottom and tube of a 9- or 10-inch angel-food-cake or tube pan. Cut out a circle of parchment or baking paper and line the bottom.

In a medium-size bowl, blend the oil with the sugars, honey and vanilla. Blend in the eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly stir in the wet ingredients, slowly adding the cola (or coffee). Blend well to make a smooth batter.

Spoon the batter into the pan and sprinkle the top with slivered almonds.

Bake the cake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake for an hour, or until the cake springs back when touched. (Make sure the center of the cake, near the tube, springs back as well as the outer edge, or the center will remain undercooked.) Remove the cake from the oven.

Sprinkle on the chopped chocolate. Refrigerate the cake to set the chocolate. Once the chocolate is set, invert and remove the cake from the pan. To serve, dust the top with cocoa and/or confectioners’ sugar.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 12 oz. package vanilla wafers (bashed into fine crumbs)
• 1 c. nuts (pecans)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 7 oz. flaked coconut

Preparation

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time. Add crumbs, vanilla, coconut, and nuts. Bake in tube pan that has been greased and lightly dusted with flour at 325 for 1 1/2 hours.

Ingredients

Cake Batter:

• 2 3/4 Cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 Cup butter, softened
• 1 Cup sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 16 oz. sour cream
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Streusel:

• 3/4 Cup brown sugar
• 3/4 Cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 Cups blueberries, rinsed and drained

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan or bundt pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream and vanilla. Mix until blended well. Combine the streusel ingredients except for the blueberries and reserve 1/2 cup. Toss the rest of the streusel with the blueberries. Spread 1/3 of the batter in the pan, top with 1/2 of the berry mixture, another third of the batter, the rest of the berries, and finally the remaining batter. Sprinkle on the reserved 1/2 cup streusel topping. Bake 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Carefully turn the pan over onto a serving plate or cake stand and remove from pan. When completely cooled (2 hours or so) sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 5 tbsp cinnamon sugar (or 1 tbsp cinnamon mixed with 4 tbsp sugar)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300° F. Grease a tube pan or loaf pan. Cream the butter. Add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Add half the flour to the butter mixture. Mix to combine. Add the milk to the butter mixture. Mix to combine. Add the remaining flour to the butter mixture. Mix to combine. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar on the bottom of the loaf pan. Add half of the batter to the loaf pan. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar on top of the batter in the loaf pan. Add the remaining batter to the loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on the top of the batter. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 1 Cup butter
• 3 Cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2 Cups peeled, chopped peaches (4 medium)
• 2 TB. vanilla sugar
• 3 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°, have all ingredients at room temperature. Grease and flour tube pan. Peel and chop peaches, mix with VANILLA SUGAR in a small bowl, set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and CINNAMON, set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until well blended, light and fluffy. Add eggs 2 at a time, blending well after each addition. This is the most important part, as the cake will rise much higher if the sugar and butter are well beaten and the eggs are gradually added and well beaten. Starting and ending with dry ingredients, gently blend in flour mixture and peaches, one third at a time. Use a large spoon or blend on lowest speed to just combine these ingredients. Pour into the pan. Make sure not to get batter on the upper part of the tube, which will prevent the cake from sliding out of the pan. Place on middle rack in oven, bake about 70-75 minutes, until cake is browned and springy to the touch, or a thin skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool 5-10 minutes, run a butter knife between the cake and the outside wall of the pan, turn pan over onto a rack and let the cake slide out. Turn the cake over at this point if you so desire, and let cool completely. Place the cake on a serving plate. The cake is easiest to cut when cool. That is also the time to sprinkle with powdered sugar if you’d like-though serving the slices warm with a thin pat of butter is quite tasty too.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1/2 Cup shortening
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 Cups brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 Cup buttermilk
• 2 Cups flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 Cups pears, peeled and diced into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes

Topping:

• 1/4 Cup cinnamon sugar
• 2 TB. crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9x13 glass pan and set aside. Stir the baking soda into the buttermilk and set aside. Cream the shortening, salt, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; mix well. Alternately add the buttermilk mixture and flour to the mixing bowl, beating well after each addition. Fold in the pears and pour into the greased pan. Mix together the cinnamon sugar and chopped crystallized ginger. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the cake. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• Butter for greasing pan
• 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting pan
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups peeled, cored and thickly sliced tart apples, like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup raisins
• Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch tube pan. Beat the oil and sugar together in a mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment) while assembling the remaining ingredients. After about 5 minutes, add the eggs and beat until the mixture is creamy.

2. Sift together 3 cups of flour, the salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir into the batter. Add the vanilla, apples, walnuts and raisins and stir until combined.

3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before turning out. Serve at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, if desired. Serves 8.

The New York Times