ORANGE CRANBERRY TORTE

This family favorite came from my sister-in-law, Jocelyn Howard, and has been a holiday tradition for decades.

Combine and set aside:

        1 cup orange juice

        1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350^o

Mix together:

        2 1/4 cups flour

        1 cup sugar

        1/4 tsp. salt

        1 tsp. baking powder

        1 tsp. baking soda

        1 tsp. orange peel

Add: 1 cup chopped walnuts

        1 cup diced dates

        2 cups fresh cranberries (or can use about 1 cup Craisins)

Combine:

        2 beaten eggs

        1 cup buttermilk

        3/4 cup vegetable oil

Add to fruit/flour mixture and stir until blended.

Pour into well greased 10” bundt pan or tube pan.  I prefer to generously use Wilton's Cake Release.

Bake at 350^oF for about 45-55 minutes. Check with toothpick at 45 min. - don't over bake.

Cool 10 minutes.

Turn out onto rack placed over cookie sheet with sides (jelly roll pan) and cool to lukewarm or cool.

Use a skewer or thin chopstick to poke holes generously on top, inside and outside, almost all the way to the bottom.

Pour orange juice mixture over top and sides.  Scrape juice from cookie sheet into pouring container and pour over torte, repeating until juice is all used.

Wrap with plastic wrap and chill 24 hours. Wrap so that there are no seams on the bottom so that juice does not leak out.

Serve with whipped cream.

Refrigerate unused portions.  Will keep a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
Freezes well.  Wrap in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil.

See Grammanita demonstrating Orange Cranberry Torte on KUTV.

 

OPTION:  Many years ago, I won the grand prize in the South Haven, Michigan Blueberry Festival Baking Contest with this recipe.  At that time, I substituted 2 cups fresh blueberries for the cranberries.  (http://www.blueberryfestival.com/)