Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake

I bought fresh cranberries before Christmas, and froze them.  Then forgot about them.  Now I need to relieve my freezer of some items that won't travel well.  So. This cake.  Yum.  I got the idea from a cranberry lime cupcake recipe, but I didn't have lime, and I wanted to make a bundt cake.  So?  I made one up.  One quick but oh so important note:  Grease AND flour the bundt pan.  Or, you will be scraping the top of the cake out of the pan when the bottom of the cake is already on the serving plate.


Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake


Cake:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped (pulse several times in a food processor)
1 Tablespoon orange zest


Glaze:
4 ounces white chocolate chips
1/2 stick butter
2 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Orange zest, to taste
Orange juice, enough to reach desired consistency


Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease and flour a bundt pan.  In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy.  Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.


In another medium bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form.  Fold the egg whites into the batter, then carefully stir in cranberries and orange zest, until just combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly.  Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cake cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a serving plate.  Cool completely.


For the glaze, melt the white chocolate chips and the butter together, then stir until smooth.  Add the cream cheese and beat well until no lumps remain.  Add the powdered sugar and orange zest and beat until combined.  Finally, add orange juice a tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches the desired consistency.  Spoon over the cooled cake and let run down the sides.  Serves 10 to 12.


Enjoy!  -Cardamommy