Apple Cranberry Cake

When I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it right away and, I thought I had everything I needed at home but that wasn't the case. To my dismay I only had 3 apples instead of 4- so I decided to add an apple's worth of cranberries to the cake instead. I think the cranberries were a great addition as they added a bit of tang and color. You could definitely make the cake either way, or try adding a pear to the mix instead. You can serve the cake with whipped cream or all by its delicious self.  Oh, and I've already made this cake three times this month which may give you a good idea of how good I think it is...

Apple Cranberry Cake

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3 large apples (Braeburn apples work well)

3/4 cup fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
2 large eggs- at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter- melted and cooled to room temperature

-Thoroughly butter a nine inch spring form pan and pre-heat oven to 350ºF and move one oven rack to the center of the oven.

-Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Peel and core the apples and dice them into 3/4 inch pieces

-In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Whisk in the sugar and then the rum and vanilla. Whisk in half the flour mix, stir in half the melted butter, and repeat with the other half of the flour mix and butter.

-Fold the apples and cranberries into the cake batter until they are evenly coated and scrape the mixture into the buttered cake pan. Spread the cake evenly with a spatula.

-Bake the cake for 55-65 minutes, a knife or toothpick should come out of the center of the cake clean. Let the cake cool slightly (~5 minutes), use a knife to separate the cake from the spring form pan edges, and remove the spring form ring.