Harvest Cake

A fall Harvest cake is so delicious with popping cranberries and orange flavors with a cream cheese frosting. 

Serves 8-12

1 1/4 c. sugar
2/3 c. oil
3 eggs
1 c. whole milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
zest of 1 orange
1/2 c. of orange juice
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt plus a pinch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup of cranberries sliced in half

Grease and flour ( and use parchment paper) two  8" or 9" round pans. 

Beat sugar and oil together. Add eggs and beat. Add milk, vanilla, zest, and orange juice and beat. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder into the batter. Stir a couple times. Add cranberries and stir well, but don't over mix. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick test. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out on racks and let cool completely. Stack and frost with cream cheese frosting. Encrust sides of cake with chopped walnuts if desired. Decorate top with candied orange zest and cranberries. (Chocolate orange slices also go well. Shave a couple of the slices to sprinkle around the edge.)

*If you want to feed 15-20 people, make a four-layered 10" round cake by doubling this recipe. I make the recipe once and pour into two 10" cake rounds. After baking, I set the cakes aside, wash the pans, and make the recipe again and bake two more 10" cake rounds. After they're all cooled, it can be assembled. 

Cream Cheese Frosting - makes plenty for the cake recipe. (Barely enough for a double recipe.)
1 1/2 packages cream cheese at room temperature (I like extra cheesy so use 2 pkgs)
2 sticks butter at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 pound powdered sugar 
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream as needed to thin (can substitute milk)

Whip room temperature cream cheese and butter together until smooth, no lumps. Add in the powdered sugar until you have a dry paste. Add vanilla and cream and keep whipping until it is soft, smooth, and spreadable.