Last night our literature club came over to our house. We get together once a month on a Friday evening after 8 pm. The reason for the late hour is that most of the children have settled down for the evening and the hustle and bustle of the work week has come to an end and we will have a few hours of peace and quiet, laughter and discussion. We have so much fun that it is often hard to decide when to go home and catch a few hours of sleep. Last night was no exception, thank you to all who made it over. Our book this time was Suvi Kinoksen seitsemän enoa by Jukka Parkkinen. It tells about a little girl that becomes an orphan at the age of six months and her seven uncles who raise her. Most of the uncles are PhD’s and have no experience with little ones and so they get their knowledge from books. The book had me giggling so hard that I had to read a few excerpts to my husband who was wondering what could be so funny.
I decided to serve Cranberry Cake at our get together. The recipe was sent to me by my Gramma and Grampa. As a child we would celebrate a Finnish Christmas on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day we would have an American Christmas at my Grandparents’. This Cranberry Cake was part of our traditional Christmas Day and since we are still in the heart of winter with more snow falling almost daily, I thought that this cake is cozy and matches the mood of late night literary discussions.
Cranberry Cake with Sauce
4.7 dl/ 2 c all purpose flour
2.4 dl/1 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2.4 dl/1 c milk
45 g/3 tbsp (1.5 oz) melted butter
4.7 dl/2 c cranberries (frozen berries are fine)
Blend dry ingredients.
Add milk and butter and mix. Do not over mix. Add the cranberries.
Place batter in a 23 cm/9 inch papered cake pan. A bundt pan works fine as well. Bake at 175 C/350 F for 45 minutes
The sauce is an essential part of the cake and is easy to make.
Sauce:
1.2 dl/ 1/2 c butter
2.4 dl/ 1 c sugar
1.8 dl/ 3/4 c half and half or cream
In a sauce pan melt butter, add sugar and cream.
Bring to boil and allow to simmer on low heat while stirring for ten minutes.
Serve sauce warm over each slice of cake.
Here are the previous links to recipes from Grampa Jim: Fresh fruit tart, Almond Braid, Cranberry Walnut Scones
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Your club sounds like a lot of fun and what a great dessert! I bet they loved it! I do not know where you find the time.
I really enjoy our literature club. It feels like the soul rests in good company…and so I always try to keep it a priority that nothing is scheduled for that particular evening 🙂
That is so wonderful to hear!
I just love reading about your life so far away. It reminds me that we all share so much in common. Beautiful post and photos and dessert!!!
Thank you Ruthanne! As people we all have the same basic needs, but society, culture and environment sometimes make for little nuances. I have always found those little nuances and where they originate from quite interesting. 🙂
Nautin näistä. Hienoja tunnelmia ja muistoja.
Enjoy these. Feels like Grandpa is here too.
Kiitos Katja. It makes it seem like they are so much closer!
This smells and tastes great! lovely photos too!
Thank you so much!
Yum, this cake look and sounds very delicious! I love your pictures!
Thank you Bridget!
Cranberry cake is one of my favorites too 🙂 I have also made it with raspberries!
The raspberries in the cake sound delicious Erica. The sauce really works magic with the cake. 🙂
That sounds like an interesting book. Would there be an English edition by any chance?
This looks like a tasty treat and I will put it in my collection of recipes to try. 🙂
Like Imelda, I want to know if there is an English version or maybe will be one soon??
Thank you for your comments Imelda and Kathleen! I tried looking online to see if there is a translated version of the book by Parkkinen. I did not find anything and I’m afraid that his work can be found only in Finnish. If I come upon something in the future, I’ll let you know!
What a fun evening with good company, a good book and good cake.
It was a perfect evening, looking forward to the next one!
What a treat! Both the cake and the evening…the pictures are great!
Thank you Lisa! It is always so relaxing and eating a few treats is an essential part 🙂
What better way to spend a cold Winter’s night than to be surrounded by friends? Your cake sounds like the perfect treat for just such an occasion.
I agree, it is the perfect way to spend a Friday evening after a week with a full schedule…and knowing that the next morning is Saturday and not a seven o’clock wake up makes it even more enjoyable!
Oh my! That cake looks scrumptious. I’m printing this one, too. … Thank you for the book recommendation.
Thank you Maddie for your comment! The recipe is so easy to make and delicious. Our kids really like the sauce!
What a lovely cake to care with a group. I love recipes handed down from pass generations. They are always simple, classics and delicious. A literature club sounds like fun. I wonderful if there’s one in my area. 🙂 Wish you a wonderful week ahead.
Thank you! If you find a literature club in your area, I definitely recommend it. During college, reading books for leisure nearly diminished. But through this club is has slowly revived!
What a fun club! They must look forward to your baking. This is exquisite! I love the cranberries in the cake and the sauce! Your family has the best recipes. Looks absolutely delicious 🙂
Thank you Judy! It is an interesting club in that we have a group of mainly women (occassionally a few men have joined our party) from the age of 30-70. There is so much life perspective, each with their own tale. Discussing literature in this forum has certainly been rewarding and relaxing.
That sauce looks delicious! Thanks for sharing your family recipe.
-JulieC
Yes, the sauce has an essential role in the recipe! Thanks for stopping by!
Your cranberry cake looks super yummy! 🙂
Thank you so much!
I always love simple recipes that creates wonderful results. This is definitely one of them. And I really love the soft lighting of your photos. Along with your writing, they never fail to calm me down from a busy day.
Thank you, that is so nice of you to say!
anything with cranberries is deliciouse!
yor recipes is tempting…
I’m loving the idea of a cranberry cake – this is something I’ve never tried before. Your version tuned out beautifully 🙂
That cranberry cake sounds and looks amazing!
WWWW has a book group that meets usually in late afternoon. Rich talk, but lacking in cranberry cake. I intend to fix that. 🙂
Toni
The cranberry cake might bring new dimensions to the discussions 🙂
I’ll try to make this this weekend. This may just be the perfect cranberry treat for my husband who prefers to have no chocolate mixed in with the cranberries. 🙂