When you live in the south, you know that there is a great pound cake recipe for everything. It is a staple dessert and one that is loved by everyone. Today I am sharing the recipe for cranberry orange pound cake with a warm butter sauce. However, just when you think a pound cake can’t get better, you add more butter and “Voila” it does!
My Mama was known for all of her cooking, as I have mentioned before. She used to make this cranberry orange pound cake at Christmas and get rave reviews. But, since it has the beautiful red cranberries peeking out of the batter, I thought it would make the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert too.
Last year my Mama spent hours looking for something to wear to the annual Valentine’s Day celebration at church. I remember distinctly because she called me and wanted me to help her decide between a red dress with flowers on it and a pink sweater with black pants. And probably even more options than that, haha! But, she finally felt better after her stem cell transplant and was back to her shopping self. 😉 (For the record, she went with the pink sweater because she thought it would be warmer and she still struggled with being cold.)
The other thing she was obsessing about? What dessert to make for the dinner celebration, of course! She debated and looked at recipes for days trying to decide on the perfect dessert that would represent Valentine’s Day. In the end, she decided on a strawberry cake with strawberry icing, because it would be delicious and pink for the occasion. But, in the end, she was not impressed and said it was too much work. Haha! My gosh, do I miss her.
Cranberry Orange Pound Cake with Warm Butter Sauce
- 1-1/2 cups butter, softened
- 2-3/4 cups sugar
- 7 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur in this pound cake)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1-1/2 cups chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
Vanilla Butter Sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream butter and sugar well, I would say around 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between them. Fold in vanilla and orange zest. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to the dry ingredients to the batter alternating with sour cream, starting and ending with the flour. Fold in cranberries. Pour the thick batter into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake at 350° for 65-70 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and flour. Stir in cream and butter; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm over warm cake. For added flavor you can add a shot of rum or bourbon to taste.
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