Cranberry~Cardamon Crumb Cake with Apple Rosettes

Oh Fall!  It's finally arriving this weekend, along with the rain and the fresh cranberries were in the store--not the ones from the Pacific Northwest, but nonetheless, fresh!

 I was inspired by an email from a dear friend who sent me a link to a photo of apple roses on top of a cake.  Her message to me was, "I thought of you and your passions--baking and flowers."  Since I love the combination of apple and cranberry...why not:-D

Ari, barely over 2 years old and making his first apple pie from a day in the orchard

My grandson and his Dad were going apple picking today; a memory I have shared with them of Kelly's love this time of year.  Ari told me he remembered picking pears when I went with them in Kentucky and he fell back on his butt.  That brought out a good laugh from both of us--I love to hear his giggle.

I will say, when you scroll through the photos, you'll notice how beautiful the fresh apple roses looked on the unbaked batter.  However, when it came out of the oven, I immediately had to laugh and think, "damn, the frost got my roses!"  So, I dusted the top with confectioners' sugar and moved on to winter, LOL!

Cranberry~Cardamon Crumb Cake with Apple Rosettes
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cardamon
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 cups King Arthur Flour all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh cranberries, cut in half

Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark or light firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1 3/4 cup unbleached King Arthur Cake Flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (I use my hands) then pour the melted butter over and use a fork to create the crumbs.

Apple Roses:
4 Granny Smith apples


Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Butter a 9-inch springform pan with melted butter.  I also used a 9" round of parchment to place on the bottom and buttered it too. (I wanted to be able to remove the cake to a serving platter and not have to leave it on the springform bottom.)

In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together thoroughly.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the cardamon and vanilla and mix again.

Mix the dry ingredients together and add them alternatively with the buttermilk.  Once they are all added, turn the mixer to medium and beat 1 minute more.
Stir in the cranberries and spoon into the prepared springform pan.

Add two-thirds of the crumb topping (if you're not doing the apple rosettes, use all of the crumbs)
I peeled the apples, then, using a vegetable peeler, I make long ribbons of apple and rolled them into roses.

I filled in around the roses with the remaining crumb topping and place the pan on my new pie shield pan to catch any drippings or butter oozing from the springform pan.
Total baking time will be about 90 minutes; after about 20 minutes, I place a loose sheet of aluminum foil over the top to prevent the apples from browning two much.

Poor roses got hit by Jack Frost!

 After removing it from the oven, I allowed it to cool (about 10 minutes) in the pan, then used a spatula to run around the edges to make sure nothing stuck before removing the sides of the pan.  
I used a wide spatula to life the cake (with the parchment under) to a serving dish.

Once cooled, I dusted the top with confectioners' sugar and sliced into it.  It smelled so good I couldn't wait for dinner tonight.

 Cranberries, cardamon and apples made a lovely combination and I didn't mind the rain at all...

...or the leaves falling all over the yard.

Enjoy!

The winner of the Hand-made soap and Vera Bradley Change Purse is--Deb.

Please email me with your mailing information so I can send this gift out to you.  I will be posting another Give-Away in a few days, XOXO