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This post is brought to you by Southside Market & Barbeque, which provided advertising support. Southside Market & Barbeque has become a paragon of sausage making, centered around the idea that everything goes with sausage. As they will proudly tell you: “We make Sausage, and stuff that goes with Sausage.” For them, Sausage is center of the recipe, not just a side item. This week we’re taking a little inspiration from their way of life and breaking with tradition! Stocking up on a Sausage Sampler Set and livening up our meals with five innovative recipes from their site: 1. Southside 1882 Hot Beef Sausage & Hatch Green Chile Cheese Dip: Easy to make and deliciously spicy, this dip is the perfect appetizer for every event from family parties to office gatherings! 2. Southside Garlic Sausage Stir Fry: The Smoked Sausage Sampler also comes with Garlic Sausage which is delicious on its own, but comes alive when included in a garlicky dish like this stir fry. 3. Southside Country Sausage Breakfast Muffins: Serving sausage at breakfast shouldn’t be relegated to links accompanying the main dish! Incorporate sausage into muffins for an amazing treat. 4. Southside’s Spicy Deviled Eggs: Southside also makes a delectable Hot Sauce that is a perfect ingredient for kicking your deviled eggs up a notch. Grab a bottle on its own or use the one included in the Smoked Sausage Sampler. 5. Southside Beef Sausage Lasagna: Feed the entire family with cheesy, meaty goodness using smoked beef sausage to add a twist on the classic flavors.

The clock strikes noon, and the hunger pangs have just started to gnaw at an empty stomach. There is the option of popping open a can of flakey dolphin-safe tuna and dumping it along with a heaping spoonful of thick mayonnaise into the bowl. A quick chop of pickle, half an onion, and maybe a celery stick on a cutting board is sure to give the inevitable mixture some texture and bit of briny flavor. Lastly, smear that creamy, crunchy, concoction on a slice of soft bread with a lettuce leaf and a slice of ripe tomato (just so it’s well rounded) and top with another slice of bread.  Behold the classic tuna salad sandwich, a sandwich that has sated lunchtime hunger for decades. This is what comes to mind when I hear the term “tuna salad”, but what I present to you is something completely different. I wanted to make something that was reminiscent of the classic but twisted incorporate a completely different flavor profile. To do this I turned to the idea of the spicy tuna roll, a type of Americanize sushi that has tuna as its main ingredient, nori seaweed, a spicy mayo blend, and often includes carrot and cucumber. Sadly rice, being the main component of sushi, is left out of this inspired sandwich, but is swapped out for a sweet brioche bun that does a fine job as a substitute. For the tuna, the canned kind is forgotten and replaced with tuna steaks. A mirin based marinade infuses the steaks with hints of sweet and savory that when cooked caramelize on the outside. Shredding it into large chunks allows the fish to blend with the “spicy” portion of this reconstruction; wasabi and mayonnaise mixed together to become creaminess full of heat. Not wanting to change the texture of the filling, I included some quick marinated slices of cucumber and carrot. The sweet tang from more mirin and rice vinegar, soften these vegetables just enough to make them easy to crunch into when taking a bite of this sandwich. For the last bit of sushi influence, I couldn’t forget the nori. Sheets of toasted seaweed are often found in sushi rolls. They lend a fresh sea salted flavor to the fishy rice rolls and do the same with this sandwich being stirred into the tuna filling as well as a garnish on top. It sounds like a lot of work for a tuna salad sandwich, but I can attest to the fact that this is one of, if not the, best tuna sandwiches I’ve ever had and would suggest everyone give it a try!

Sushi Roll-inspired Tuna Salad Sandwich

Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Total Time 35 minutes Servings 4 Ingredients Tuna Marinade 1 pound tuna steaks de-boned 2 tablespoons mirin 2 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 inch fresh ginger root peeled and grated Marinated Cucumber and Carrot 1 cucumber 1 carrot 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon mirin 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds Sandwich 1-2 sheets nori 2 tablespoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons wasabi paste 4 tablespoons mayonnaise 4 brioche buns Instructions Place tuna steaks in a shallow dish. Whisk mirin, sesame oil, soy sauce, and ginger together in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the tuna steaks, turning them over in the liquid to get all sides coated. Cover and set aside for at least 10 minutes while preparing the rest of the ingredients. Trim both ends of the cucumber and carrot. Using a vegetable peeler, peel one side of the cucumber and discard that peel. Continue to peel the cucumber in thin strips until the seeds are reached. Turn the cucumber over and repeat the process until all the cucumber is in thin strips. Cut the cucumber strips in half. Use the peeler to peel the entire outside of the carrot. Use the vegetable peeler to peel thin strips of the carrot also into ribbons. Cut the ribbons in half. Put the peeled cucumber and carrot into a bowl and add in the rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, and black sesame seeds. Mix well and set aside. Lay the nori on a cutting board and roll it up. Using clean kitchen scissors cut the nori into thin ribbons.  Separate half of the ribbons and set them aside. Using a sharp knife, finely mince the other half of the nori into little pieces. Place a non-stick pan on a burner over medium-high heat. Add the minced nori to the pan and allow it to toast, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Transfer the toasted nori to a small bowl. Pour the sesame oil into the same non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Lay the marinated tuna in the hot pan, pouring the rest of the marinade in as well, and allow them to cook 5-7 minutes on each side, allowing each side to brown and the marinade to caramelize a bit. Once the tuna is cooked through, transfer the steaks to a medium sized bowl. Using two forks, shred the cooked tuna into chunks. In a small bowl stir the wasabi paste and mayonnaise together until smooth. Add it to the tuna along with the toasted diced nori and mix well to combine. Cut the brioche buns in half and assemble the tuna sandwiches by laying a few slices of cucumber and carrot on the bottom half of the bun. Next, add the tuna salad, more carrot and cucumber slices, and some nori ribbons before topping with the other half of the brioche bun. Repeat with the rest of the tuna salad. Serve immediately. Notes If tuna steaks are not available fresh, use frozen steaks, just put them in the refrigerator to thaw the night before. Adjust the wasabi to taste. It is very mild with the mayonnaise and can easily be turned up on the heat by adding more!

STEP ONE – MARINATE TUNA STEAKS

Lay the tuna steaks in a shallow dish and whisk together the mirin, sesame oil, soy sauce, and ginger in a small bowl. Pour it over the steaks and turn them over in the marinade several times to be sure they are well coated with the marinade. Cover the dish and let them sit at least 10 minutes to soak in the marinade. If letting them marinate longer than 10 minutes, put the dish in the refrigerator.

STEP TWO – PREPARE THE CUCUMBER AND CARROT

Lay the carrot and cucumber on a cutting board and trim both ends of each with a chef’s knife. Using a vegetable peeler, peel one side of the cucumber and discard the peel. Continue peeling the cucumber down to the seeds, making sure there is a thin dark green strip of skin on either side as you go. Once down to the seeds, turn the cucumber and repeat with the other side. Stack the cucumber strips and cut them in half widthwise. Peel the carrot in the same fashion to create thin ribbons of carrot. Cut them in half as well so they are about the same length as the cucumber.

STEP THREE – MARINATE THE CARROT AND CUCUMBER

Transfer the carrot and cucumber to a bowl and add in the rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, and seeds. Mix well so that all the vegetables are coated and set the bowl to the side.

STEP FOUR – PREPARE THE NORI

Take the nori sheet and roll it up into a tube-like shape. Using clean kitchen scissors cut the nori into very thin ribbons. Take half of the ribbons and mince it finely with a chef’s knife. Put both into separate little bowls and set aside.

STEP FIVE – TOAST THE NORI

In a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, toast the diced nori until the smell becomes stronger. Make sure to stir it frequently with a wooden spoon to keep it from burning. Transfer it to a small bowl.

STEP SIX – COOK THE TUNA

In the same non-stick pan over the same heat, pour in the sesame oil. Once the oil is hot, lay the tuna steaks into the pan and pour the leftover marinade on top. Allow them to cook, browning on each side, about 10-15 minutes. The rest of the marinade should become thick and a little bit gooey as it caramelizes.

STEP SEVEN – SHRED THE TUNA

Transfer the cooked tuna and any leftover marinade bits to a medium size bowl. Shred the tuna into big chunks with a couple of forks.

STEP EIGHT – MIX WASABI MAYONNAISE

Mix the wasabi paste and mayo together in a bowl. Taste and adjust as desired; more wasabi for a spicier mayo, more mayo for less heat.

STEP NINE – MIX THE TUNA SALAD

Add the wasabi mayo and the toasted nori to the bowl with the tuna and stir well to combine and evenly distribute the sauce and flakes throughout the tuna.

STEP TEN – ASSEMBLE THE SANDWICH

Growing up sweet potatoes were relegated to the Thanksgiving table, and often confused with the yam. Since then I’ve found a fondness for sweet potato as long as it was exclusively used in savory applications, no honey or brown sugar, please! That is until I found a way to pair them with spices that only plays with the idea of sweetness.Playing with food is fun, and one of the greatest of ways is to turn that food into a crispy fritter. The flavors used marry together while the hot oil infuses them into the chosen main ingredient; grated sweet potato in this case.  Most would go with herbs or just a simple salt and pepper seasoning, but because I wanted that idea of sweet without the sugar I used cinnamon and nutmeg for sweet warm flavors, and coriander seed and cumin for fresh earthiness. The combination of which becomes something that creates a craving for one more bite and makes these hard to share. With a fall or winter snack in mind for these fritters, a pomegranate fruit seemed like an ideal pairing to these tastes. Turned to a thick sweet syrup, the pomegranate turns this nearly into a dessert, begging to have a sweet whipped cream or honeyed yogurt to go with it. A crumble of salty feta, on the other hand, brings the dish back to an appetizer or luxurious snack.  But really, it could easily go the other way if one was so inclined! These sweet potato fritters are so versatile it’s hard to choose how to present it most deliciously!

Sweet Potato Fritters with Pomegranate Syrup and Feta

Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Total Time 50 minutes Servings 4 Ingredients Fritters 2 medium sized sweet potatoes ½ onion 2 garlic cloves 1/3 cup flour 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground coriander seed ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon coarse salt 2 eggs Light oil Crumbled feta cheese Syrup 1 pomegranate 2 tablespoons sugar 1 cinnamon back 1 cup water 1 tablespoon cornstarch Instructions Fritters Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. Peel and trim the root end off of the onion and thinly slice it. Cut the onion slices into 1/2 – 1 inch long pieces. Peel and finely mince the garlic. Using a box grater, grate both sweet potatoes. Put the grated sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, and flour into a bowl. Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander seed, cumin, and salt. Add the eggs to the bowl and mix everything together. Heat approximately 1-1½ inch of oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat to 350F. Using two spoons form a loose ball of sweet potato mixture and drop it into the hot oil. Allow the raw fritter to fry until golden brown on all sides, turning it half way through cooking.  Transfer the cooked fritter to a plate lined with paper towels to allow it to drain excess oil. Repeat with the rest of the sweet potato mixture. When all of the fritters have been cooked, sprinkle with coarse salt and allow them to cool 5 minutes before serving. Pomegranate syrup Cut the pomegranate in half and put the seeds from one half into a bowl. Put the pomegranate seeds, sugar, cinnamon stick, and water into a small saucepan. Place the pan on a stove top over high heat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and allow it to simmer 10-15 minutes or until the seeds have lost most of their juice and the liquid has reduced by half. Turn off the heat. Remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the cornstarch. Strain the syrup through a fine sieve and discard the leftover seeds. Serve the sweet potato fritters with the pomegranate syrup drizzled on top, crumbled feta cheese, and a sprinkle of the rest of the pomegranate seeds from the other half of the fruit. Notes These fritters can be made ahead of time and frozen for a couple of months. Follow all of the steps up until serving, and instead freeze them. Pop them back into hot oil to fry after thawing when ready to use.

STEP ONE – PREPARE THE FRITTER INGREDIENTS

Run cold water over the sweet potato to clean off any dirt or debris before peeling all of the outside skin and rinse again.  Remove the peels from the onion and garlic cloves and cut off the root ends. Slice the onion thinly and then chop the slices into ½ -1 inch long pieces. Mince the garlic cloves and set them aside.

STEP TWO – GRATE THE SWEET POTATOES

Grate the sweet potatoes on the large hole of a grater.

STEP THREE – MIX THE FRITTERS

Place the sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, and flour into a bowl along with the cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander seed, cumin, and salt. Crack the eggs into the bowl.

Stir it together until it comes to a thick mixture and everything is evenly distributed throughout.

STEP FOUR – HEAT THE OIL

Pour light cooking oil into a deep pan to about 1 to 1 ½ inches deep. Place the pan on a burner over medium-high heat and wait for the oil to reach about 350F, checking with a cooking thermometer. Alternatively, use a deep fryer, which has a temperature gage built in. If a thermometer isn’t available, drop a ½ inch cube of bread into the oil and if it turns golden brown in 30 seconds, it is hot enough.

STEP FIVE – FRY THE FRITTERS

Scoop up a spoonful of the sweet potato mixture and transfer it back and forth between          too spoons to form a loose, but sticky, ball.

Drop the sweet potato ball into the hot oil and let it cook through; about 3 minutes on one side, turn and 2-3 on the other.

STEP SIX – DRAIN FRITTERS AND SEASON WITH SALT

Transfer the finished fritter to a plate lined with paper towels and repeat with the rest of the fritters, cooking them in batches of 4-5 at a time.

When the fritters are all cooked, sprinkle them with coarse salt and allow them to cool at least 5 minutes before serving.

STEP SEVEN – REMOVE SEEDS FROM FRUIT

Cut the pomegranate in half with a chef’s knife. Remove the seeds from one half of the pomegranate and put them in a bowl as you work.

Transfer the seeds to a small saucepan and add in the sugar, cinnamon stick, and water.

STEP EIGHT – COOK THE POMEGRANATE SYRUP

Put the saucepan on the stove over high heat and bring it just to a boil. Turn the temperature down to medium-low and let it simmer about 10-15 minutes. It’s ready when the liquid has reduced by about half and the juices from the seeds have seeped out into the pan. Turn off the heat.

STEP NINE – STRAIN THE SYRUP

Pull the cinnamon stick out of the pan and discard it. Stir the cornstarch into the mixture and let it thicken.

Strain the syrup through a mesh sieve and toss out the seeds.

STEP TEN – DRIZZLE FRITTERS WITH SYRUP AND FETA

Serve the sweet potato fritters with the pomegranate syrup drizzled over them, a crumble of feta, and additional pomegranate seeds from the other half of the pomegranate on top.

Now that winter is officially here and Christmas is just around the corner, I’ve been craving all kinds of savory comfort foods. Having been vegan for almost 5 years now, it’s safe to say that I can “veganize” almost any recipe! When I think winter comfort foods, I think stews and roasts, warm fireplaces and cozy jazz. If there is a dish that pretty much embodies it all, it’s gumbo. The word ‘gumbo’ actually comes from a West African word for okra, which is why many people speculate that okra was a staple ingredient for the dish we know today. One of the earliest documented references to gumbo was found around the end of the 19th century. And since then gumbo has become a dish that crosses all class barriers and appears on the tables of both the poor as well as the wealthy. But what is gumbo exactly? Gumbo, now mostly known as a Cajun stew, is made up of stock, meat, shellfish and a thickener traditionally from a roux. It is also the state dish of Louisiana. You don’t have to miss out on all the Gumbo goodness just because you follow a plant-based lifestyle. With all the great meat replacements that are available these days, you can seriously recreate any recipe out there, and not only make it cruelty-free, but also healthier for your body and mind.

This vegan chorizo sausage gumbo packs some serious nutrition as well as deep rich flavors. Also known as ‘lady’s fingers’, okra is a flowering plant that may have South Asian or African origins, but that still remains unclear. The mucilaginous fiber found in okra has been shown to reduce uncomfortable digestive issues such as bloating, indigestion and constipation, and okra also offers a dense profile of vitamins and minerals that are essential for skin and maintaining normal blood pressure. The meat replacements I have chosen to use are soy-based which is an easy way to increase your plant-based protein. Although I have used vegan chorizo sausages and vegan chicken, you can substitute it for any vegan meat replacement, or use the real meat ingredients if you don’t follow a vegan diet. As long as you make the roux properly and add the correct spices, this dish will taste just as great even without any meat or meat substitute.

Vegan Chorizo Sausage and Squash Gumbo

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 2 hours Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes Ingredients 300 g chorizo sausage sliced 300 g vegan chicken strips 1 litre vegetable stock 1 can chopped tomatoes 6 cloves of garlic minced 1 onion diced 1 green bell pepper ¼ inch dice 1 red bell pepper ¼ inch dice 1 cup green onions ¼ inch dice ½ cup all purpose flour ½ cup coconut oil 100 g karela 200 g okra ¼ inch dice 200 g squash 1 inch dice 1 red chili minced 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp smoked paprika 2 bay leaves ½ cup fresh parsley 1 tsp Cajun mix spice Instructions Roux Method: Make sure you have the vegetables ready to go before starting the roux. Melt the coconut oil on medium heat until all the chunks are fully dissolved. Decrease the heat to medium low. Add the flour and stir continuously. It should take 20-30 minutes to reach a dark tan colour. Keep stirring with a whisk until the desired darkness has been achieved -- the darker the roux, the deeper the flavour. Gumbo Method: Once you have made your roux, add the holy trinity ingredients; onions, peppers, celery, and a pinch of salt. Mix into the roux and sweat the vegetables for 5 minutes. Once the onions have become translucent, add the minced garlic. And cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the diced squash and karela. Cook for 5 minutes or until the squash has softened. Add the vegetable stock, making sure you pour it slowly into the pot while stirring continuously to ensure you don’t create any lumps from the roux. Add the okra, canned tomatoes and bring to a boil. Once the gumbo has come to a boil, add the sausages and chicken strips and season with salt, pepper and the remaining spices. Cook for a further 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes. You can’t over cook a gumbo! The longer you cook gumbo, the more intense the flavor. While waiting for the gumbo to finish cooking, cook 2 cups of rice. Serve the gumbo over freshly cooked rice and garnish with sliced spring onions and parsley.

STEP ONE – WASH AND PREP INGREDIENTS

Make sure you have the vegetables ready to go before starting the roux as you won’t be able to leave the roux on the stove top without constantly stirring it.

STEP TWO – EQUAL PARTS FAT AND FLOUR

Melt the coconut oil on medium heat until all the chunks have fully dissolved. You can use grapeseed oil or vegetable oil as well, if you prefer.

STEP THREE – ADD FLOUR

Lower the heat to medium low. Add the flour, stirring continuously. It should take 20-30 minutes for the flour to turn a lovely dark tan color. As a general rule, the darker the roux, the deeper the flavor. The lighter the roux is, the better the thickening power. So depending on how you like your gumbo, cook the roux for as long as you like based on what kind of texture you wish to achieve.

STEP FOUR – ADD HOLY TRINITY

Once you have made your roux, add the holy trinity ingredients; onions, peppers, celery, and a pinch of salt. Mix into the roux and sweat the vegetables for 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to help draw out the water and flavor from the vegetables. Cook until the onions are translucent.

STEP FIVE – GARLIC

Once the onions have become translucent, add the minced garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. The reason why we’re adding the garlic now as opposed to adding it with the holy trinity vegetables is because garlic has a really low smoke point and burns very easily.

STEP SIX – SQUASH AND KARELA

Add the diced squash and karela. Cook for 5 minutes or until the squash has softened a little.

STEP SEVEN – ADD STOCK AND OKRA

Add the vegetable stock, making sure you pour it slowly into the pot while stirring continuously to ensure you don’t create any lumps from the roux. I used stock cubes dissolved in hot water.  At this point you can add the okra and canned tomatoes and bring to a boil. The longer you cook okra the less “slimy” it gets. The “slime” from the okra will cook into the gumbo and mix with the roux, helping it create that thick gumbo consistency that we want.

STEP EIGHT – ADD SAUSAGES AND CHICKEN STRIPS

Once the gumbo has come to a boil, add the sausages and chicken strips and season with salt, pepper and the remaining spices. Don’t forget the bay leaves. Most Gumbo recipes call for one bay leaf but I find two really makes a notable difference. Cook for a further 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes. You can’t over cook a gumbo! The longer you cook gumbo, the more intense the flavor becomes.

STEP NINE – SERVE WITH RICE

Serve the gumbo over freshly cooked rice and garnish with sliced spring onions and parsley. Alternatively, you can serve it with toast. I find thicker gumbos go nicely with toast while thinner gumbos pair better with rice.

What better way to celebrate the holidays than with a festive pound cake bursting with fresh cranberries and orange zest and drizzled with a sweet orange glaze. With Christmas coming up, I thought it would be the perfect time to showcase this beautiful loaf which you can make for your holiday guests. The incredibly moist and flavourful pound cake will have you and your guests going for seconds- every time. Try this easy holiday dessert and see for yourself! Traditional Pound Cake vs. Modern Day Pound Cake Pound cakes were traditionally made using 1 pound of each of the main ingredients. Not only did this result in a very large cake, enough to feed a big family, it also resulted in a heavy and not so sweet loaf. When pound cakes were first brought to life, they contained no chemical leavening agents (such as baking powder or baking soda), instead they solely relied on mechanical leavening (creaming the butter and beating the eggs). Fortunately the version of a pound cake today as we know it, has little to do with the traditional pound cake from the 1700s. Modern versions of pound cakes are smaller and have a lighter texture. The only thing that stuck throughout the centuries is the name of this classic British cake. Batter As mentioned, a classic pound cake recipes calls for equal amounts of the main ingredients. This however, creates a less sweet and rather heavy batter. To lighten up the batter, I used a little bit of whole milk to give the batter more moisture. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a very dense loaf though, as a typical pound cake should be! The milk just helps with giving our pound cake a bit more moisture. Since we are adding sour cranberries to our loaf, I sweetened the batter a little more to balance out the acidity of the cranberries. Once you combined all the ingredients together, you’ll notice that the batter is quite think. This is okay. We want a thick batter to get that typical dense texture and to also prevent our cranberries from sinking to the bottom.

Add-ins While a plain pound cake is delicious on its own, we are giving our version here some festive add-ins. With cranberries and oranges in season, I paired these two winter fruit together for a Christmas themed pound cake. Since pound cake is a rich and heavy kind of cake, the fresh and sour cranberries balance the flavour really well. While the recipe calls for fresh cranberries, you can also substitute them with frozen ones instead if you wish. (I do not recommend using dried cranberries here.) Just be sure to use them in their frozen state and do not let them defrost, otherwise they will bleed into the batter. The fragrant orange zest ties the flavours together and gives the loaf a heavenly smell. (Be sure to use an untreated orange for zesting!)

Cranberry Pound Cake with Orange Glaze

Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 55 minutes Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes Servings 4 Ingredients Cranberry Pound Cake 225 g flour 1 and 3/4 cups, sifted 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 255 g butter 9 oz, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon orange zest 280 g white granulated sugar 1 and 1/4 cups 4 large eggs plus 2 yolks room temperature 60 ml whole milk 1/4 cup, room temperature 120 g fresh cranberries 1 and ¼ cups, washed and dried Orange Glaze 260 g powdered sugar 2 cups 2 and 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice Instructions Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and grease and flour a 30 x 11 cm (12 x 4 inch) bread pan. For the cranberry pound cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined. In a separate bowl, cream the butter, vanilla extract and orange zest together for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Slowly add in the eggs while continuously beating. Add in the sugar and continue beating until smooth. In an alternating manner, add in the flour mixture and the milk, 1/3 at a time. Lightly coat the cranberries with flour. Lastly, fold the cranberries into the dough. Pour the dough into the prepared bread pan. Optionally, add a few cranberries to the top of the batter. Bake for about 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the pound cake cool completely before continuing with the glaze. For the glaze, combine the powdered sugar with the orange juice and stir until smooth. Using a small spoon, drizzle the glaze over the pound cake. Notes For the best taste, serve the cranberry pound cake on the day you make it. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature. Let’s get started!

Step 1 – Grease the Bread Pan

Start by preheating the oven to 180C (350) and greasing and flouring a 30 x 11 cm (11 x 4  inch) bread pan.

Step 2 –  Whisk the Flour Mixture

In a medium bowl, mix together together the flour, baking powder and salt with a whisk until well combined.

Step 3 – Cream the Butter

In another medium bowl, cream the butter, vanilla extract and orange zest together with a hand mixer for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy.

Step 4 – Beat the Eggs

While continuously beating, add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Step 5 – Combine all the Ingredients

Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Then add in 1/3 of the flour mixture and 1/3 of the milk while mixing on low speed. Continue in this pattern until everything is combined. The dough will be thick, that’s okay.

Step 6 – Flour the Cranberries

Lightly flour the cranberries. (Make sure they are completely dry before doing so.) This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom while baking.

Step 7 – Fold in the Cranberries

Gently fold the cranberries into the batter. (Leave a few to add to the top if desired.) Pour the batter into the bread pan and spread it flat.

Step 8 – Bake the Pound Cake

Optionally add a few cranberries to the top before baking, for a nice presentation. Bake for 55 minutes, in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before adding the glaze.

Step 9 – Make the Glaze

To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl and stir until the glaze is smooth.

Step 10 – Drizzle the Pound Cake

With a small spoon, generously drizzle the glaze over the pound cake. While the pound cake tastes delicious on its own, you can also add a few tasty extras to your plate. Fresh whipped cream, a serving of fruit or a big scoop of ice cream all go well with a slice of this cranberry and orange pound cake. Enjoy!