This Cranberry Orange Cake will brighten your holidays. Karen Schneider photo

Normally, I focus on cookies during Christmas time, but after enjoying a sliver (well, actually two) of this fabulous cake at my daughter’s home a couple weekends ago, I just had to share the recipe with all of you.

For quite some time, my favorite cake of Shannon’s has been her summery lemon-blueberry cake, but this luscious layer cake, with its subtle citrus flavor, bursting with cranberries and spread with orange-enhanced buttercream, tops even that. I promise you, I would give up all the Christmas cookies in the kingdom for this cake if I had to. It’s good I don’t have to choose.

This festive cake, baked for a simple and cozy family gathering was made even more superb with the addition of a few dollops of leftover homemade cranberry sauce swirled into the batter.

The time it takes to bake a layer cake like this one is worth the effort. Dress it up, if you choose, for a showstopper dessert for your holiday entertaining. (The cake layers can also be baked in three 6-inch pans for a shorter time.) Candied oranges and/or sugar-dusted cranberries would be a nice touch. This velvety batter could also be baked into clever little cupcakes if you’ve offered to provide small bites for a party; just adjust the baking time accordingly.

The cake layers can be made ahead, wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to two days. Alternatively, you can store the wrapped cake layers in the freezer for up to two months before thawing and frosting.

The orange buttercream can also be made ahead then stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring it back to smooth buttercream consistency.

Cranberry Orange Cake

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted before measuring
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (about 1/2 large orange)
• 1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (about 2 large oranges)
• 3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (do not thaw) whole cranberries, coated in 1 tablespoon flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8-inch cake pans by buttering the sides and placing a parchment paper circle into the bottom of each one.

In a medium bowl, add the sifted cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Mix the orange juice and milk together and set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar and orange zest together until fragrant and well-combined, about 1 minute. Add the butter and vegetable oil, then cream together with the orange-sugar mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla, then mix for 1 minute on medium-high, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more.

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Add the milk-orange juice mixture in a steady stream and mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps.

Gently fold the flour-coated cranberries into the batter.

Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans (fill them no more than two-thirds full) and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes before removing and continuing to cool on a wire rack.

Once the Cranberry Orange Cakes have cooled completely, fill and frost the layers with Orange Buttercream.

Orange Buttercream

• 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon orange zest, about 1/2 large orange
• 7 cups powedered sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
• Salt to taste

With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter with the orange zest on medium-high until the butter is creamy and light (almost white) in color, about 7 minutes.

With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next one.

Add the orange juice, milk and salt, and mix on medium-low for another 2 minutes until fully incorporated.

Karen Schneider cooks and writes in the village of Cundy’s Harbor. You can reach her at iwrite33@comcast.net.