we woke up to our first snowfall the other morning, albeit a dusting; our plump christmas tree is up, decorated with ornaments we've collected throughout the years; lit with strands of twinkling lights, its base hidden under a burlap tree skirt i made years ago (a craft projects gone right!). our winter vista is now official, as the trees across the way have lost the last of their leaves, and we can squeak out a view of the top quarter of the empire state building once more. the holidays are officially here, and even though it's felt like a merry season for the past few weeks, it's now in close sight.
sometimes it feels like i don't know where to start with holiday dessert though, do i go with cake, make sheets and sheets of cookies, chocolate bars, peppermint bark..? (i know, really tough decisions here.) this year i decided to settle on a simple bundt cake - one that incorporates a number of things i love about the idea of a typical fruitcake, but without the heavy glug of it. in that spirit, i decided to go with a tried and true cake my nana would always make: her 1,2,3,4 bundt cake. it was her no-fail, all-occasion cake that could be made plain or jazzed up with fruit, nuts, zest, etc. so, when i thought of the holidays, of love, of memories, of baking, i knew an updated version of my nana's cake in the form of a butternut bundt was in order. it's flecked with crushed cranberries to cut through the sweetness, the batter mixed with grated ginger, chopped apples and toasted nuts for a subtle crunch, and topped with some powdered sugar for good (holiday) measure.
if you missed last week's post, i'm guest blogging for Gardenista this month! you can peep this holiday bundt cake recipe over on their site today! and stay tuned, i've got two more posts coming up this month and i'm super pumped about them!
i hope the holiday season is bringing you joy, love, and warmth. xo