Gingerbread Christmas Cakes

It's hard to believe that Christmas is only three days away! Between my sister's wedding and coming down with a terrible cold, I haven't had much time for Christmas celebrating. In fact, all I've been feeling up to over the last week is hot tea and a marathon of The Tudors on Netflix. How have I missed four seasons of this show? It's so scandalously good.

Just before I caught this nasty cold, I did get the chance to do a little holiday baking. These mini Gingerbread Christmas Bundt Cakes are one of my favorite recipes and Jason's as well. They make the entire house smell like spice and molasses and are decadently moist. Topped with candied cranberries and rosemary, and sprinkled with powdered sugar, these bundts make very festive treats! Here's how I make the candied cranberries...

Wash two cups of cranberries (I make a large batch but you can always make less) and a dozen sprigs of rosemary cut into thirds. In a sauce pan combine 1 cup water and 1 cup granulated sugar and cook over medium-high heat until all of the sugar is dissolved. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine cranberries and rosemary and once the syrup has cooled slightly, pour over the berries. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or better yet, over night. Remove berries and rosemary from the syrup and allow to dry by blotting on a paper towel. Roll berries in sugar and dip rosemary gently. Dry completely on a rack.

Once the cakes have been sprinkled with powdered sugar, garnish with the sugared rosemary and cranberries. The syrup will actually sweeten the cranberries just enough to eat! I love the tart and crunchy bite of these sugared berries, they are just delicious. And make a few extra, they are fabulous garnish for cocktails!

 photos by Leah Bergman

[yumprint-recipe id='50']