Homey yet festive enough for the holiday season, serve this cake with breakfast, brunch or as a simple dessert.

Makes 12 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 45 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 50 minutes (including cooling time)

EASE OF PREPARATION: Moderate

Topping
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed, chopped (see Tip)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped peeled tart apple, such as Granny Smith (about 1 large)
1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail, orange juice or apple juice

Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
1 large egg
3/4 cup low-fat milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
2. To prepare topping: Whisk brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a medium nonreactive saucepan (see Kitchen note) until combined. Stir in cranberries, apple and juice. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring. Continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens and the berries soften, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
3. To prepare cake: Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.
4. Beat oil, butter and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, first on medium speed, then on medium-high, until well combined, about 11/2 minutes. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, beating until the mixture is light in color and well blended. Add egg and beat until the batter is smooth, about 1 minute longer. With the mixer on low speed, beat in half the flour mixture until just incorporated. Gradually beat in milk and vanilla until just incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until a smooth batter forms, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading to the edges. Spread the topping in an even layer over the batter; do not stir.
6. Bake the cake on the middle rack until the top is puffed in places and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (the fruit topping will still be moist), 40 to 50 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over the top. Transfer the pan to a wire rack; let stand until cooled to warm, about 20 minutes. To serve, run a knife along the edge of the pan, remove the pan sides and cut the cake into wedges.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 257 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 25 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 3 g fiber; 112 mg sodium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (20% daily value).

TIP: Tip: To make quick work of chopping cranberries, place whole berries in a food processor and pulse a few times until the berries are coarsely chopped.

Kitchen Note: A nonreactive pan—stainless steel, enamel-coated or glass—is necessary when cooking acidic foods, such as cranberries, to prevent the food from reacting with the pan. Reactive pans, such as aluminum and cast-iron, can impart an off color and/or off flavor in acidic foods.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Equipment: 9-inch springform pan | To make ahead: Cover and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

We had this twice during the holiday season. It is yummy, moist and lovely in appearance. I made certain I bought several bags of cranberries to store in the freezer this year.

Ginny

I think this is a great recipe. I love the topping and also the lemon zest in the cake.

Anonymous, Zionsville, IN

As a whole I liked it. A little more tart than I expected, but good. However, it was a lot of work for such a tiny piece. My prep took an hour. I used my convection oven at 350 for 30 minutes. It was very moist. A spring form pan isn't a must (you could line a cake pan with partchment paper and it would pull right out). A square pan would be easier to figure out what a 1/12 of a piece is. I added wheat germ for extra nutrition, it didn't affect the taste at all. Comes out very pretty, a little under 2" thick. If I made this again it would be for an event or holiday.

Heather, Trenton, MI

It was absolutely SCINTILATING!!!! Even my picky 4 yr old daughter gobbled it down. I love the tartness of the cranberries with the graininess of the brown sugar sprinkled on top. Very nice play of texture on the tongue.

Veron