Pomegranate Christmas Cake Recipes

SPICED POMEGRANATE-PEAR CAKE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine juice, brown sugar and ginger. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Place pears in a bowl or shallow dish; pour juice mixture over pears and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours., Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 3 greased 8-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease paper. In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar; let stand 5 minutes until curdled. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk mixture, beating well after each addition. , Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., Drain pears, reserving marinade; pat dry. For frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter, 2 tablespoons reserved marinade, vanilla and, if desired, food coloring until blended. Beat in confectioners' sugar alternately with enough milk to reach spreading consistency., To assemble cake, using a long serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; brush with 1/4 cup reserved marinade. Top with 2/3 cup pears. Top with another cake layer; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Repeat layers, ending with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with 2 cups frosting. Pipe remaining frosting around top and bottom edges. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over top of cake. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

POMEGRANATE MOLASSES BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch-square baking pan, dust lightly with flour and knock out excess.
• Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine milk and 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses.
• In a large bowl, cream together stick of butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until well combined.
• Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk mixture. (Begin and end with flour, and mix after each addition until just combined.)
• Pour batter into pan and bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges, turn cake out onto a rack, and then turn right side up again.
• Whisk together confectioners' sugar, cream, and 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses. Brush glaze over cake, letting it drip down sides.
• In a small, preferably nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, combine nuts, 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses and 4 teaspoons sugar. Stir constantly and watch carefully until sugar melts and coats nuts, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle over top of cake.

POMEGRANATE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 (I used 3) 9" cake pans with vegetable shortening. Line with parchment and grease paper. Lightly flour the pans; set aside.
• Combine milk, egg whites and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk briefly and set aside. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add softened butter and mix on low speed until the mixture has the appearance of wet sand. Set aside 1/2 cup of the egg white/milk mixture. Pour the remaining egg white mixture into the flour mixture and beat for 2 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup of egg white/milk mixture and beat for 1 minute more. Do not over mix. Divide batter evenly amongst pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cakes cool completely before adding syrup.
• Pomegranate syrup: 1 16 oz. bottle (2 cups) pomegranate juice 1 cup granulated sugar Combine juice and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat on medium high until sugar has dissolved and mixture is bubbling. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the mixture has become syrupy and thickened. Let syrup cool slightly. Using a pastry brush, coat cake tops with syrup and stack. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes in cake, making sure to push through all 2 (or 3) layers. Pour remaining syrup into the punched holes. Allow cake to stand for 15 minutes before frosting.
• Frosting: 4 cups confectioners' sugar 2 sticks butter softened 16 oz. cream cheese 1 tsp vanilla Arils from one fresh pomegranate *optional Combine sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add cream cheese and vanilla. Mix until thick and thoroughly combined. Use immediately to frost cake. Garnish with arils if desired. Notes: The pomegranate garnish is 1/3 cup ready made fondant mixed with red food coloring, then coated in red sanding sugar and plain granulated sugar. The leaves are made from green fondant also. Over time, the syrup in the cake will darken to a purplish/red color. Still very pretty and yummy all the same.