In addition to being a great fashion model when she wears her vintage clothing, League member Mariamne Moore is a wonderful cook. Her methods may be a little unorthodox but it is fun to try different things. Here is Mariamne's recipe for this yummy cake.
" I didn't exactly use a recipe. I was experimenting. I used a Betty Crocker "Super Moist" yellow cake mix, but I don't believe the super moist claim and I do like a moist cake so I made some additions. Actually, I think I overdid the additions. First I mixed in a 3.4 oz box of Jello french vanilla instant pudding. Then I added a container of cranberry relish from Bashas. It was about 1 1/4 cups. They sell it by the pound & it weighed .83 lbs. Since there was so much more of it, I baked it (in a bundt pan) for about 10 minutes longer than recommended on the box for a total of 55 minutes. If your pan is not dark like mine, you would probably add another 5 min. or so.
Now I think I probably should have stopped there, but I decided to top it with confectioner's sugar (about a cup) mixed with a 1/4 cup Orgeat almond syrup. I think that was too much syrup. It permiated the first inch or so of the cake top and the rest ran down to the plate. All in all, it wasn't so much a moist cake as it was a downright WET cake.
If you want to experiment with the syrup, you can find it at World Market in many different flavors. I used the almond in double strength with all the nasty old corn syrup, but you can get it in sugar free versions as well. I like to flavor my green tea with a little sugar free black cherry. As far as the cranberry relish, you will probably have to wait for the holiday season. Next time, I think I may try fresh cranberries w/o sugar for a more tart taste."
Or you could try Tastes & Treasures on page 182, a delicious cranberry relish.
