Cranberry Kuchen + A Chinet GIVEAWAY!
If there is one dessert that’s sure to grace my families dessert table at Christmas it’s the kuchen. I’m not sure exactly when this tradition started, I’m just glad it’s exists.
Soooo Kuchen is German for cake. So I guess this is a cake, even though it’s a bar, but whatevers let’s not get technical. This cake has it all; tart cranberries with a hint of orange and cinnamon that’s topped with a delicious sour cream… that I can only describe as cheesecake-custard-like. To.Die.For.
I brought this dessert to our friend’s house for a cozy dinner party. Dave and Lynne had us over for a spectacular dinner consisting of grilled steaks with blue cheese, spicy pan roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts. There were hors d’oeuvres everywhere and I ate like a princess. What is it about when other people cook for you? It’s like everything just tastes better?
Now tis the season for loads and loads of cooking and baking right? Well my friends at Chinet want to make it a lot easier and stress-free for one of you by giving the lucky winner a set of their Chinet Bakeware. EEEEK!
These pans can go from oven to table to freezer or even to your Aunt Martha’s house! And if you leave it behind… not to worry because they’re disposable and/or recyclable!
How do you enter? Well at the end of the post… just leave a comment of your favorite holiday recipe or treat that you always look forward to this time of year and you’re good to go. Giveaway ends on Thursday night at midnight and winner will be emailed on Friday! Only one entry per person please!
If you want to stay up to date on this giveaway or on all things Simply Scratch. Head over to Twitter or Facebook. No obligations necessary… you don’t have to follow or like SS to be entered to win. Oh and not to worry… SS isn’t turning into a giveaway only blog. Just a little gift giving in the spirit of Christmas!
All right you guys, here are the goods and NO you aren’t seeing things, that is a box of {all natural} cake mix. I can safely say this is the only recipe that I buy a cake mix for because I don’t dare mess with perfection.
Start by lining a 13×9 jelly roll pan with foil and give it a spritz from your Misto or any cooking spray.
Next empty one box of yellow cake mix into a medium bowl and drop in a stick of butter.
With a pastry cutter {or a couple of forks} cut in the butter until crumbly.
Dump that onto the prepped pan. Looks like snow… I want to dive right on in… mouth first.
With your fingers press it in, not too tightly, and give it a little edge around the sides.
Pre bake the crust in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
Moving on. Remember when I made this cranberry sauce… and I told you it wasn’t for Thanksgiving… well here it is. Now let’s jazz it up, k?
Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon…
I’ve used oranges and now clementines. My orange went bad and luckily I had a box of cuties… they work just as well! 
So just zest two of those or use one teaspoon of orange zest… if yours didn’t mold up on you ;\ .
Give it all a good stir and blah-dow. It’s done.
Pour the cranberry sauce over the crust and spread it around evenly.
In a smaller bowl combine the cup of sour cream, an egg and a splash of vanilla.
Stir until everything is incorporated.
Then pour it over top.
As you can plainly see.. it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Give it a couple of taps on the counter to settle and spread the sour cream mixture out. Now just pop it back into the oven until set… about 20 minutes.
Yup. It smells like Christmas up in hurrr.
Let the kuchen completely cool before slicing into big fat pieces.
One piece for you… the rest for me.
Oh and this also makes for a delicious breakfast the next morning… but something tells me you knew I was going to say that!
Good luck!
Cranberry Kuchen
Cranberries never tasted so good.
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30-35 minutes {includes crust pre-baking time}
Total Time: about an hour
Ingredients:
1 box Natural Yellow Cake Mix
1 stick of Unsalted Butter
1 recipe for Homemade Cranberry Sauce
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon of Orange Zest or 2 whole Clementines
1 cup Sour Cream
1 whole Egg
1 splash of Real Vanilla Extract
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line with foil and spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray.
FOR THE CRUST:
Empty the cake mix into a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the stick of butter. Spread it all onto the prepared pan, pressing gently to form a crust.
Par-bake in oven for 10 minutes then remove it and set aside.
FOR THE CRANBERRY SAUCE: In a medium bowl combine the homemade cranberry sauce, cinnamon and orange zest. Pour and spread over crust.
FOR THE SOUR CREAM TOPPING: Combine the cup of sour cream with the egg and a splash of vanilla. Stir until everything is incorporated and drizzle over top of the cranberries. Tap the pan gently on the counter for the sour cream mixture to settle a bit.
Finishing baking the kuchen in the 350 degree oven until the sour cream mixture is set, about 20 minutes.
Over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours! (
I love kuchen, my paternal German family made it a LOT (but with a yeast cake base). My favorite Christmas treat is probably shortbread cookies. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that plate. I collect that design (Staffordshire Calico)!! You have great taste, lol.
Sweet potato pie. Who amongst us can resist?
One of my favorite holiday treats is my grandma’s Italian wedding soup!
Christmas cookies are my favorite holiday treat
The holiday roast.
My favorite holiday recipe is my grandpa’s Christmas Fondue!
Fudge!!!
I’ve never heard of this, but it sounds phenomenal!
Favorite is pecan pie
My Favorite treat is my Grandmas fudge and divinity..
My Oma makes an amazing apple crumble every year. Love it!
This looks sooooo yummy! You can just run this over to my house Christmas morning if you want.
lefsa with butter, cinnamon and sugar!
Strawberry cake and Apple cake.
My aunt’s pineapple cheesecake squares!!! the best
My grandma’s cranberry pudding recipe.
Oh girl, that is one good looking dessert bar!
Great cranberry recipe! My favorite Christmas treat are Sicilian Fig Cookies…
My favorite holiday food? The food. Period. All of it. Especially the morning spread and strudel. But other than that, all of it.
Oouu! Around this time of year I always looks forward to my Aunt’s teeny tiny shortbread cookies, which I eat an embarrassing amount of…we’re talking pounds…
That looks really delicious! My favorite is a regional cookie- biscochitos! Sugary with anise seeds- so good when made with cream cheese instead of butter (or the traditional lard).
Gingerbread with lots of Whipped Cream on top!!
Cheeseballs………..I love cheeseballs, any kind!!
My Mother’s Gobs (Whoopie Pies) they have a cooked filling that is not too sweet…YUMM!!!
Christmas and [sometimes] Thanksgiving are the ham holidays. And do you know what that means? Ham gravy!! Naturally, I prefer to eat turkey with ham gravy. Aahhh, can’t wait!
Oh, there’s also my ridiculously delicious eggnog. But I always break down in September and whip up a batch. And October…
my mother-in-laws cookies!
Pecan tarts… They’re amazing.
I love gifting cookies
I look forward to my thumbprint cookies, i only make this family recipe at Christmas.
I always look forward to baking and eating sugar cookies during Christmas time.
I love eggnog anything! Thanks for the giveaway~
Kuchen is my favorite! Our family makes it completely differently though with a bread like base and more of a crumble on the top. I will have to ask one of the great aunts to make the cranberry type though – looks delicious! Povitica is a close second!
My grandma does ribeye or prime rib steaks and
Shrimp scampi for Christmas dinner. It’s amazing and a great change
From ham and turkey. However, I will be missing her yummy food and great company this year
I love red velvet cake pops!
Buckeyes!!
I ordered a Pumpkin Spice cake from a local bakery to pick up this weekend. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the moist cake. The spices and cream cheese icing will all dance on my tongue at once. Topped off with creamy vanilla ice cream!
YUM! Looks easy peasy and delicious!
roast turkey for holiday dinners
Hi!! This recipe looks amazing – I just bought some store-made kuchen the other day, but I’m eager to try this out. My favorite recipe is the basic sugar cookie to make Christmas cut out cookies!
This looks delicious!
I always look forward to my mother-in-law’s homemade chex mix. It is so simple but such a great snack and she always packs them up in cute little baggies to pass out to everyone
This looks amazing, i’m drooling over here.
Beautiful! This is trouble…in a very good way!
Looks fabulous! My favorite holiday treat is making beef bourguignon on Xmas Eve.
gingerbread cookies!!!
I love the toffee and the fudge!!
Uhm wow! That looks amazing and I’m definitely going to have to try it…. asap! I’m looking forward to some yummy crab imperial on Christmas Eve that my Stepmom makes. Really, I’m just looking forward to grazing on lots of yummy food- but I think that’s just part of my crazy pregnancy hormones!
I love butterballs and gingersnaps!
Cinnamon rolls! They make a great dessert, fantastic breakfast, or yummy snack.
My mother’s cranberry relish, which I now make for her.
Sausage balls! We only have them at Christmas time, and I LOVE those things.
I always look forward to gingerbread men.
I love buckeyes.
This recipe looks so good! I bet my fiance would love this! My favorite Christmas treat is making Domino Christmas cookies. No bake cookies with a creamy filling….mmmm good!
mini cream cheese cupcakes
Candy cane blossom cookies are my favorite, but I like to make any kind of cookies, mostly because everyone I give them to enjoys them so much!
We host a breakfast the weekend before Christmas for my side of the family. Everyone always looks forward to the monkey bread…so much so that I now make 2 of them so there is plenty for take home plates.
Peppermint bark!
Hmmmm, favorite Christmas treat is our secret Skubal Bread.
My grandmother’s rum cake…de-licious!
For the last 11 months, I’m just loving having my own kitchen all to myself so I’ve baked so many things but my favorite right now is cornbread! Love your blog and have made several of your recipes!
I love love love the raspberry squares my mom makes…so delicious!
I look SO forward to my mom’s style of sweet potato casserole. She makes this crumble with brown sugar, oatmeal, and nuts that tops it, instead of marshmallows… yum! Just delicious.
Fruitcake! Yes, I’m serious, lol
My mom’s Roast Turkey
Fruit cake!
My favorite is not a sweet but the turkey!
My Oyster Stuffing that I only make for Thanksgiving and Xmas. I could eat all of it all by myself.
My in laws always have deep fried shrimp for our Christmas, Love it!
The homemade candy and fudge! This is the ONLY time of year I make candy, so I make sure to get my fill of it!
these bars are so cute! what a brilliant end to a festive meal!
Your recipe looks great! I love to make monster cookies this time of year.
SNICKERDOODLES!!
:D and tons of ice cream of course
My favorite holiday treat is peach cobbler wit a side of vanilla ice cream
My favorite recipe is a holiday apple pie where I cut our pie crust stars for the top of the crust
My favorite holiday treat is an English Trifle – my family serves it every Christmas Eve
molasses cookies
mmmmm…. butter tarts….
i love to bake cheesecake brownies around the holidays
I love chocolate chip pumpkin cheesecake
Roadhouse potatoes for sure.
Anything with cranberries spells holiday for me.
Homemade Almond Roca!
I always look forward to my mom’s cheesy potato casserole. I know it’s nothing fancy, but it is super tasty and one of the only 2 or 3 times of year I get to eat it!
Never had a kuchen before, but it looks incredible!
Fudge has to by my favorite Christmas treat. We made it on Christmas Eve every year!
We always start out with a brunch of egg casserole, oven french toast, fruit cup, cinnamon rolls then try to get hungry for the Christmas dinner.
I love to baked cookies.
I only make pecan pie at Christmas….so I’m really looking forward to it!
Christmas ribeye or filet roast & Christmas cookies (M&M/peanut butter/oatmeal/chocolate chip kind “monster cookies) I try to make different kinds but those always are requested the most!
I absolutely love my mom’s bacon and green beans!
Pecan pies are the best!
It’s a tie between snickerdoodles and chocolate crinkle cookies!!