This is a family recipe, no denying it. It was my Aunt Martha’s creation, but quickly became a holiday staple in my house as well. I distinctly remember eating this cake as part of our Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, and then again the next morning for breakfast; a huge treat for my sisters and I. Now I make it too (although the pears are a recent addition), because it is mixed and in the oven in under fifteen minutes, and because it makes my kitchen smell divine. The flecks of mild, sweet pear and bites of sour cranberry are little gems, lending this moist, citrus-spiked cake a distinctive holiday look and taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• zest of one orange
• zest of one lemon
• 2 extra large eggs
• 1 ½ cups orange juice
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup wheat germ
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 ½ cup cranberries (if frozen do not defrost)
• 2 very ripe pears, peeled and partly mashed (if unripe, cook them with ½ tablespoon butter, ½ tablespoon sugar and ½ tablespoon fruit brandy until soft)

Preheat oven to 350°F

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, zest and eggs.

Mix in orange juice. Pour in melted butter, while whisking vigorously, so the butter does not coagulate.

Stir in flour, one cup at a time. Add wheat germ and baking soda, and incorporate.

When the batter is mixed smoothly, add (slightly mashed) pears and cranberries, and integrate.

Pour batter into a well-buttered bundt pan.

Bake for one hour, or until a knife comes out clean.