Aunt Cork's Cranberry Cake

	1 stick (8 tablespoons) margarine
	1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter (salted)
	1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
	2 eggs
	1-1/2 cups flour (Sarasota brand works best)
	2 cups fresh, uncooked cranberries
	1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Lightly grease 11-1/2" x 7-1/2" foil pan (I use cooking spray)
Using electric mixer, blend margarine, butter, sugar and eggs until creamed
Gradually add flour to mixture. When done, mixture will be the consistency of cookie dough (real thick)
Add cranberries and mix by hand with a large spoon or spatula. Dough will be very thick
Press or spread dough into greased aluminum foil pan. Dough will not rise much so it's okay for dough to be at the top of the pan. You may want to put aluminum foil on the bottom of the oven to catch any spill during cooking
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until dough is firm to the touch (lightly browned). Remove from oven to cool in pan

If you are able to find the 11-1/2" x 7-1/2" aluminum foil pans, buy several as you will want to make a few batches of this recipe at a time
The cake is better if frozen after it cools, then thawed right before serving. Alternately, you could refrigerate it before serving
I buy fresh cranberries at Sam's Club (a wholesale warehouse club) in large bags. You can freeze entire bags for use later in the year. Fresh cranberries are not usually available all year, so you may want to buy and freeze a few
Click here for a scaled up version of this recipe for a 13" x 17" jelly roll pan

Recipe by Cork Atkinson - November 2000