Cranberry Holiday Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or 175 degrees Celsius. Next, take a moment to lubricate a 9x13-inch baking dish with some cooking spray to prevent any sticking issues.

To create the cake, gather your dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, and salt - in a large mixing container. In a separate, equally-sized bowl, whisk together 1 cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons of melted butter until they form a harmonious union. Add eggs to this mixture and blend until it reaches a smooth consistency.

Now, combine the dry ingredients with the sugar-butter mixture and milk in the same bowl. Stir until your batter is well incorporated, then gently fold in cranberries until they're just combined with the rest of the mixture. Pour this batter into your prepared baking dish.

Pop that cake into a preheated oven and let it bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, approximately 30 minutes. This will ensure your cake is cooked to perfection.

While the cake is baking, prepare the sauce. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of butter, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Stir this mixture until the sugar is fully dissolved, taking about 10 minutes to achieve.

Once your sauce has finished cooking, pour it over the hot cake. Allow the cake to cool in its baking dish for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.