Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 cup of fresh cranberries, washed and drained
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar for coating. (regular sugar will work if it's all you have.)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter, flour and parchment a 9-inch round cake pans or quarter sheet pan.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the bowl, add vanilla extract. Add eggs and beat well.
4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. Spoon batter into cake pan(s), smoothing top.
5. Bake until cake is golden and a cake tester/toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes depending on pan size. Cool in pan(s) 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool until room temperature.
6. Using a cold bowl and cold beaters, whip the cream until stiff and stir in the powdered sugar. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the cake and garnish with sugared cranberries.
For Cranberries:
7. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved, forming a syrup.
8. Add the cranberries and toss in the syrup to coat. Let cranberries steep in the liquid for 2-3 hours (or as long as overnight.)
9. Drain liquid and spread berries on a cooling rack in an even layer. Let them sit for an hour.
10. Coat with sugar. Use right away or store in an airtight container.