prep the cranberry filling:
In a medium sized bowl, rinse the cranberries with cool water, and remove any stems or blemished berries. Drain the cranberries in a colander.
Heat water and sugar to boiling in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.. Continue boiling 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
Stir in cranberries. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling about 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries begin to pop. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Don’t worry if every single cranberry does not completely pop. When the sauce is cooked, spoon out the orange pieces and the ginger sliver. Pour sauce into bowl or container.
Chill in the refrigerator for about one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
prep cake batter:
In a small bowl, add the milk and vinegar and give it a whirl. Let sit a minute. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients of the cake and whisk together.
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the oil, milk, water/cornstarch mixture, and vanilla. Mix well. Incorporate the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, scraping the sides of the bowl with your spatula.
Spread 1/2 of the batter in the bottom of a 9×11 greased baking dish. (I used an 8 inch cast iron skillet)
Spoon on the cranberry filling evenly over the top.
Spoon the rest of the batter over the top in clumps, leaving some of the cranberry filling showing through.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.
Bake for about 60-80 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Check the cake after 45 minutes. You could cover with foil for the last portion of baking to prevent over-browning.
Remove cake from oven and good luck letting it cool before serving. The cinnamon sugar smell will have you hypnotized with desire before it cools.