Makes one 9-inch cake

For the topping:

1 ½ cups fresh cranberries, chopped

1 cup granulated sugar

Pinch salt

Peeled zest from ½ orange (about 6 strips)

2 tablespoons dark rum

⅛ teaspoon cloves

For the cake: 

½ cup olive oil

2 eggs

½ cup applesauce

1 cup granulated sugar, plus ½ cup for additional topping

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Make the cranberry filling: combine the cranberries, sugar, salt, zest, rum and cloves in a small saucepan set over medium low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and cool. Remove and discard the orange peels. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together the olive oil, eggs, applesauce, both sugars, rum and pumpkin. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. Stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. 

Grease a 9-inch pie plate. Scrape the pumpkin batter into the prepared pan. Drop the cranberry filling into the pumpkin batter in five scoops, spacing evenly. Use a chopstick or a butterknife to make swirls in the batter. Sprinkle the ½ cup sugar evenly over top of the batter. 

Bake for 50 minutes. Check for doneness by touching the top of the cake – it should spring back slightly when pressed.