Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare the baking pan (pie pan or round cake pan) by generously greasing the bottom & sides with butter. Now is not the time to be stingy with the butter.
Add cranberries, then chopped pecans to the prepared pan, and top with 1/2 cup of sugar.
Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, almond extract and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. Stir until just combined. The batter will be thick.
Pour the batter over the cranberry mixture, completely covering the cranberries. If you need to spread the batter for better coverage - be gentle so you don't pull the cranberries above the batter.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. If using optional turbinado sugar, remove from oven 5 minutes before done, sprinkle with sugar and return to oven to finish baking.
Allow to cool slightly before cutting. May be served warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
Notes
I realize it seems like a crazy amount of sugar, but it's a necessity to balance the tartness of the cranberries.
Yes, you can make this without the nuts. While I prefer it with nuts, sometimes you have to make your nut-hating people happy.