Cranberry Cake
Studded with juicy berries, this sweet and soft cranberry cake is so lovely to serve during the holidays! It's wonderful with a morning cup of coffee, or you can dress it up with whipped cream and serve slices for dessert.
I love adding berries to cakes (blueberry yogurt cake, anyone?), and cranberries in particular just feel so festive. Since you can really only find them during the cooler fall months, they feel special, celebratory, and of course they are oh-so-pretty.
This cake is a homey, rustic bake that can serve equally well as a holiday dessert with whipped cream or ice cream, or as a morning pick-me-up. Cut thick squares and nibble on them whilst you wrap presents, with a steaming hot cup of coffee alongside.
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Cranberry Cake Highlights
- It's a one-bowl recipe. Need a quick sweet treat? This cake is made in just one bowl, streamlining the process.
- Pretty and holiday-ish. Cranberries are gorgeous, and there are 2 whole cups of them in this cake. It turns out so bright and vivid, making for a wonderfully festive offering during November and December.
- Perfectly sweet-tart. I love the textural and flavorful contrast between the soft, sweet cake and the light crunch and juicy burst of the tart cranberries.
Ingredients
Scroll down to my recipe card to see the full amounts and detailed instructions.
- Milk - I like whole milk for richness; 2% also works.
- Butter - Unsalted butter brought to soft room temperature is best.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg - Use a large or medium egg.
- Baking powder
- Salt - I used fine sea salt and table salt also works.
- All-purpose flour - Use the spoon and level method when measuring out your flour to ensure accuracy.
- Cranberries - Use fresh or frozen cranberries interchangeably. No need to thaw the frozen berries. Just don't use dried cranberries, they won't give the same effect!
- Optional glaze - Powdered sugar and lemon juice.
Instructions
Here's a quick look at how to make this cake:
- Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl, then add the egg and vanilla extract.
- Step 2: Beat in the remaining ingredients except for the cranberries,
- Step 3: Fold in the cranberries then add batter to a lined baking pan.
- Step 4: Bake for 40 minutes at 350F until a tester comes out clean. Cool and serve.
Tip: Glaze!
I love adding a simple lemon glaze for a pop of sweet-tart citrus flavor to the top of the cake. Here's my method (or see my lemon glaze recipe on cucina nicolina for more tips): Whisk 1 cup sifted powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, then drizzle over the cake.
Recipe Notes
- Batter will be thick. Your batter will be quite thick especially after you add the cranberries. Don't worry! This is totally fine. Use a rubber spatula to spread and smooth in in the pan.
- Change up the pan. I like a thicker cake, so I baked this in an 8x8-inch square pan. A 9x9-inch pan also works great. Or, bake it in a loaf pan or an 8 or 9-inch (lined) cake round.
- Add lemon zest. Whether or not you add the glaze, a bit of lemon zest rubbed into the sugar before you cream it with the butter will add a beautiful undertone of citrus.
- Or try orange zest. Cranberry and orange is a classic pairing. Rub the zest of 1 orange into the 1 cup sugar (this releases its oil and makes the cake more flavorful), then proceed with the recipe.
- Fresh or frozen cranberries? Either work beautifully. I like to buy cranberries in November and throw them in the freezer so that I can bake with them whenever I want. You don't need to defrost them first, just add them frozen to the batter.
Proper Storage
- Counter - Place the cake in an airtight container or cover the serving plate tightly and keep on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Fridge - Cover the cake or place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Wrap the cake or slices of cake in plastic, place in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw the cake in the freezer before serving.
If you tried this recipe, please let me know how it went in the comments below! And I always appreciate a star rating if you loved it ❤️
Recipe
Cranberry Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter or grease an 8x8-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving a few inches on each side for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, cream the the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, then beat in the baking powder and salt.
- On low speed, mix in half of the flour, then beat in the milk, and finish with the flour until incorporated. The batter will be thick.
- Reserve about ¼ cup cranberries and, using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining cranberries.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and scatter the reserved cranberries over the top of the cake.
- Place the cake in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, checking at 40 minutes, until set and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pan on a wire rack and cool for 15-20 minutes in the pan. Remove the cake from the pan using the extra parchment, and let cool to room temperature before serving.
