Cranberry Cake Recipe

A plate with a piece of cranberry cake. Fresh cranberries and a second plate of cake in the background.

Try this easy cranberry cake recipe for a crowd-pleasing treat this holiday season! Use fresh or frozen cranberries

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Servings servings

Calories 454kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

9x13-inch pan
Handheld electric mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment
Parchment paper, optional
Non-stick spray

Ingredients

4 large eggs room temperature
2⅔ cups sugar (534g)
1 cup unsalted butter cubed and softened (236g)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
2¾ cups + 2 tablespoons flour divided (345g)
1 teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup whole milk room temperature (80mL)
12 ounces fresh cranberries (340g)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter or baking spray. Line it with parchment paper. (This is optional, but makes it easier to remove the cake and serve).
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer), combine the eggs and sugar. Beat on medium speed (level 6) for 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture is very pale yellow or off-white in color, nearly doubled in volume, and creates thick ribbons on the surface of the mixture when drizzled.
Add the butter, vanilla, and salt and beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until combined. (The mixture may look curdled. It will smooth out once the flour is folded in.)
In a medium bowl, whisk to combine 2¾ cups (330g) flour and baking powder.
Add one-half of the flour mixture to the batter and gently fold to combine. Add the milk and stir gently to combine. Fold in the remaining flour mixture.
Toss the cranberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons (15g) flour. Gently fold the cranberry mixture into the batter. (The batter will be thick. Try to distribute the berries with 5 to 6 folds, so that they don’t burst and start to streak the batter.)
Dollop the batter evenly all over the base of the prepared 9x13-inch baking pan. Spread gently into an even layer. Sprinkle the top with an additional 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar if you like.
Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before serving.

Notes

Weigh the flour! Adding too much flour will yield a dry cranberry cake. The most accurate way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
If you want to remove the cake from the pan, after greasing the baking pan, line it with parchment paper. While optional, this makes it easier to remove the cake from the dish if you prefer to place it on a serving plate rather than serve it directly from the pan.
I recommend using a whisk attachment instead of a paddle attachment, which I normally use for cake batter. The whisk helps whip the egg and sugar into a fluffy mixture and incorporates the soft butter more easily. If you are using a hand mixer, use the beater attachments.
Don’t overmix the batter after adding the flour. While cranberry cake is on the denser side, it should still be incredibly tender. Over-mixing after adding the dry ingredients will cause it to turn out tough because the gluten in the flour will overdevelop.
To fold in the flour and cranberries, use a silicone or rubber spatula. Scoop underneath the batter, along the bottom of the bowl, to bring the batter up and over the flour. Continue this motion to ensure that the flour and cranberries are incorporated evenly in as few folds as possible (about 5 or 6 is ideal). This will keep the cake tender and the cranberries from bursting. If the cranberries burst, they will start to streak the cake batter.

Nutrition