Fresh Cranberry Cake

4.5
(26)

This cranberry cake is topped with a rich vanilla sauce. It looks beautiful and is easy to make with fresh cranberries for a decadent Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert.

8
8
8
8
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
40 mins
Additional Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Servings:
12
Yield:
1 (9x13-inch) cake

This cranberry cake recipe will be a welcome addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas table. Bursting with fruity flavor and topped with a decadent sauce, your family will ask for it year after year.

Cranberry Cake Ingredients

These are the ingredients you'll need to make the this easy cranberry cake recipe:

  • Flour: This fresh cranberry cake recipe starts with all-purpose flour.
  • Baking soda: Baking soda acts as a leavener, which means it helps the cake rise.
  • Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the other flavors, but won't make your cake taste salty.
  • Sugar: You'll need two cups of white sugar: one cup for the cake, one cup for the sauce.
  • Butter: Butter adds richness, moisture, and flavor to the cake. It also goes into the creamy sauce.
  • Eggs: Eggs lend moisture and help hold the cake batter together.
  • Milk: A cup of milk gives the cake even more moisture and flavor.
  • Cranberries: Opt for fresh cranberries that are firm, plump, and blemish-free.
  • Heavy whipping cream: The sauce calls for ½ cup heavy whipping cream.
  • Vanilla: A teaspoon of vanilla extract gives the sauce complexity and enhances the flavor.

How to Make Cranberry Cake

You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's a brief overview of what you can expect when you make cranberry cake:

  1. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another.
  2. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Fold in the berries.
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
  4. Combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cook until the sugar is dissolved.
  5. Pour the hot sauce over the hot cake.

How to Store Cranberry Cake

Wrap the cooled cranberry cake tightly in storage wrap or place it in an airtight container. Store it at room temperature for up to one week.

Can You Freeze Cranberry Cake?

Yes! You can freeze cranberry cake for up to two months. Wrap it in multiple layers of storage wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Thaw at room temperature in its wrapping.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"I have some very picky dessert eaters in my family and they loved this cake so much that I've already been asked to make it again," says Pearl Glisson. "It was a good balance of sweet and sour and was perfectly moist."

"My family loved this cake," according to mehrotrakirti. "I made it for Thanksgiving and it was the perfect cranberry dessert."

"I made this yesterday and the family loved it," raves Nancy Warren. "The only alteration I made was to add a tsp of Saigon cinnamon to the dry ingredients because I love the taste of cranberries and cinnamon."

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 12 servings

Cranberry Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup white sugar

  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

  • 2 large eggs, beaten

  • 1 cup milk

  • 3 cups fresh cranberries

Vanilla Sauce:

  • 1 cup white sugar

  • ½ cup butter

  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

  2. To make the cranberry cake: Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk 1 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons melted butter together in a separate large bowl; add eggs and beat until smooth. Stir flour mixture and milk into egg mixture until batter is well blended. Fold in cranberries until just combined; pour batter into the prepared baking dish.

  3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

  4. To make the vanilla sauce: Heat 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, heavy cream, and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium-low heat; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Pour hot sauce over hot cake. Allow cake to cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Cook’s Note

This cake tastes great made with any fresh berries you have on hand.

60 home cooks made it!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

366 Calories
16g Fat
54g Carbs
4g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 12
Calories 366
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 10g 48%
Cholesterol 74mg 25%
Sodium 587mg 26%
Total Carbohydrate 54g 19%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 35g
Protein 4g 9%
Vitamin C 3mg 4%
Calcium 43mg 3%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 96mg 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.