Here’s a moist and flavorful Cranberry Cake—perfect for holidays or anytime you want a tart-sweet treat 🍰🍒
Cranberry Cake
Ingredients (makes one 9-inch cake)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk (or milk + 1 tsp lemon juice)
- Optional topping: powdered sugar, streusel, or glaze
Instructions
- Prep oven and pan
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan.
- Mix dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Cream butter & sugar
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
- Combine wet and dry
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Fold in cranberries
- Gently fold in cranberries.
- Bake
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake 45–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool & serve
- Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Optional: dust with powdered sugar or drizzle glaze before serving.
Tips & Variations
- Sweet-tart balance: If cranberries are very tart, toss with 2–3 tbsp sugar before folding into batter.
- Add texture: Fold in ½ cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans).
- Moist glaze: Mix powdered sugar with a little orange juice and drizzle over cooled cake.
- Mini muffins: Bake in muffin tins for 18–20 minutes for portable treats.
If you want, I can also give a quick cranberry cake recipe with crushed pineapple that’s extra moist and doesn’t need buttermilk.
