Cranberry Christmas Cake (Video)
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Cranberry Christmas Cake has only a handful of ingredients and comes together in a snap! A moist butter cake bursting with flavor is speckled with tart sweet cranberries. It is truly the most perfect holiday cake. This simple recipe will be on your dessert table again and again!
Cranberry Christmas Cake
I made this cake for Christmas last year and my nieces literally picked the pan clean. It is sooo good.
All of my social media networks have been flooded with fall flavors and I tell you cranberries have been screaming at me. After seeing this cranberry cake on my friend Mary‘s blog and Taste of Home I had finally had enough. I had to try it!
I was so excited, at long last Munchkin and I stepped into the kitchen to make this cake. Just a few ingredients and it came together so fast. Cranberry and almond flavors are bursting out of this moist simple buttery cake that will whisk you away to a winter wonderland.
As I took my first bite I knew this was THE cake of the season. Perfectly flavored and a crowd pleaser. Even my picky family loved everything about this cake and I am sure you will too. Want cranberry cookies instead, try these shortbread cookies
WHERE TO ORDER:
???? Amazon ???? Barnes & Noble ???? Books-a-Million ???? IndieBound
Helpful Tips:
- If the almonds start getting too browned, you can tent a piece of aluminum over the pan for the remaining cooking time.
What you will need:
- Electric Mixer –
- 9×13 Baking Dish- I have my favorites and this set is one of them. The 9×13 is perfect for casseroles and the smaller size is awesome for making 1/2 a casserole recipe.
Enjoy!
With love from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Check out more of our favorite fabulous simple cake recipes:
Outrageous Cherry Dr Pepper Cake
Perfect Peach Cobbler Dump Cake
Ooey Gooey Chocolate Insanity Cake
Cranberry Christmas Cake + Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries, or frozen and thawed
- 1 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×13 baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs for 5 minutes with an electric mixer on medium. The volume of the mixture will increase by almost half and will be thickened. Do not skip this step. The eggs will work as the leavening the cake needs to rise.
- Add butter and extracts and beat for 2 more minutes. Slowly add flour and beat until combined. Fold in cranberries.
- Using a spatula, pour and smooth into prepared pan. Sprinkle almonds over top.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published 11/21/13
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home and Barefeet in the Kitchen.
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I am thinking about adding a powder sugar glaze to the cake. Do you think it would be ok?
made this last night. mine looks just like your picture and is delicious! (i did double my batch, and doubled the almond extract.)
What do you mean…double batch of what. ..I want to make this IN A COUPLE OF DAYS.
made enough for 2 cakes in one pan. or 2 pans.
I like this cake.
So cute ,delicious
Thanks for sharing with us
What size pan?? 9×13?
yup, 9×13. Says so in instructions. Made for a church dinner today. Yum 🙂
"Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×13 baking pan. Set aside."
Have you tried making the cranberry cake in a bundt pan? I am wondering if there's enough batter in the recipe.
Is it possible to bake and then freeze for about a week?
Has anyone made this cake ahead of time, and then frozen it for later?
I made this sans the almonds this christmas and I think it would freeze fine
I made the cake, and then froze some of the leftover pieces for a later time. I recently took a small package out of the freezer, and they were just as tasty as when I first baked it.
Surely you don't use 4 CUPS of butter? 8 sticks??
I made this cake and accidentally creamed the sugar, butter and eggs altogether for five minutes, realized I did it wrong after adding the cranberries and baked it anyway. Since I haven't made it the correct way, I do not know what the original texture should be like. But it was the moistest, most delicious cake I've eaten.the cranberries were perfectly tart but not overpowering as i worried they'd be, tasted fabulous with the almond and sweetness of the cake, and it was moist for days!! Total crowd pleaser! I'll make it correctly just to see if there is a difference, but I'd be hard pressed to not want to repeat my mistake since the end result was fabulous!
I made this cake and accidentally creamed the sugar, butter and eggs altogether for five minutes, realized I did it wrong after adding the cranberries and baked it anyway. Since I haven't made it the correct way, I do not know what the original texture should be like. But it was the moistest, most delicious cake I've eaten.the cranberries were perfectly tart but not overpowering as i worried they'd be, tasted fabulous with the almond and sweetness of the cake, and it was moist for days!! Total crowd pleaser! I'll make it correctly just to see if there is a difference, but I'd be hard pressed to not want to repeat my mistake since the end result was fabulous!
Ok, so I made this cake on Christmas Day this year and didn't read the instructions. I got into baking robot mode adding the butter and sugar and started my mixer – OOPS! I didn't want to waste it, so I kept on adding the ingredients PLUS 1 tsp of baking powder. Even though I "messed up" it turned out AMAZING! So don't fret if you accidently mix the sugar with the butter. Baking powder worked just fine. Though, I will be making this the correct way, as we all really enjoyed this cake.
I made this cake to be included on my Christmas cookie platter. It is extraordinarily delicious. What a flavor, I could have eaten the whole cake by myself.
We are so happy you enjoyed it!!!
I made this cake and everybody loved it. The sweetens of the sugar and the tartness of the cranberries, it was amazing. I bought extra cranberries and frozen, so I can make it during the year.
We are so happy you enjoyed it!!
I will have this on Christmas this year!
That's great, Amalia!!! Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
If someone has a nut allergy, can this be made without the almonds and almond extract?
Hi, I'm from Australia and would love to make this, my problem is we dont have frozen or fresh cranberries here. I'm wondering if I could use dried and soak them in water to plump them up. Any suggestions welcome.
I made this cake this morning to use up frozen cranberries I had in my freezer. It is delicious. My family is all enjoying it, and they are not all huge cranberry fans. I would highly recommend this cake now and during the holidays. This will definitely become a new holiday treat tradition for my family!!
My grandmother absolutely loved this cake! She loves cranberry! This was such an easy recipe to make too!
Has anyone tried making this gluten free? I have made this before using regular flour and it was fantastic, but I would like to make it so gluten free friends could enjoy.
We don’t have fresh or frozen cranberries in Norway, but I can get them dried. Has anyone tried substituting with dried cranberries? Do I need to soak them in advance? Maybe reduce the sugar amount in the batter as the dried cranberries are not as tart as the fresh ones? Any help is much appreciated!
I would think reconstituting the dried cranberries in warm water letting it sit to plump and then drain would be perfectly fine just make sure you douse The Cranberries with a little bit of flour so they’re not too wet. I have done this before in other recipes and I think it’s fine. not as tart though.. perhaps soak in warmed lemon juice might give it some tartness. just a thought.
my family loves this recipe!
This is a favorite around our house! We have it anytime I can get cranberries! It’s very easy to make! I also make it with dairy free butter.