Delicious Cranberry Holiday Cake Recipe to Celebrate the Holidays

This Cranberry Holiday Cake quickly becomes a favorite for anyone who tries it for the first time. With its tart cranberries, sweet buttery cake, and amazing texture, it irresistibly invites me to have another slice.

I adore this cake not only because it's both delicious and festive but my mom sent me the recipe for my birthday one year. In her note, she humorously suggested I make my own birthday cake! I've got to say, I'm glad she did.

This cake is truly flawless and requires minimal effort to prepare. There's no need for icing, toppings, or anything extra. This might be the only cake I've ever tasted that truly embodies the holiday spirit. It's pure bliss to enjoy.

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Ingredients

• 3 large eggs room temp

• 2 C sugar (I usually use slightly less)

• 3/4 C unsalted butter softened

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp almond extract

• 2 C all-purpose flour

• 12 oz fresh cranberries

• Powdered sugar for garnish (optional)

  
  

How to Make Cranberry Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper or butter pan and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the sugar and eggs. Beat for 6 minutes. The mixture will be thick, fluffy, and ribbon-like. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.

3. Add the room temperature butter, almond extract and vanilla extract. Beat for an additional 2 minutes on medium speed. Once done, remove the whisk attachment and swap it with the paddle attachment. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the flour slowly.

4. Once mixed, and thick, fold in the cranberries. This is a very thick batter that will resemble cookie dough when it has finished mixing. You will need to press it into the pan to evenly spread the mixture into the baking pan.

5. Bake cake for 40-50 minutes or until the cake is golden brown with a flaky top layer. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake will be clean once removed.

Allow the cake to cool for one hour before removing it from the pan and slicing.

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Fresh cranberries are plump, deep red, tart, and in season during the holidays. This cake is a wonderful way to enjoy the fruit while it’s fresh. Enjoy!

Note: Yes, you can use frozen cranberries. However, the dough will “freeze” up a bit and become even thicker and it will be somewhat more difficult to stir in the cranberries. I find it easiest to let the frozen berries thaw on the counter for a little while as I’m beginning to prepare the cake.