Cranberry Cake

5 from 3 votes

Posted: 11/19/19

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This post is sponsored by Sugar In The Raw®. All opinions are my own.

Tender, light and fluffy Cranberry Cake is a festive dessert to serve for the holidays! It starts with a homemade sour cream cake bursting with tart cranberries and is topped with cream cheese frosting, sugared cranberries and a drizzle of white chocolate. It’s the perfect combination of tart and sweet.

I think that cranberries are one of the main flavors of Thanksgiving right along with turkey, stuffing and gravy! Who says that cranberries are only for the main event? Why not bring them into dessert and serve them alongside your traditional Pumpkin Pie!

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It’s time for the holidays and that means it’s time for festive desserts! Thanksgiving is all about cranberry, and this cranberry cake is a dessert you will be able to impress everyone with.

I love that the tartness of the cranberries balances out with the sweetness of the cake and frosting. It’s so festive from the sugared cranberries that are on top.

Another thing that I like is that it’s a simple cake that doesn’t require layers, a crumb coating of frosting, etc. I’m always looking for recipes that are very doable for everyone no matter your skill level with baking! We provide step by step instructions that are easy and clear so anyone can make this cake.

The base of this cranberry cake is a homemade sour cream cake that has fresh cranberries in it. The sour cream keeps it moist and not to sweet. The cake is studded with fresh cranberries that will burst when they bake, then topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting, beautiful sugared cranberries and white chocolate drizzle.

One of the ingredients we used in this cranberry cake recipe was Sugar In The Raw®.

Have you ever heard of Sugar in the Raw?

If not, I’m going to tell you why I love using it in my baked goods and beverages!

It is a Turbinado sugar made exclusively from natural sugarcane, grown in the tropics. The hearty, golden crystals, which you can see on those sugared cranberries, are made from the first pressing of the cane. They are never bleached, so they keep the rich flavor and color of their natural molasses. That molasses flavor definitely makes this Cranberry Cake AMAZING!

This makes Sugar In The Raw perfect for baking and using in beverages. I used the granulated version, but it’s also available as a liquid version. It is available nationwide and you can use their store locator to find it close to you!

If you’d rather skip my (very helpful, I think) tips and tricks, essential cooking info, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this delicious recipe – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.

Contents show

How to Make Cranberry Cake

This cranberry cake might take a little bit of time, but the result is a light, fluffy cake that everyone will love, so we think it’s totally worth it! The first step is to make the sour cream cake with cranberries, then the cream cheese frosting and finally top it off with sugared cranberries and white chocolate.

Cake

First preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and prepare a 9×13 inch baking pan with grease and flour. Set the pan aside.
Next, separate egg yolks from egg whites. Set aside.
Grab a mixing bowl and place butter in it. Then beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add in oil, beat until well combined. Add in Sugar In The Raw, 1 c. at a time, mixing until well combined, about 1 minute. Add in egg yolks, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Scrape sides down when mixing.
In a separate bowl, sift together 2 ¼ c. flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set dry mixture aside.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the vanilla extract, milk, sour cream and orange zest.
Rotate adding in the dry and wet ingredients to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks appear, about 1-2 minutes. Gently fold egg whites into the batter mixture until just combined.
In a mixing bowl, toss together fresh cranberries and 1 Tbsp of flour. Gently fold cranberries into batter. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
Place in oven and bake for 55 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely

Frosting

In a mixing bowl beat together butter and cream cheese until combined, about 1-2 minutes. Add orange zest and vanilla extract to creamed mixture. Mix until combined. Add in powdered sugar, mixing after each 1 c. addition. Add in milk and mix to combine.
If frosting is too thick add more milk, 1 Tbsp at a time until you reach desired consistency. If batter is too thin add more powdered sugar ½ c. at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Once it is your desired consistency add a pinch of salt to balance sweetness.
Frost cooled cranberry cake.

Topping

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until combined, about 1-2 minutes. Add orange zest and vanilla extract to creamed mixture. Mix until combined. Add in powdered sugar, mixing after each 1 c. addition. Add in milk and mix to combine.
If frosting is too thick, add more milk, 1 Tbsp at a time until you reach desired consistency. If batter is too thin add more powdered sugar ½ c. at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Once it is your desired consistency, add a pinch of salt to balance sweetness.
Frost cooled cranberry cake.

Tips and Tricks for the BEST Cranberry Cake!

Here are a few of the mostly frequently asked questions when it comes to making this cake. If you have a question that isn’t answered, please leave a comment and we will do our best to get back to you!

If you don’t like the tartness of cranberries, no worries. The cranberries burst when baking and the sweetness of the cake and frosting will balance it out!
This recipe calls for fresh cranberries, but if you can’t find any, frozen cranberries will work just fine!
Make sure your fresh cranberries are shiny and plump with a deep red color. Truly fresh cranberries will actually bounce if you drop them because they are firm.
You can freeze this cake. When it’s time to enjoy it simply thaw it uncovered at room temperature, if possible.
If you do not consume all of the cake the first day, please store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
No time for sugared cranberries? You can simply top it with fresh cranberries and skip the coating of the cranberries, although I prefer the sugared cranberries!
Not sure how to make sugared cranberries? Check out this post and see how easy it is!

More Delicious Cranberry Desserts for the holidays!

You can serve this amazing Cranberry Orange Bread Pudding for dessert or breakfast. We love versatile recipes like this!
For those of you that love apple desserts transition into cranberry treats by combining the flavors with this easy Apple Cranberry Crisp!
A sweet and tart Cranberry Cake with Caramel Sauce with have everyone grabbing dessert!

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Meet Julie Evink

I'm here to help you win in the kitchen again! Life is Busy, Life is Crazy, but that doesn't mean you can't make your family dinner! Julie's goal is to provide you with easy, family, friendly recipes that use pantry staples. Dinnertime will be stress free again!