Go Back
+ servings
Piece of Cranberry Cake on spatula being lifted out of a baking dish
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Cranberry Cake

Delicious homemade cake with fresh cranberries. Topped with a homemade frosting, sugared cranberries and a drizzle of white chocolate. Perfect dessert recipe for the holidays!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Resting Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 20
Calories: 697kcal
Author: Julie Evink

Ingredients

Cake

  • 4 eggs separated
  • ½ c. unsalted butter softened
  • ½ c. canola oil
  • 2 ¼ c. Sugar In The Raw®
  • 2 ¼ c. + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour divided
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 c. 2% milk
  • ½ c. sour cream
  • 1 Tbsp orange zest
  • 1 ½ c. fresh cranberries

Frosting

  • 1 c. unsalted butter softened
  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1 Tbsp orange zest
  • 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp milk
  • 5 c. powdered sugar
  • Salt to taste

Topping

  • 1 c. sugared cranberries
  • ¼ c. white chocolate melting squares

Instructions

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan. Set aside.
  • Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Set aside.
  • Place butter in a mixing bowl and 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 cake.

Topping

  • Place sugared cranberries on top of frosting cake.
  • Melt white chocolate according to package directions. Drizzle over sugar cranberries. Let rest 1 hour for chocolate to set.
  • Serve or store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

  • 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!
  • 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!

Nutrition

Calories: 697kcal | Carbohydrates: 113g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 106mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 88g | Vitamin A: 634IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2mg