Cranberry Cake
This easy cranberry cake is bursting all over with holiday flavors. It's perfect for potlucks, snacks, dessert, and even breakfast. So easy and festive!
Servings: 20 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, slightly softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 cup Greek vanilla yogurt, whole
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups cranberries, fresh, whole
- coarse sugar, sparkling sugar, for topping
Optional Simple Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, with rack on lower middle position. Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar, beating until smooth.
- Beat in the eggs, scraping the bowl as needed; beat until smooth. Beat in the yogurt, almond extract, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and both flours. The mixture will be quite thick; use a wooden spoon to stir in the fresh cranberries.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle top with a thin layer of coarse sugar.
- Bake about 40 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean, with a few fine tender crumbs attached.
- Sprinkle on more coarse sugar to garnish, if desired. Let cool before cutting and serving.
- For Optional Simple Icing: In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk until smooth and thick enough to drizzle. If needed, add 1 teaspoon of milk at a time, just until icing is of desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake and let set for 15 minutes.
Notes
- This cake keeps well and actually tastes better and becomes moister after it's completely cooled.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Softened butter and room temp eggs help the batter mix evenly for a smooth, tender crumb.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Once you add the flour, mix just until combined to keep the cake light and soft.
- Fold in cranberries gently. Stir them in by hand so they stay whole and don’t bleed too much color into the batter.
- Use fresh or frozen cranberries. If using frozen, add them straight from the freezer without thawing to prevent excess moisture.
- Sprinkle sugar before baking. A light layer of coarse or sparkling sugar gives the cake a crisp, golden top.
- Check for doneness early. Start testing around 35 minutes since oven times vary; the cake should be set with a few tender crumbs on the tester.
- Cool completely before icing. The drizzle will set nicely and won’t melt into the cake.
- This recipe is part of our Cake and Cupcake Recipes Collection.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 181IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg