Julie Clark
Posted:
Orange Cranberry Cake
May contain affiliate links. Terms of Use Policy.
Our viral berry cake got a Christmas makeover! Orange cranberry cake mixes up in one bowl and is ready for the oven in 10 minutes.
Fresh cranberries, fresh orange juice and orange zest gives this cranberry dessert a Christmas look and flavor. Sour cream keeps the cake extra moist, and the sugar sprinkled on top before baking gives the most delicious “sugar shell” top, just like our apple cinnamon cake and peach blueberry cake.
This Christmas cake has an irresistibly crackly sugar crunch.
As soon as fresh cranberries hit the store shelves in November, I’m throwing several bags in my cart. Cranberry orange bread, cranberry orange jello, cranberry sauce and cranberry relish are just a few of my favorites to kick off the holiday season.
After my round fruit cakes went viral on Instagram this past summer, I couldn’t wait to make a Christmas cake using cranberries and oranges, with that same simple cake batter you know and love.
This cranberry orange cake is very cranberry forward. The orange is a secondary flavor. If you’d like more orange flavor, whisk together a few tablespoons of orange juice, orange zest and powdered sugar to make a glaze to drizzle over the top. It’s excellent alongside a cup of TikTok coffee.
This cranberry cake would make a great gift! Gift it with a bottle of homemade vanilla or our chocolate chip cranberry cookies.
Enjoy! -Julie
Ingredients in Orange Cranberry Cake
Fresh cranberries are great in this recipe, but you may also use frozen. If you choose frozen, let them thaw and drain first. Don’t use dried cranberries in this orange cranberry cake. Save those for our cranberry orange muffins.
Orange Cranberry Cake
Our viral berry cake got a Christmas makeover! Orange cranberry cake mixes up in one bowl and is ready for the oven in 10 minutes.
Servings 8
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar divided
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- 2 cups fresh cranberries coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan (or springform pan) with cooking spray and set aside. If you'd like to completely remove the whole cake from the pan to serve, line the cake pan with parchment paper before adding the cake batter.)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a large bowl and hand mixer), whip together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar (the other ¼ will go on top) until pale and fluffy, about five minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Beat in the orange juice and zest.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing just until combined after each addition.
- Gently fold in the coarsely chopped cranberries to the cake batter using a rubber spatula. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of sugar evenly over the top of the cake batter.
- Bake 35-40 minutes, until the top is crackly and lightly browned and the center still jiggles just a bit. A toothpick inserted in the center will have moist crumbs.
- Let the cake cool completely in the pan and then serve.
Notes
- If you use a smaller pan, it may take longer to bake!
- Also, using low fat/fat free sour cream or yogurt may require a longer baking time.
- Storage Instructions: If you plan to eat the cake within 1-2 days, you can store it at room temperature. Cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container to keep it moist and prevent it from drying out. For longer storage, place the cake in an airtight container and refrigerate it. The cake will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
- The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
How to Make Orange Cranberry Cake: Step by Step
Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a large bowl and hand mixer), whip together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar (the other ¼ will go on top) until pale and fluffy, about five minutes.
Add the remaining wet ingredients. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Beat in the orange juice and zest.
Dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing just until combined after each addition.
Add berries. Gently fold in the coarsely chopped cranberries to the cake batter using a rubber spatula. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of sugar evenly over the top of the cake batter.
Bake. Bake the orange cranberry cake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is crackly and lightly browned. It’s ok if the center still jiggles just a bit.
