Description
This Cranberry Christmas Cake is a festive, moist, and flavorful dessert perfect for holiday celebrations. Bursting with fresh cranberries and brightened with orange zest and almond extract, it offers a delightful balance of tart and sweet. Easy to make in a 13x9 baking dish, it’s a crowd-pleasing seasonal treat that’s great for breakfast, dessert, or holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 orange zested (about 2 teaspoons loose zest)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Set your oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a 13x9 inch baking dish by spraying it with baking spray or applying homemade cake release. Set aside for now.
- Beat sugar and eggs. In a mixing bowl, beat the granulated sugar with eggs for 5 minutes until the mixture doubles in size and becomes fluffy.
- Add flavorings and butter. Mix in the softened butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and orange zest, beating for an additional 2 to 3 minutes to fully incorporate.
- Add dry ingredients. Carefully add the all-purpose flour and kosher salt to the wet mixture, stirring just until combined to avoid overmixing.
- Fold in cranberries. Gently fold the fresh cranberries into the batter so they are distributed evenly without breaking them.
- Bake the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and place it in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Cool before serving. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Prepare the baking pan by spraying with baking spray or using a homemade cake release to prevent sticking.
- Zesting an orange is best done with a handheld grater or zesting tool, being careful to avoid the bitter white pith beneath the peel.
- This cake stores well at room temperature covered for up to 5 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- For a festive breakfast, serve slices with hot chocolate or eggnog.
- See the blog post for additional recipe tips and tricks to perfect your cake.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
