Moist Cranberry Cake with Tart Berries (Print version)

A moist, tender cake loaded with tart cranberries and finished with a sweet buttery crumb and optional orange zest topping.

# What you'll need:

→ For the Cake

01 -
02 -
03 -
04 -
05 -
06 -
07 -
08 -
09 -
10 -
11 -

→ For the Topping

12 -
13 -

# How to make it:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round or square cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
03 - In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
04 - Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
05 - Stir in the sour cream until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
06 - Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
07 - Gently fold in the cranberries with a spatula until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
08 - Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and orange zest if using.
09 - Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10 - Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

# Expert suggestions:

01 -
  • The tart cranberries burst in your mouth while the tender cake balances every bite with sweetness
  • It comes together in under twenty minutes but tastes like you spent all afternoon baking
  • The optional sugar and orange zest topping creates this gorgeous crackly crust that people cant stop talking about
02 -
  • Frozen cranberries sink to the bottom so toss them in a tablespoon of flour before folding them in
  • Overmixing after adding flour makes tough cake so stop as soon as you dont see dry streaks
  • The toothpick test should come out with a few moist crumbs not completely wet or completely dry
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients combine more easily so take everything out an hour before baking
  • Let the cake cool completely before slicing or it will crumble and lose those perfect pieces

Go back