Cranberry Christmas Cake is a moist sheet cake swirled with homemade cranberry sauce. It’s frosted with luscious cranberry cream cheese frosting and topped with sugared cranberries!
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This stunning Cranberry Christmas Cake is a moist vanilla sheet cake with cranberry sauce swirled on top. It’s topped with cranberry cream cheese frosting. Everyone loves this festive holiday recipe!
Cranberries are a small, tart, deep red colored fruit. I love the tart, fresh flavor cranberries add to desserts!
If you’re also a big cranberry fan, try my Orange Cranberry Pound Cake, Cranberry Almond Ricotta Cake, and Cranberry White Chocolate Scones!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Cranberries give this Christmas cranberry cake recipe a fresh, seasonal look and taste just like my festive pomegranate cake!
- The sauce is tart and luscious. For another yummy recipe, try my Cranberry Curd Tart
- Fresh cranberry sauce is added to part of the batter and the frosting. It adds a gorgeous color and lots of fresh flavor.
- Sugared cranberries are optional. They make the prettiest and most delicious deoration.
Ingredients
Below is some useful information about some of the ingredients for this cranberry Christmas cake recipe.
- Flour: Cake flour gives the cake a nice tender texture. All purpose flour can also be used.
- Butter: Unsalted, room temperature butter.
- Oil: Vegetable or canola oil.
- Eggs: 3 large, room temperature eggs.
- Sour cream: Whole fat room temperature sour cream. If you have leftover sour cream, try my mixed berry cake.
- Milk: Whole fat room temperature milk.
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries are used for cranberry sauce and the (optional) sugared cranberries. The sauce gets swirled into the cake batter and stirred into the frosting. For another yummy cranberry recipe, check out these white chocolate and cranberry cookies.
- Orange blossom water: Orange blossom water is optional. I like to add a teaspoon or so for a hint of extra citrus, floral flavor.
- Cream cheese: Full fat, brick style, room temperature cream cheese makes the frosting tangy and creamy.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients.
Substitutions & Variations
- Instead of sour cream, use plain whole fat yogurt.
- Additional room temperature unsalted butter can be used in place of the oil.
Instructions
Step One (Photo 1 above): Bring the water, orange juice, and sugar to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add cranberries and cornstarch. Simmer for 6-8 minutes. Stir til thickened. Set aside to cool.
Step Two (Photo 2 above): Beat the butter, sugar, and orange zest with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the oil and beat an additional minute. Mix in the vanilla and orange blossom water (if using) and the eggs one at a time.
Step Three (Photo 3 above): Combine the milk and sour cream in a small bowl. Alternatively add the milk mixture and dry ingredients til just combined.
Step Four (Photo 4 above): Pour 2/3 of the batter into a greased 9 by 13 inch rectangular pan lined with parchment paper.
Step Five (Photo 5 above) Stir to combine all but 1/4 cup of the cranberry sauce to the rest of the cake batter.
Step Six (Photo 6 above): Spoon the cranberry batter over the cake batter in the pan. Run a knife or skewer through the batter in a swirling motion. Drag the knife side to side from the top to the bottom of the pan.Bake for 28-32 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Step Seven (Photo 7 above): Make the frosting. Beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer cream cheese til combined. Add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the cranberry sauce, vanilla and salt and mix until completely combined.
Step Eight (Photo 8 above): Frost the cake. Top with sugared cranberries if desired.
Recipe FAQs
Sugared cranberries are cranberries that have been steeped in a hot simple syrup and coated in sugar. They are tart and sweet at the same time.
Store this cranberry orange Christmas cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days. Serve cake at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- For a light and tender cake, don’t overmix the cake batter. Mix til just combined.
- Make sure your cream cheese and butter are softened to room temperature before making the frosting. This will prevent lumps.
- Make the frosting while the cake cools. Place frosting in the fridge to firm up a bit while the cake cools.
- I recommend making extra sugared cranberries for snacking! They’re also yummy addition to charcuterie boards.
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Cranberry Christmas Cake
Ingredients
Cranberry Sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 cups cranberries fresh
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
Cranberry Cake
- 2½ cups flour use all-purpose or cake flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons orange zest
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water optional
- ¼ cup sour cream plain whole fat yogurt, room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature
Sugared Cranberries (optional)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup cranberries fresh, washed
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided
Cranberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese full fat, brick style, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup cranberry sauce reserved from cake mixture
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cranberry Sauce
- Place the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cranberries and cornstarch and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Stir constantly until thickened. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the cake batter.
Cranberry Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9X13 inch pan with baking spray or grease with butter. Line it with parchment paper leaving an overhand on the two longer sides to make it easier to remove once baked.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar and orange zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar. (Instead of your fingers, you can use mixer to combine). This helps to bring out the orange flavor.
- Add the butter to the sugar and beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes. Add the oil and beat on medium high speed for 1 minute. Mix in the vanilla and orange blossom water (if using) and the eggs one at a time.
- Combine the milk and sour cream in a small bowl. Alternatively add the milk mixture and dry ingredients til just combined.
- Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Leave the remainder of the batter in the mixing bowl. Stir to combine all but 1/4 cup of the cranberry sauce to the rest of the cake batter.
- Spoon the cranberry batter over the cake batter in the pan. Run a knife or skewer through the batter in a swirling motion. Drag the knife side to side from the top to the bottom of the pan.Bake for 28-32 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack. Allow cake to cool completely in the pan.
Sugared Cranberries (optional)
- Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water over medium heat. Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat 3 minutes.
- Stir in cranberries to coat them well. Remove pot from heat. Leave cranberries in the sugar syrup for 1 minute.
- Remove cranberries from the syrup using a slotted spoon. Place cranberries on the wire rack. Allow cranberries to dry for 1 hour.
- Roll the cranberries in the remaining sugar to coat. Place back on cooling rack to continue to dry until you're ready to use them.
Cranberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make the frosting. Beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer cream cheese til combined. Add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the cranberry sauce, vanilla and salt and mix until completely combined.
- Refrigerate frosting for at least 30 minutes. Frost cake before serving. Top with sugared cranberries, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
*This site contains affiliate links which means that I may receive commissions for purchases made through these links. Please know I only link to products that I use and can recommend based on my experience!
Barbara Ward
A Holiday Masterpiece!
Natalie
Thank you so much for the nicest compliment! It sure is a stunning and special holiday cake!! XO Natalie