Cranberry Christmas Cake is a festive vanilla 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 cranberry Christmas cake recipe is one of my favorite Christmas desserts! I love making showstopping cakes, but sometimes I can’t be bothered to make a full layer cake. This single layer cranberry cake is the perfect solution.
You can just bake a quick cranberry sauce on top and spread some frosting on top. It’s simple but also a crowd pleaser!
Cranberries are a small, tart fruit. They add tangy fresh flavor and a beautiful crimson color to desserts like my Orange Cranberry Pound Cake, Cranberry Almond Ricotta Cake, and Cranberry White Chocolate Scones!
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Why We Love This Recipe
- It’s a flavorful cake with homemade cranberry sauce, cranberry cream cheese frosting and sugared cranberries!
- It is festive and delicious like this pomegranate sponge cake!
- This Christmas cranberry cake is a single layer cake like this spice banana cake. It feeds at least 16 and is perfect for a crowd!
- Tart cranberry sauce and tangy cream cheese frosting balance out the sweet vanilla cake! Cranberry fans will also love this cranberry tart recipe!
Ingredients
Below is some useful information about some of the ingredients.
- Flour: I recommend cake flour for a nice tender texture. You can also use all purpose flour.
- Butter and oil: We’re using a combination of butter and oil. This makes the cake moist and delicious. Use unsalted, room temperature butter. For the oil, use either vegetable or canola oil.
- Eggs: 3 large, room temperature eggs.
- Milk and sour cream: Use both full fat room temperature milk and full fat room temperature sour cream. If you have leftover sour cream, you can make my mixed berry cake.
- Cranberries: Use fresh cranberries for the cranberry sauce and the (optional) sugared cranberries. You’ll taste cranberries in every bite just like these white chocolate and cranberry cookies and lemon cranberry bars!
- Cream cheese: Full fat, brick style, room temperature cream cheese makes the frosting tangy and creamy.
- Orange blossom water (optional): Orange blossom water adds a subtle hint of extra citrusy, floral flavor.
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.
Step Two (Photo 2 above): Mix the butter, sugar, and orange zest 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. See the notes section below the recipe for instructions of how to make this in two 8 inch cake pans.
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. Swirl a knife through the batter. Bake for 28-32 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Step Seven (Photo 7 above): Make the frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese with cream cheese til combined. Mix in the powdered sugar 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 and top with sugared cranberries.
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
- 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.
More Holiday Recipes You’ll Love
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Cranberry Christmas Cake
Ingredients
Cranberry Sauce
- ⅓ cup (78.86 ml) water
- 3 cups (300 g) cranberries fresh
- ⅔ cup (133.33 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons (1½ tablespoon) cornstarch
Cranberry Cake
- 2½ cups (312.5 g) flour use all-purpose or cake flour
- 1½ teaspoons (1½ teaspoons) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoons (½ teaspoons) salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup (118.29 ml) vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons (1½ tablespoons) orange zest
- 3 (3) large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water optional
- ¼ cup (57.5 g) sour cream plain whole fat yogurt, room temperature
- ½ cup (118.29 ml) whole milk room temperature
Sugared Cranberries (optional)
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) water
- 1 cup (200 g) cranberries fresh, washed
- 1 cup (300 g) granulated sugar divided
Cranberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese full fat, brick style, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup (¼ cup) cranberry sauce reserved from cake mixture
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon (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!
Aubrey
This cake pares great with a hot cup of chai tea and friends. 🙂
Natalie
I couldn’t agree more, Aubrey! Thanks for giving this recipe a try and for your review! 🩷
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