Cranberry Christmas Cake

5 from 4 votes

This delicious 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!

Prep Time1

Cook Time1

Total Time2

Course: Cakes, Cakes and Cupcakes, Desserts

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 599kcal

Author: Natalie

Equipment

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

US Customary - Metric

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

Cranberry sauce: For extra flavor, add a cinnamon stick and some orange zest to the saucepan while the cranberry sauce cooks. You can also replace a little of the water for fresh orange juice.

Sugared cranberries: For added flavor, rub some orange zest into the sugar before rolling the cranberries in it.

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days. Serve at room temperature.

Cake size: Use 2 8-inch round cake pans instead of a 9x13 rectangular pan. Fill each pan with 2 cups of batter. Add the cranberry sauce to the remaining 1 cup of batter. Top each pan with 4 ice cream scoopfulls of cranberry cake batter. Spread the batter with an offset spatula. Swirl the batter with a knife. Smooth the tops with an offset spatula. Bake at 350 F for 31-34 minutes.

Nutrition