Cranberry Christmas Cake

The holidays are a time for sweetness and simplicity, and this cranberry Christmas cake is an ideal dessert for the season. It’s mixed up in a single bowl and studded with scarlet, tangy cranberries.

Dress it up with whipped cream, drizzle it with your favorite sauce or serve it as is for an almost effortless after-dinner treat or a little something sweet with coffee in the afternoon.

If you make this recipe and have leftover cranberries, we have a collection of sweet and savory cranberry recipes for you to try next.

Ingredients for Cranberry Christmas Cake

Ruthie Darling for Taste Recipes

• Eggs: Large eggs bind the cake together, and using room temperature eggs lets them beat up fluffier.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake and balances the tart cranberries.
• Butter: Softened butter adds richness to the batter.
• Almond extract: We love to use almond extract when baking with berries. Just a little adds flavor and aroma to this simple cake.
• Flour: All-purpose flour is gently stirred in until just combined. Just like with muffins, if you stir the flour in too vigorously, the cake won’t have a tender crumb.
• Cranberries: Fresh or frozen cranberries work in this cake. The tart berries will burst open while baking, adding swirls of color and bright flavor.
• Pecans: Chopped pecans add a little crunch.
• Whipped cream and more cranberries (optional): If you want, serve each piece with a dollop of whipped cream and an additional cranberry.

Directions

Step 1: Make the batter

Ruthie Darling for Taste Recipes

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until they’re slightly thickened and light yellow, about five minutes. Add the butter and almond extract, and beat for an additional two minutes. Gently stir in the flour until just combined. Fold in the cranberries and pecans. (The batter will be thick.)

Step 2: Bake and serve

Ruthie Darling for Taste Recipes

Spread the batter in a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Slice the cake into squares, and if desired, serve each piece with whipped cream and an additional cranberry on top.

Ruthie Darling for Taste Recipes

Cranberry Christmas Cake Variations

• Fancy toppings: This cake is simple and delicious, but if you want to dazzle your guests, try a flavored whipped cream, like this bourbon-spiked whipped cream, or drizzle the cake with a salted caramel sauce or a sweet, old-fashioned hard sauce.
• Add a little orange: Cranberries and orange are a complementary match. Try folding a tablespoon of orange zest into the batter.
• Swap the berries or nuts: While cranberries make this a winter holiday cake, it’s too good to only make one time of year. Trade the cranberries for blueberries and fold in a tablespoon of lemon zest for a summer afternoon snack cake. The nuts can be eliminated, or try chopped almonds, walnuts or pistachios.

How to Store Cranberry Christmas Cake

When completely cooled, this easy cake can be stored covered at room temperature for two to three days.

Can you freeze this Christmas cake with cranberries?

This cake freezes well up to three months if properly stored. The key is wrapping it well to prevent freezer burn. Try wrapping with plastic wrap and then a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Thaw at room temperature.

Cranberry Christmas Cake Tips

Ruthie Darling for Taste Recipes

How do you make cake easier to cut and serve?

With any cake made in a square or rectangular pan, try lining the pan with lightly greased parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on the ends to use as handles. Once the cake is cooled, run a knife around the edge of any cake that is in direct contact with the pan, and lift the entire cake out of the pan for easy cutting and serving.

What’s the best way to thaw cranberries?

This recipe calls for fresh or thawed frozen cranberries. You can let cranberries thaw in the refrigerator overnight, but if you don’t have time, take them out of the freezer as soon as you can and let them sit on the counter while you’re preparing the cake. If they aren’t completely thawed, the recipe will still work.

Can you make this Christmas cranberry cake in a different pan?

If you’d like to give this away as gifts or serve it differently, try two 9-inch round cake pans or a muffin pan with liners (the batter will make about two dozen muffins). You’ll need to adjust the cooking time for smaller dishes, so start checking for doneness at 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the center clean.