Cranberry Orange Cake

Cranberry Orange Cake is made with a fresh cranberries, oranges, and a delicious cream cheese frosting. Sugared cranberries top this beautiful and easy to make cake that’s perfect for the holidays!

This cranberry cake recipe is the perfect combination of slightly tart and sweet. Here, fresh cranberries and oranges are the star and play the perfect role in this holiday classic.

For another delicious cranberry cake recipe, be sure to try this Cranberry Ricotta Cake. And, if you need to up those leftover cranberries, bake them into some Cranberry Orange Muffins!

Why You’ll Love this Cake!

Cranberry Orange Cake is a great dessert to have on hand for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or really anytime you have access to fresh cranberries. Or, if you have cranberries in the freezer, this cake is the perfect reason to pull them out.

This delicious cakes gets topped off with a simple cream cheese frosting that’s flavored with orange zest and orange juice. Frosting is a breeze for this cake. Go for the “naked” look and keep the decorating simple.

Lastly, top this cake off with beautiful sugared cranberries. This is an optional step, but adds a gorgeous effect to the cake. Plus, they are fun to eat!

Try this Cranberry Orange Spice Cake for your next get together. Read below for my best tips and tricks for this delicious recipe.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Cake

This cake comes together in minutes and stays moist for days! To start, you will need two 9-inch cake pans (8-inch work too, just bake a bit longer). Coat the cake pans with cooking spray and line bottoms with parchment rounds.

Firstly, whisk together the dry ingredients. Here, I use a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg to give the cake a warming flavor. These spices really bring out the flavors of the cake and gives it extra depth.

Secondly, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar. For this I like to use my handheld mixer, but you could use a stand up mixer as well. Next, add the eggs, vanilla, milk, orange juice, and zest. Mix to combine then add in the dry ingredients and cranberries.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Bake slightly longer if using 8-inch cake pans. Cool completely before frosting.

When ready to frost, just remove and let sit at room temperature or refrigerate overnight.

Cream Cheese Frosting

This simple and delicious orange cream cheese frosting is the perfect way to top off your Cranberry Orange Spice Cake. You can make the frosting a day ahead and refrigerate until ready to use.

Firstly, don’t be deterred by the “orange” in this frosting title. Really it is just orange-scented frosting, meaning that the orange flavor plays a small role. This is a traditional cream cheese frosting, with only two tablespoons or orange juice and some zest added for flavor.

The key to making this smooth frosting is to start with room temperature butter and cream cheese. Beat these together and add in the powdered sugar, orange juice, and zest.

I use a similar recipe frosting recipe for my Limoncello Ricotta Cake, just switching up the flavors. This recipe yields a perfect frosting consistency every time and is always a hit with guests.

Frosting the Cranberry Orange Cake

My go-to technique for frosting cakes is creating a “naked” cake. What this means is that you scrape off some of the frosting on the sides of the cake to showcase the layers. I find that this simple method of frosting a cake gives a more relaxed and rustic vibe.

Step 1: Firstly, place the bottom layer of your cooled cake on a cake turntable. You can use a cake pedestal for this as well. Apply about a cup of icing to the top and spread around.

Step 2: Next, add the second layer of cooled cake on top.

Step 3: Scoop the remaining frosting on the top of the cake and use a spatula to spread around the top and sides of the cake. Lastly, use a bench scraper to scrape the sides of the cake while rotating the cake on the turntable.

Step 4: Transfer any remaining frosting to the top of the cake while using a butter knife to create a swirl effect. This simple way of frosting a cake is one of my favorites! I use the same technique with my Apple Spice Cake, another delicious holiday dessert.

Use two spatulas to carefully transfer the cake to your cake pedestal or serving plate.

Sugared Cranberry Topping

The final and optional step for this recipe is to make a sugared cranberry topping. While this may appear daunting, it is actually a simple process and can be done while the cake cools.

Firstly, you need to make a simple syrup. Simply bring equal amounts of sugar and water to a simmer. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and shut off the heat. Add in the cranberries and stir to coat with the simple syrup.

Next, remove the cranberries with a slotted spoon to a cooling rack or plate for about 5 to 10 minutes. Working in small batches, toss the cranberries in a mixture of sugar and orange zest.

Use the sugared cranberries to decorate the top of the Cranberry Orange Cake. You can spread them evenly overtop, or gather them the center of the cake.

Recipe Tips and FAQs

• Before adding the cranberries to the batter, it’s a good idea to toss them in about a teaspoon of flour so they don’t sink to the bottom of the pans.
• This recipe calls for orange zest and/or juice in every step. In total, you will need two large oranges to make this recipe. I like to start by zesting both oranges and then juicing them. That way, they are ready to go when I need them. For the oranges, I always use a microplane to remove the zest, then move on to a hand juicer to get the juice out.
• You can make the cake layers up to a month in advance and freeze them in an airtight container. First, wrap the cake rounds in parchment, then again in plastic wrap. Store in an airtight container, like a ziplock bag, and keep in a place in the freezer will they will be undisturbed.

Holiday Cake Recipes