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Cranberry Sheet Cake Recipe

My Cranberry Cake combines cranberries’ tartness with a fluffy cake’s sweetness. The holidays are a great time to make a cranberry Christmas cake, as cranberries are in season, and the red color is perfectly matching the Christmas theme. 🙂 You don’t need any special ingredients or skills to bake a beautiful cake. Just follow this recipe and enjoy.

What cranberries to use

You can make my cranberry cake with fresh, dried or frozen cranberries. While fresh cranberries remain a little crunchy, frozen cranberries melt more in the batter. If you use frozen cranberries, defrost them before use.

It is recommended to soak dried cranberries in water or another liquid before baking, as this can help them soften and plump up. However, it is not absolutely necessary. If you choose to soak the cranberries, drain them thoroughly so they don’t add excess moisture to your cake batter.

Ingredients need for the recipe: Cranberries, sugar, flour, pecans, orange zest, eggs, butter, vanilla.
The ingredients needed.

What to serve with Cranberry Cake?

If you’re looking to make this Cranberry Cake a little extra special, consider these extras when serving the cake.

  • Whipped cream is the best-tasting and most festive way to top off your Cranberry Cake.
  • For a cool and creamy combination, serve a scoop of ice cream alongside your warm cake. Use any flavor that you like, for example, vanilla ice cream, or horchata ice cream.
  • For a more fruity touch, serve with fresh berries, or extra cranberry jam.
cranberry-cake-steps

Do cranberries need to be cooked before baking?

Nope. We are adding in washed, whole cranberries to the cake batter. If we were to precook them, the cake would be an all-over pink color instead of red pops of color. While baking, the cranberries soften and almost melt into the cake. Of course, you could make a cranberry sauce and layer it.

cranberry-sheet-cake-closeup

How to Store

If you have leftovers after your holiday celebrations, it’s important to store the cake properly so that it stays fresh and delicious. It would be best if you keep your cake in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge, depending on how long you want it to last.

You can also wrap the cake in plastic wrap to help keep it fresh and prevent it from drying out. And, of course, make sure you store your cranberry Christmas cake away from any high-heat sources, such as the stove or a window sill with direct sunlight.

Also try Cranberry Orange Cheesecake, or Cranberry Apple Pie.

cranberry-cake-holiday-recipe
Cranberry Sheet Cake
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This easy Cranberry Cake is a true holiday classic. The flavors are perfect and are made with fresh cranberries, pecans, and orange zest.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Cake
Cuisine American
Servings 24 slices
Calories 231 kcal

Ingredients 

  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened 1.5 sticks
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ cups fresh cranberries
  • cup pecans chopped

Serve with

  • Whip cream
  • Cranberries
  • Pecans

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350° F (170° C).
  • Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl beat together eggs and sugar until slightly thick and eggs are darker lemon color, about 4–5 minutes.
  • Add soft butter, extract and orange zest and beat just until combined.
  • Gradually add flour just until combined. Stir in cranberries and pecans.
  • Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
  • Serve room temperature or warm with whipped cream, cranberries, and pecans if you like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 21mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Recipe Video

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Author: Susan Queck


Images, text and all other content Copyrighted©Karyn Granrud, Susanne Queck and Wunderlander Verlag LLC, or ©Pro Stock Media via Canva.com. Unlicensed republishing permitted. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn on qualified purchases.

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Susan Queck

Susan Queck

I'm Suzy, the baker and dessert maker behind this blog. Baking is my lifelong passion, where I find the magic in transforming basic ingredients into delectable works of art. Join me in my sweet journey of culinary exploration and celebration! More about me.

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