Tart fresh cranberries and sweet buttery cake are perfectly combined in this popular Christmas dessert!
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT45M
Total time: PT65M
Rating
4.88 stars (1203 reviews)
Keywords
Cranberry Cake
Ingredients
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour * (see note below for gluten-free alternative)
12 oz fresh cranberries
Categories
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Steps
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.
Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.
Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan. (This pan is my favorite!) Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. (I baked mine for 43 minutes.)
Let cool completely before cutting into small slices. I cut mine into fairly small pieces, about 1"x2", so that they could be easily eaten at a party. Enjoy!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 252 kcal
Carbohydrates: 39 g
Protein: 2 g
Fat: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 53 mg
Sodium: 88 mg
Sugar: 25 g
Reviews
Danielle on 2026-02-17 (5 stars): Works beautifully with freshly milled soft white wheat berries! Sub 2 cups all-purpose for 320g (160g/cup) grains milled directly into bowl when recipe calls for flour. We adore this recipe and are thankful to you for sharing it with us! Blessings!
RAD on 2026-01-29 (5 stars): We first tried this recipe in 2020 for Thanksgiving. It has since become a Thanksgiving and Christmas staple and a birthday request as well. Such a lovely simple recipe.
Tina W on 2026-01-18 (5 stars): LOVE LOVE this cake but believe the instructions when it says frozen berries freeze up the batter. The butter seizes like no ones business. I'll remember to let them fully thaw next time! I also top with Turbinado sugar before baking for a crunchy top.
Nancd on 2026-01-16 (5 stars): This cake is easy to make ...when I'm busy around the holidays, it's my go to.
and everyone loves it...It's so moist, buttery, exactly what a cake should taste like...
Deborah Rawls on 2026-01-10 (5 stars): I reduced the serving size to 9 and baked it in a 8 inch square baking dish for 30 minutes. Turned out perfectly. BTW I added a sprinkling of chopped pecans and a little orange zest.
