Our Team-Favorite Cranberry Christmas Cake Recipe is Perfect for a Holiday Brunch!
This cranberry Christmas cake recipe is all things merry and bright! ✨
Looking for a festive cake to bake this holiday season?
If you’re in the mood for an easy-to-bake holiday-themed dessert to share with your loved ones, check out this unique cranberry Christmas cake recipe! It’s become a Hip2Save team favorite over the years, and we’re hoping you’ll love it just as much as we do. If you have any leftover fresh cranberries from the holidays, this is a great way to use them.
The result is a sweet/tart cranberry orange holiday cake that you can cut up and serve into bars as a brunch treat or special dessert. The red and white color is beautiful and the texture is more like a quick bread. Plus, this one tastes sweet, but not overly sweet like some Christmas cakes.
Hooray for a simple to bake treat!
This cranberry Christmas cake is so easy and definitely suitable for those that don’t bake often or want to switch up from traditional cakes. With just six easy main ingredients, you’ll be able to whip it up in no time!
Drizzle the top with a simple orange glaze to take this sweet and tart treat to the next level.
Tips for baking the best cranberry Christmas cake:
- Although this recipe calls for fresh cranberries, frozen cranberries will work as well. I would let them thaw on the counter first so they will be easier to incorporate into the batter. If you’re not a cranberry fan, then blueberries would be a yummy alternative!
- The orange zest and juice are kind of optional but I love the flavor it adds to this cranberry holiday cake so much! I had tangerines on hand and used that instead of oranges and they worked great, too.
- The addition of white chocolate chips would be yummy. Using white chocolate and swapping the glaze for cream cheese frosting would result in a cake similar to Starbucks cranberry bliss bars! YUM.
Cranberry Christmas Cake
yield: 16 SERVINGS
prep time: 15 MINUTES
cook time: 40 MINUTES
total time: 55 MINUTES
Sweet and tart vanilla cake with a zesty orange glaze for a perfect holiday dessert.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 eggs
- 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 12 oz. fresh cranberries (2 cups)
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
Directions
1
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan.
2
In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, mix eggs with granulated sugar for about 5 minutes until the mixture gets fluffy and doubles in size.
3
Add butter and vanilla, and mix for another couple of minutes. Fold in the flour until combined and then fold in the cranberries.
4
Pour batter into the prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-43 minutes until lightly browned. The middle will be cooked through when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool.
5
For the Glaze:
Whisk powdered sugar with orange juice and orange zest until smooth. Drizzle it over the cake, and serve. YUM! This made 16 two-inch squares.
Additional Notes
Adapted from BarefootInTheKitchen.com.
My family LOVES this cranberry Christmas cake!
I think the texture is more like a muffin or coffee cake, and it is so delicious served with coffee. The glaze adds an awesome orange flavor. I like to cut up the squares and serve them on a tray with fresh rosemary and a few extra cranberries so the presentation is festive.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Check out what my teammate Bryn (Collin’s sister!) has to say about this recipe:
“This cake is the ultimate holiday treat! It tastes like Christmas and is perfect for breakfast, dessert, or anytime & anywhere in between! It has become one of our family favorite Christmas cakes that we make every year!”
Need a last-minute decor idea? Pick up some extra oranges for Pomander balls!
Looks divine! I’ll try it this year, thanks!
Enjoy and thanks Jackie!
This recipe looks absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing! – Love
Yay – thanks!
We do this with a sweet, not orange glaze….more like liquid sugar cookie frosting……very yummy!! Been a huge hit around the holidays for years 🙂 thanks for posting 🙂
Oh awesome! 👍
How do you make the sweet frosting? I don’t like orange too much. Thank you.
Use water or milk instead of juice.
Our recipe for the sauce is 1 C sugar, 1 pint whipping cream, some canned milk, 1 stick butter, 1 t vanilla
Combine all ingredients in a double boiler and melt over medium heat until thickened. We store the sauce (or glaze) separately in a jar in the fridge. 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Yum
Yummy, thanks for sharing..What kind of canned milk do you use?
This sounds yummy. How much canned milk do you use?
Does this recipe not need any baking soda or baking powder? thanks
No it’s interesting. If you beat the eggs and sugar for that long it gets super fluffy. Thanks
Made this a few weeks ago! Yummy and not overly sweet (without glaze)
Awesome – thanks Kay!
I think I’d try adding some white choc chips & cream cheese frosting to make it similar to Starbucks cranberry bars
Great idea!! Thanks sue 👍🏻
Yummm
That’s exactly what I was thinking……..Their cranberry bars are the best
Could you make this into muffins?
Yes
Can we freeze this if we have leftovers?
I haven’t made this, but I’ve frozen almost everything at one point or another. I’d probably try freezing without the glaze, though it probably wouldn’t matter. Just wrap well.
I haven’t tried but I’m sure you could. -thanks Aj!
Looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Great way to use those fresh cranberries that have been sitting in my freezer! 🙂
Emulvy2001, if you want a healthy, non-fattening use for those frozen berries, put a few of those extra frozen cranberries in (real) oatmeal, with the cooking water, along with some chopped fresh apples and walnuts for a very healthy breakfast! (Use old fashioned oats, not quick-cook!) Put a few them in smoothies with other fruit for a tart, nutritious burst!
Love your oatmeal idea!!
Yum! thanks Lina!
You made my heart sing when I saw this!! This has been a family tradition of our for over a hundred years! It’s so delicious!! 🙂
Really? That’s so neat. Thanks for sharing! I love hearing about traditions ❤️
This looks so good! We’ve recently had to go gluten free because my son was diagnosed with celiac disease. I usually make cranberry cake on Thanksgiving and Christmas morning. Just in case anyone else is GF I make the Pioneer Woman’s Cranberry “Pie” but substitute the all purpose flour with GF all purpose flour. It turned out great! I think because there’s less than a cup of flour a straight substitute works. https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/nantucket-cranberry-pie/
I made the this recipe today with gluten free, Cup4Cup, flour. Turned out great. Didn’t change the recipe at all, just the flour. Cup4Cup subs so great in all recipes I’ve made gluten free.
thanks
I’m so gonna make this! Thanks Lina! Quick question could I also try this with blueberries and just switch the orange to lemon????
Awesome idea!! – thanks Abby
I’m so trying that!
This looks delicious! I will be making this, for sure!
Enjoy Susan!
Could you do this is a bundt or loaf pan instead??
I would think so. If you click through on the original recipe we linked under title, people have been commenting they have baked in loaf pans. 👍
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving! Loved it! I followed this recipe exactly (with the exception of omitting orange zest) and it was so tasty. I will definitely be making this again!
Holy Crap! I’m just now seeing this! This is MY recipe that I’ve been making for years! The only difference is that I don’t do the glaze, but I add sliced almonds, chocolate chips, and almond extract to balance the tartness of the cranberries. I call mine a cranberry almond tart and bake it in a pie pan. It’s a great holiday dessert but also goes great with a cup of coffee in the morning!
Yum! Thanks for sharing Michelle! 😀
I make a similar recipe using almond extract and that is devine. I bet orange flavor is wonderful too.
Thank you so much for this recipe. Our couponing and frugality includes not wasting what we have. Every year our local grocery has fresh cranberries on a BOGO and every year I have a left over bag. Now I have a great recipe to use those cranberries!
Yes! Enjoy. 👍
Someone made this for work today and it was WONDERFUL
How awesome – thanks for sharing!
My daughter requested a cranberry cake for her birthday cake in March this year. I made this after hearing about it. I think this is a new staple in our house! It is so good!
Yay! That’s so great – thanks for sharing ❤️
Yum! Dessert one night-breakfast next morning-love it!
This looks amazing!!! I love anything cranberry. FYI fresh ocean spray cranberries are .99 at my Aldi – but almost triple that price at Kroger. I grabbed a few extra for my freezer and this will be a perfect use for them later in the winter! Thank you 💝
My Aldi’s had OS fresh cranberries for $.59! And they were super fresh and firm still. ☺
This looks delicious I can’t wait to try this I live cranberries. I have made quite a few of Justapinch recipes and they are awesome. Thanks for another great dish happy Turkey day.
Yes -Happy Thanksgiving!
Can’t wait to try this! I make desserts once a month for community meals that goes out to the shut-ins. Always looking for something new and easy.
How nice of you! Enjoy 😉
This looks yummy, thanks so much for the recipe, I’ll be trying this for sure.
Happy Thanksgiving
Great! Enjoy this, and Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Looks delicious, Lina! Could you make this with Craisins?
I’m sure you could – maybe consider lowering sugar as those are sweetened. Thanks so much!
Has anyone used a springform pan for this recipe?
Although I’ve made countless fruit cakes, this was my first attempt at an authentic Christmas cake and I now wonder why I hadn’t made one before! I followed the recipe exactly and stored it as prescribed for a month before unwrapping. It is a resounding success – moist, fruity and rich. I used rum instead of brandy and next time I might try port and soak the fruit overnight. But still, no complaints. It makes a generous sized cake. Many thumbs up!
Just made your cake last night!! It is a keeper!
The drizzle on top adds an elegance😊😊
YAY!! That makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing <3
I’ve made this for years and we love it, but have always used almond rather than vanilla extract. So good 🙂
Oh yum! Thanks for sharing 🥰
This looks great! I will add it to my Christmas morning menu!
Oh yum! Enjoy and Merry Christmas! 🎄
Hi Lina, My husband and I made this tonight and it is amazingly delicious!🍊🍊 We added some orange zest to the cake batter as well as the glaze. This is definitely going to be more than a yearly tradition. We have a friend who works in the Cranberry Bogs in Wisconsin so we can get fresh cranberries year round. Thank you for another big hit!!😁🍊
Oh I am so glad! That is neat! Merry Christmas MaryKay, thanks for sharing your success.
I’ve been making this for years, since I first saw it posted on your site. People love it! I omit the glaze and it is still delicious since the cake is so sweet. People have started calling it “Jen’s Cranberry Cake”. 🙂
Ohhhh love this! Merry Christmas Jen!
Whoaaa that’s awesome! It looks so elegant definitely trying this. Thank you
Yay! You’ll love it 🥰
This is an incredible recipe. Made them into cupcakes this year. 350 on convection for 20-22 minutes. Fill the cupcake liner 1/2 full to 2/3 full.
Thanks for that info!
I made this last year when this was posted. This is very good. Everyone loved it. This is such a nice recipe and easy to make and really delicious. I had planned to search for the recipe to make again but here it is. Thanks for posting.
I am so glad! Yay! Merry Christmas 🎄💕
I’ve also made this every year since its original post. Instead of the orange glaze I make a basic butter/confectionary sugar/milk glaze but add almond extract. It makes the cranberries taste like cherries. Always a hit. And it does freeze beautifully even with the frosting.
Ohhh love that idea, YUM. Thanks Jill!
Since Lina posted this a few years back, I’ve been making it for Christmas 🎄 Easter 🐰✝️ and in the fall when cranberries come fresh from the Bogs in Wisconsin. It’s super easy to make and super delicious 😋 Thank you Lina!🥰🥰
Oh that’s so fun to hear that this is a fav. Merry Christmas MaryKay!
Do you add the orange glaze out of the oven, when cake is almost cool, or completely cooled? Thanks! Not a baker, but just made this for Christmas this year!
I think you can do either! I usually let it cool for a bit though. Enjoy and Merry Christmas Katie!
Oooh that looks good.
Do you refrigerate the leftover portion, or leave it out?
You can do either. My preference would be to refrigerate because I like cold cake.