Easy Cranberry Cake

I have a similar cake to this already on the blog, cranberry upside-down cake. I’ve made that cake a number of times, and it is delicious, but when I saw this other recipe for something similar but easier to make (including melted butter rather than creamed), I thought I’d give it a try. I served it for guests the other night and it was a big hit! The taste/texture of the two cakes is very similar, so I think I’ll be making this version from now on :-)  See note at bottom for an explanation of a couple of changes I made to the recipe. 

EASY CRANBERRY CAKE

adapted from the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for Easy Cranberry & Apple Cake

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/easy-cranberry-apple-cake (includes a photo)

serves 8

 

12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over for stems

1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tablespoon grated orange zest (1-2 oranges)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1-1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (I used 2 large eggs and some white from a 3rd egg)

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

NB: There is no baking powder or baking soda in the recipe, but don't worry, it comes out fine!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9” square glass baking dish with Pam or other oil.

Combine the cranberries, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the butter, vanilla, and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.

Pour the cranberry mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Pour/spoon the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter. 

Bake for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. (I haven’t checked bake time yet using a 9” square pan.)

Serve warm or at room temperature. Note: When I opened the oven, I thought I had come close to burning the cake, because the top was quite dark. But it turns out that color was from the cinnamon/sugar topping, which gets baked into a thin layer of batter that remains at the top. The rest of the batter sinks to the bottom during baking, while the cranberries float up. I was surprised! You can see a photo of the finished cake at the link to the original recipe, above.

Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired, but also delicious without. I thought it was even better the next day.

Changes I made to the recipe:

The original includes a chopped apple along with the cranberries. I forgot to put in the apple, but the cake was delicious anyway, and I actually think it’s better not to dilute the focus on cranberries. So I’ve written up the recipe without apple; if you’d like to try it with, see the original recipe for details.

 

The original specified a 10” glass pie plate, which I had on hand. Even without the apples, the plate was filled to the top, and juice from the cranberries bubbled out onto the floor of my oven. To avoid any danger of overflow, I’ve changed the vessel to a 9” square glass baking dish, which I think will do a better job of containing everything; baking time might need to be adjusted a bit. If you have a 10” deep-dish pie plate, I think that would also do well.