If you’re searching for the perfect cranberry cake recipe, you’ve come to the right place.

The Most Moist, Bright and Zesty Cranberry Cake

Today we’re making the most moist, bright and zesty cranberry cake. The cake itself is so soft and buttery and has just the right amount of tart cranberries and fresh orange juice to give it that perfect tangy yet sweet flavour. If you love a truly moist texture in your baked goods, you should also try our super soft coffee cake with a rich ganache frosting. It is honestly so, so good.

What You’ll Need

• 300g or 2½ cups of plain all-purpose flour
• 30g or ¼ cup of cornstarch
• 2½ tsp of baking powder
• ¾ tsp of salt
• 170g or ¾ cup of room temperature unsalted butter
• 105g or ½ cup of unflavoured vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
• 250g or 1¼ cups of white granulated sugar
• 2½ tsp of orange zest
• 3 large room temperature eggs
• 120g or ½ cup of room temperature whole milk
• 115g or ½ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1½ tsp of vanilla
• 215g or 2 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1½ tbsp of plain all-purpose flour (for coating cranberries)
• 1½ tbsp of white granulated sugar (for topping)

How to Make It

1. Preheat your oven to 180C or 350F conventional.
2. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan. Line the pan long ways with some parchment paper. This makes it much easier to take the cake out once it’s ready. Set your pan aside.
3. In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: 300g or 2½ cups of plain all-purpose flour, 30g or ¼ cup of cornstarch, 2½ tsp of baking powder and ¾ tsp of salt. Using a whisk, give that a good mix until it’s well combined and set it aside.
4. In a large bowl, add 170g or ¾ cup of room temperature unsalted butter, 105g or ½ cup of unflavoured vegetable oil, 250g or 1¼ cups of white granulated sugar and 2½ tsp of orange zest. Make sure to only grate the top orange part of the orange and not the white bit of pith underneath.
5. Using a hand or stand mixer on a medium speed, cream the butter mixture for two minutes until it’s light and fluffy.
6. Add 3 large room temperature eggs one at a time while mixing on a low speed, making sure that each egg is mixed in well before adding the next.
7. Once that’s done, add 120g or ½ cup of room temperature whole milk, 115g or ½ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice and 1½ tsp of vanilla. Mix that in on a low speed until well combined.
8. Get any batter off of your attachments because the rest of the mixing will be done by hand.
9. Add the pre-sifted dry ingredients from earlier to the wet ingredients. Using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. You don’t want to over mix, so just mix until you can’t see any more streaks of unmixed flour.
10. To finish off the batter, coat 215g or 2 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries with 1½ tbsp of plain all-purpose flour. If you’re using frozen cranberries, don’t let them thaw. This coating will prevent the cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

11. Once the cranberries are coated, add them to the batter, discarding any excess flour. Again, using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. You don’t want to over mix.
12. Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan and spread it out as evenly as you can.
13. Sprinkle 1½ tbsp of white granulated sugar over the top of the batter. This will give the cake a thin, flaky, caramelized crust on top.
14. Bake in the preheated oven for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.

Recipe Notes

Once the cake is done, let it cool in the pan for about 20 minutes to allow it to firm up a bit. Then, run a thin knife along the edges of the pan that don’t have any parchment paper. To turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool, you can place the wire rack on top of the cake tin and flip it over; it should drop right onto the wire rack. This cake is very moist, so be careful when handling it as you don’t want it to break.

Allow the cake to cool completely to room temperature before slicing and serving. This cranberry cake is honestly so moist, the crumb is incredibly tender, and it’s got the most bright, zesty flavor from the cranberries and fresh orange juice. For another delightful treat with a similar tender texture, try our super soft and moist banana bread recipe with walnuts. It is honestly so, so good.