Cranberry snack cake is a perfectly simple and delicious dessert for the holidays. Use fresh or frozen cranberries and cut into bars for a tasty treat. This recipe is sure to become a new favorite that will take you right from Thanksgiving to Christmas or any time you want something simple but fabulous.
This simple snack cake is studded with fresh or frozen cranberries and it is a perfect way to celebrate cranberry season. It’s quick to make and hits both sweet and tart flavor notes in the best kind of way.
Plus just look how stunning it is with the pretty jewel toned berries throughout. This cake is a fun treat around Thanksgiving or a perfect addition to your Christmas baking.
This cranberry snack cake is a great simple recipe. The result is such a soft and flavorful snack cake that doesn’t require any frosting or glaze to be great. Just cut it into squares and enjoy.
One of the most interesting parts about the recipe is there is no leavening agent. Instead you beat a lot of air into the batter and let that work its magic.
It stores well at room temperature in an airtight container. For longer storage separate layers with wax paper and freeze for up to three months.
I hope you give this recipe a try. If not this year, pin them for next year then let me know how much you enjoyed them!
Baking With Cranberries
During the fall and leading into Thanksgiving, it is easy to find fresh cranberries at the store. I always pick up several extra pounds when they are on sale.
I use several pounds to make things like fresh cranberry relish and this tasty snack cake. Then the rest I wash and freeze for later.
Just put them in a freezer safe bag and you can make cranberry recipes all year long. Otherwise your grocery store is likely to stock frozen berries throughout the year.
Because the cranberries are so tart, you are going to want to make sure there is plenty of sugar in the batter to balance them out. One of the fun things about baking with whole berries like in this recipe, is you get both the sweet and tart when you bite into one.
This batter is thick, so there isn’t a need to coat the berries with flour before adding them. But if you try adding them to muffins, or a looser cake batter you may want to toss them in flour first.
About This Tasty Cranberry Cake
So that brings us to this snack cake. I think it might be one of my favorite cranberry recipes yet.
It has a sweet, dense, simple cake studded with those tart berries that burst and give beautiful color and flavor. You really can’t get much easier.
I made this batch and brought it in to my coworkers as part of my (probably obnoxiously) large spread of birthday treats. I thought the cookies I made would go quickly, but wasn’t sure about the cranberry snack cake. It seems like people have a love/hate relationship with the little gems.
Those who don’t like cranberries were tempted, those who do were happy to devour them. They got rave reviews!
The cake is the perfect mix of tender and dense. Almost pound cake like, but in sheet cake form.
It is the perfect compliment to the berries that cook up to a tender garnet burst of flavor. The combination really makes your taste buds sing.
I probably shouldn’t have been too surprised, this cake really is delicious. Please promise me you’ll give it a try!
Why is it called a snack cake?
Snack cakes generally are more for snacking, as the name implies. They aren’t fancy special occasion cakes with lots of flourishes and frosting like a birthday or wedding cake.
Cranberry Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 3 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch pan.
- In your mixer, beat together ¾ cup butter and 2 cups granulated sugar on medium high until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Add 3 large eggs and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and beat on high for 6 more minutes. The mixture should be thick, creamy and voluminous.
- Stir in 2 cups all purpose flour until just combined.
- Fold in 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries and 1 Tablespoon orange zest.
- Spread the batter in your prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. The top should be lightly golden and an inserted toothpick should test clean.
- Cool completely then cut into small pieces to serve.
Notes
- If you don’t have orange zest, a splash of orange extract is a good option. Or, you can omit the orange altogether, though it really does add something nice to the cake.
- This cake can be stored at room temperature for several days. Just be sure to keep it covered. Or, freeze it for up to 3 months.
Video
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I love this snack cake. I now make it every year and will continue to. Everyone should try it.
Isn’t it good? I am glad you like it enough to make it again and again!
I had a few cranberries I’d frozen and needed to use up, but not quite 12 oz, so I took about three stalks of rhubarb from the garden to supplement. This cake is just so easy to make, and I love the tart with the sweet. I took it to a neighborhood get together and got a lot of compliments on it, plus it’s just very visually appealing.
Ooooh, the rhubarb was a great idea!! Now I kind of want to make a rhubarb snack cake.
Very tasty! I topped with a glaze. Will be making again.
Yum! I am glad you liked it!
Getting ready to make this cake. My husband really isn’t into cranberries but I think a topping of whipped cream will change his mind. I really like how you put the ingredient/s in the directions so you don’t have to flip flop from directions to ingredient list. I’ll come back and rate once we try it.
I hope you enjoy it!
Could you use a bit of orange juice if you don’t have orange zest or orange extract?
Just a tiny bit, or you can omit it if you want. Vanilla or almond extract would also be good.
Can I make this in a bundt pan?
I don’t know why you couldn’t. I haven’t tried it, though. So, I am not sure what size to tell you or how long to bake it.
I added almond extract and a light vanilla icing and they’re super good. Easy and delicious recipe. Thanx for posting this! Merry Christmas to everyone!
Yum! A little vanilla icing sounds perfect. I am so glad you liked them!
This looks perfect for today! I have frozen cranberries, do i need to thaw?
No, you can use them from the freezer. It may just take an extra minute or two to bake.
What is the nutrition chart for this recipe
Underneath the video there is a button to display the nutritional information.
Delicious snack cake, sprinkled with chopped walnuts and added white chocolate chips. Will be making again, thank you for the recipe!
Oooh, your additions sound fabulous! I am so glad you liked it.