OMG you guys. This Cranberry Christmas Snacking Cake is the easiest, tastiest cake I've made since the Peach Cake I make every summer.
And it's exactly the kind of cake I love most to make (and eat). A simple cake loaded with seasonal fruit.
Just to be clear, it's not that I don't love frosting - it's just that I see it as a whole separate food group. And I love frosting so much, it can overshadow the cake.
This cranberry Christmas cake (because this is a perfect treat at Christmas!) can be used as a breakfast treat (think coffee cake), an afternoon snacking cake, or a simple dessert with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel.
There's no milk or cream in this cake, so the texture bakes a little denser. But it's plenty moist from the butter and an apple.
I just whip up the batter, spread the cranberries across a pie plate, and pour the batter over them. The batter nestles around the fruit, thanks to a copious amount of butter, and cooks up like a cake. But you make it in a tart/pie pan.
To. Die. For. And it will be part of my regular rotation now, just like that peach cake. The kids and grandkids would love it when they visit over the Christmas holidays.
Cranberry Christmas Snacking Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups cranberries rinsed and drained
- 1 apple peeled, cored, and diced
- 1-½ cups sugar divided
- 2 tablespoons chocolate nibs, optional
- 1-½ sticks unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup (4.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of one orange
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
- confectioners sugar, for final dusting before serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F, and lightly butter a 9-inch pie pan with butter.
- Spread the cranberries and apple chunks in an even layer across the bottom of the pie pan. Sprinkle ½ cup of the sugar and the cocoa nibs (if using) over them.
- Using a wooden spoon, vigorously beat together the melted butter, flour, eggs, extract, orange zest, and the remaining 1 cup of sugar in a large mixing bowl to form a batter. Scrape the batter over the cranberry mixture. Dust the top with the turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the cake is set. Test by inserting a knife - it should come out clean but moist. This is a moist cake which is probably why it was called a tart.
- Place the cake on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, ideally drizzled with a little caramel.
- As a final touch, dust the top with a spray of confectioners sugar, if desired.
Nutrition
leigh
Nothing wrong with copious amounts of butter. It's the only way to have it! This dish looks absolutely amazing!
Anna
It must be a sign! This recipe was not only your pick, but also Lauren's pick over on Sew You Think You Can Cook for last week's Holiday Treats reveal. What are the odds of that? It might just be that it's cranberry season, but I'm going to take it as a sign that I must make this again soon.
I love your substitution of the cocoa nibs, and adding the caramel drizzle over the ice cream. It looks so good!
Erin @ Making Memories
My cranberry loving family would LOVE this tart. Looks amazing!
Rita
sounds yummy!
Stephanie
This looks really good and really familiar (since someone did it last week for the holiday challenge). It must be a wonderful recipe. Great job.
Katie Zeller
I love anything cranberry - esp. now that I can get them 😉 And I really like easy....
Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook
I made this for our themed reveal! It's so good. But I was at a loss as to what to call it too. I've dubbed it a "pie cake". 🙂
Leslie Limon
Swoon! That is one beautiful tart!
cathy branciaroli
Susan - I think that Cranberries are under-appreciated, relegated to a Thanksgiving side dish and yucky sweet sauce worse yet. This sounds great and will look forward to trying it.
Mikkel Magnuson
Hi ! I am big fan of your recipes. I have tried Christmas cake it was awesome. I have almost tried all your cake recipes they always come out with new taste and well experience. This cranberry cake is so delicious as I have tasted it in someone birthday's party. Thanks for all your efforts to make every thing easy for us.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Mikkel!
Malin Andersson
Hello Wipmy! I think that you are very experienced in your profession. You have clicked very beautiful Craneberry cake pictures. This dish looks absolutely amazing.
Heather
wow what a fabulous brunch or dessert cake studded with luscious cranberries !
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much!
Lauren Michael Harris
I was looking for some new ideas to serve during Christmas day when we have company. This snacking cake will surely be on our table!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm making it again this week! I hope you like it as much as we do!
veenaazmanov
Best time of the year to try these amazing treats. Delicious recipe and awesome combination of Cranberry.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Cranberries are a MUST this time of year. Thanks so much!
Erin
This looks so tasty! I love the pops of red. I have a cranberry Christmas cake recipe coming, too. Just waiting for the photographs (if they ever come 🤦♀️). I need to try your recipe! It sounds perfect.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'd love to see your cranberry Christmas cake too! Cranberry cakes and scones are my jam!
Karen
I’m missing the cocoa nibs amount in the recipe. I see where you add them, but I’m just a little confused.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
My mistake! I tried to simplify the recipe about a year ago, and made it without the nibs, thinking many people may not have them on hand. And I missed completely that they needed to come out of the instructions. I've put the ingredient back in, and labeled it optional. In truth, I think it's better with the nibs.
Tammy
Gorgeous! This would be a beautiful for Christmas morning while we open presents. This is such a delicious recipe for cranberries <3
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
Oh my sweet delicious heavens! This cake!!! Cranberries and snacking are spot on! This is a must-make cake!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I love snacking cakes! I hope you like it!
Alex
This cake was so delicious! Perfect for our Christmas party. Thank you so much!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
LaKita
This recipe for cranberry Christmas snacking cake is so simple to make, sweet, and absolutely delicious!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much!
Carla metz
Hi! Sounds like great recipe. I noted called to add cocoa nibs but did not see in ingredient list. How much cocoa nibs? Thank you!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Last year I was trying to simplify this recipe, and removed the chocolate nibs, but forgot to delete them from the instructions. Truthfully, I think it's better with the nibs, but love this cake either way. I've put the amount of nibs back into the ingredients, and labeled the ingredient optional. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!