Cranberry Christmas Snacking Cake

5 from 31 votes

A moist, dense snacking cake reminiscent of a toffee cake that bursts with cranberries.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry cake, cranberry snacking cake, snacking cake

Servings: pieces

Calories: 130.5kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Preheat the oven to 350˚F, and lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate with butter.
Pro-tip: I do not recommend a cake pan for this cake. It is very moist and dense, and it may be difficult to remove it from the pan in one piece. Bake it in something you'll serve it in.
Spread the cranberries and apple chunks in an even layer across the bottom of the pie pan. Sprinkle ½ cup of the sugar over them, and lightly toss.
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. Spread the batter over the cranberry mixture.
If you want a slight sugar crust on top, dust the top with 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. You may have moist cake crumbs attached, but it shouldn't be batter.
Place the cake on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes before slicing.
Serve simply with a little spray of confectioners sugar on top, or serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, ideally drizzled with a little caramel.