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4.69 from 63 votes
Cranberry Orange Cake is served on a golden-edge platter with two cups of coffee. The slice in front is served on a pink dessert plate, showing the moist interior loaded with cranberries bits and spices. It's covered with glossy lemon glaze which has lemon zest in.
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Cranberry Orange Cake Recipe with Lemon Glaze
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
 

My Cranberry Orange Cake with Lemon Glaze uses classic ingredients and spices like cranberry, orange, and cardamom for a truly seasonal experience.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 people
Author: Gemma Stafford
Ingredients
Cranberry Cake
  • 2 cups (8oz/225g) cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1 ½ cups (7 1/2oz/213g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅔ cup (5 oz/142 g) granulated sugar
  • ⅔ cup (4 oz/115 g) dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup (4 fl oz/120 ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs* (see notes for substitute)
  • ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
  • 2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup (2 ½ fl oz/71 ml) orange juice
Lemon Glaze:
  • ½ cup (2 oz/57 g) powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
  • 3-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
For the Cranberry Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line a 9-inch spring form pan.

  2. Pulse cranberries in a food processor until finely chopped but not puréed; set aside.

  3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, salt, cardamon, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. 

  4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, and eggs. Lastly stir in sour cream, orange zest, lemon zest, vanilla, orange juice and the chopped cranberries.

  5. Whisk the wet into the dry until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared pans.

  6. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let loaves cool in pans for 10 minutes the transfer to a wire rack.

For the Lemon Glaze

  1. Whisk powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Spread glaze over warm cake, allowing it to drip down sides. Let stand until glaze becomes crackly, about 1 hour. I like to do this when the loaf is still warm as I feel it soaks into the loaf better. 

  2. Serve at room temperature. This cake just gets better with time. It can be made 2 days ahead of time. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Watch the Recipe Video!

Recipe Notes

*To substitute eggs you can replace them with Flax or more sour cream or buttermilk. Check out my Egg Substitute Chart