Description
This delightful Cranberry Orange Cake is a moist, flavorful dessert featuring fresh cranberries and zesty orange-infused sugar. Perfect for festive occasions or a cozy treat, it combines the tartness of cranberries with the bright citrus aroma of orange, all baked to golden perfection in a simple 9×9 inch pan.
Ingredients
Scale
Orange Sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- zest of one orange, peeled in strips with a vegetable peeler (just the orange part, none of the bitter white pith)
Cake Batter
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups cranberries
- 2 Tbsp sparkling sugar
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly spray a 9×9 inch baking pan. Line it with two sheets of parchment paper with long ends to easily lift the cake out later for slicing.
- Make Orange Sugar: Place the granulated sugar and orange zest into a food processor and blend until the zest is fully incorporated. The sugar should become pale orange and moist.
- Cream Butter and Orange Sugar: Using a stand mixer or electric beaters, cream the orange sugar and unsalted butter together until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add Egg and Flavorings: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, followed by the baking powder and salt. Continue scraping the sides to ensure even mixing.
- Add Flour and Buttermilk: Reduce mixer speed and blend in half of the flour until nearly combined. Then add the buttermilk, followed by the remaining flour, mixing just until flour is incorporated. Avoid overmixing.
- Fold in Cranberries: Gently fold the fresh cranberries into the batter to distribute evenly without crushing them.
- Transfer and Sprinkle: Spread the thick batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the sparkling sugar evenly over the top of the batter.
- Bake the Cake: Bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is risen, golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean without wet batter. Monitor closely near the end to prevent overbaking.
- Cool and Serve: Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes. If parchment lined, lift the cake out to cool completely or slice while warm for serving.
- Storage: Store leftover cake in the pan covered with foil at room temperature.
Notes
- For easier slicing and removal, lining the pan with parchment paper is highly recommended.
- If fresh cranberries are unavailable, frozen cranberries can be used but do not thaw before folding into the batter.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter once the flour is added to ensure a tender crumb.
- Sparking sugar adds a nice crunch on top but can be substituted with coarse sugar if unavailable.
- Check the cake at 40 minutes if your oven runs hot to avoid overbaking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 240 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
