A soft and moist almond cake filled with fresh cranberries and topped with a buttery almond streusel and almond icing.
This is a delicious breakfast or dessert for the holiday season with the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors. The combination of almond and cranberry is a match made in heaven!
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What sets this recipe apart
Almond + cranberry: Instead of the typical cranberry and orange pairing this recipe features the flavor of sweet and nutty almonds with tart cranberries. It’s incredible!
Versatile: This cake can be served for breakfast, dessert, or snacking.
Two pan sizes: You can make this recipe in a 9×9 square pan or an 8×11 rectangular pan.
Visual recipe overview
Full recipe below in recipe card
Cake batter
Prepare the cake batter and stir in the cranberries.
Almond topping
Stir together butter, sugar, flour, almond extract, and sliced almonds for the topping.
Bake
Spread the cake batter into a greased pan. Sprinkle the topping over the cake batter and bake.
Almond icing
Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cake.
My recipe testing tips
Butter or oil: This cake can be made with butter or oil. I do notice that it stays moist longer when made with oil. If using butter, it should be room temperature so that it blends easily.
Sour cream: Use a thick sour cream so that the batter isn’t too thin. Daisy brand is my favorite. It can be full fat or light.
Cranberries: Stir in the cranberries by hand using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. This ensures that they don’t get broken up by the mixer.
Don’t overbake: As you approach the end of bake time watch the cake closely, pull it out of the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist (not wet) crumbs. This is a thick cake so it will bake for at least 30 minutes.
Pan size: This recipe is made in a 9×9 square pan (or 8×11). Do not try to squeeze it into an 8×8, you will have too much batter.
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Recipe
Almond Cranberry Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 ⅔ cups (210g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled or weighed
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85g) softened unsalted butter OR 6 tablespoons (90ml) vegetable oil, see note
- ⅔ cup (134g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ teaspoons pure almond extract
- ⅔ cup (160g) sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 generous cups (204g) fresh cranberries
Almond topping:
- 3 tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
- scant ¼ cup (28g) all purpose flour, spooned into the measuring cup
- ⅛ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ½ cup (55g) sliced almonds
Icing:
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
- couple drops pure almond extract
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven. Grease a 9×9 square baking pan or an 8×11 baking pan (no smaller!) and set aside.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter OR oil and sugar. If using butter this should take a minute or two. If using oil, just mix for about 30 seconds. Add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla extract and almond extract. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Beat until just combined. Add the sour cream and 2 tablespoons milk, beating until combined. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients. Add the cranberries and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Proceed with the topping.
Topping:
- Combine butter, sugar, flour, and almond extract. Use a fork to stir and mash the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the sliced almonds and mix until combined. Sprinkle the topping over the top of the cake batter.
- Bake for 28-38 minutes (begin checking at 28 minutes), until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs, no raw batter. Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool.
Icing:
- Whisk all icing ingredients. Adjust the consistency if needed by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or milk to thin. Drizzle over the top of the cake.
Video
Notes
Pan size:
Use a 9×9 or 8×11 pan for this recipe, do not try to squeeze it into a smaller pan. I prefer a metal pan because it bakes more evenly. If using a glass pan, bake time will likely be on the shorter end.Butter/oil:
This cake can be made with butter or oil. I do notice that it stays moist longer when made with oil. If using butter, it should be room temperature so that it blends easilyServing and storage:
Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerated for up to 4 days, or frozen (double wrapped) for up to 3 months. Recipe updated November 2025 with weight measurements, a few small tweaks, and more detailed instructions. Original recipe here.Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Patricia Morris says
Absolutely delicious and a brilliant alternative to a fruit cake. My whole family love this super delicious cake. Thank you for sharing this marvelous recipe with us.
Kaundra says
I love this recipe. it turned out delicious.
Allison says
That’s great to hear. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Ronita says
Hi,
I’ve tried this recipe several times with tremendous success each time. Once, I substituted the sour cream with Greek yogurt and it was still the same delicious result.
I was wondering if I could use gluten-free flour for this recipe for someone who has gluten intolerance.
Thank you tons.
Allison Mattina says
Hi! I haven’t tried it, but I would assume a 1:1 gluten free baking flour should work just fine.