A soft and fluffy almond-flavored cake filled with fresh cranberries and topped with a buttery almond streusel. A delicious and comforting breakfast or dessert for the holiday season.
You are looking at the reason I am currently stockpiling cranberries. You are also looking at the BEST thing to come out of my kitchen in weeks (months?).
A fluffy almond cake studded with fresh cranberries, topped with an almond streusel and drizzled with almond icing – like, I can barely write that without licking my computer screen. Gah! This is the cake for almond lovers! Pssst…If you love almond, you’ll go crazy for these Almond Croissants and Almond Cake, too.
Can this be breakfast? YES!
Can this be dessert? YES!
Should you make this and then invite me over to share it with you? Also, YES!
I am writing this post on a sugar high, nibbling bits of sugared almonds off the plate in front of me. I have consumed so many pieces of cake that I’m embarrassed to put the actual number on this page. Cake makes me happy, and I’m working on living my best holiday-life. ‘Tis the season!
Almond Cranberry Cake
- This cake starts with a soft and fluffy sour cream cake. The cake batter is flavored with vanilla and plenty of almond extract. The sour cream keeps it fluffy and moist, and keeps it from being too sweet.
- The cake batter is filled with beautiful fresh cranberries. 1 1/2 cups of cranberries add a pop of color and distinct tart flavor.
- The cake batter gets topped with a sweet and buttery almond crumble made from sliced almonds, butter, sugar, and flour.
- After baking, drizzle the cake with almond icing … and enjoy a big slice while it’s still warm.
This cake can be served for breakfast alongside a cup of coffee or tea. It can also be dessert, topped with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Can You Freeze Cranberry Cake?
You sure can, friends. I tightly wrapped leftover slices of this cake and they freeze beautifully. Bonus: You can freeze slices and thaw them everytime you need a sweet treat (read: every single day, if you’re me).
The combination of cranberry and almond is basically a match made heaven. I mean, after trying this I am basically giving the cranberry-orange combo the boot. CRANBERRY-ALMOND is where it’s at!
MORE CRANBERRY RECIPES: CRANBERRY FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE – APPLE CIDER CRANBERRY SAUCE – APPLE CRANBERRY BREAD – CRANBERRY BLISS BARS – CRANBERRY SALAD
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Almond Cranberry Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 teaspoons almond extract
- 2/3 cup sour cream, thick sour cream is best
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
Almond Topping:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Icing:
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
- drop almond extract
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 6 tablespoons butter and 2/3 cup sugar for several minutes, until creamy and well combined. Add eggs, vanilla 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.
- Grease a 9x9** square baking pan. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Make 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 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool.
Icing:
- Whisk all icing ingredients. Adjust the consistency as necessary by adding more powdered sugar or milk. Drizzle over the top of the cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Kathy D
Hi. Can I substitute the almond extract? I would like to make this for work but am always concerned with it allergies. Look forward to trying it ☺️ Thank you
Allison
Hi, Kathy. You can double the vanilla. You can also try adding a teaspoon of finely grated orange zest into the batter, if that sounds good. Enjoy!
Kathy
Can you use frozen cranberries can’t wait to try the recipe
Allison
That should be fine. You’ll likely need to add a couple minutes to the bake time. Enjoy!
Tania
Hi
I want to make this but can I use dry cranberries instead of fresh ones.
Allison
That should work. I would watch the bake time closely, since there is no extra moisture from fresh cranberries it might bake a little faster. Enjoy!
Samantha Roberts
We just made it as described and it was delicious. I was wondering if you think it would work to use almond flour instead of all purpose? Would you still need the almond extract?
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it. No, you cannot swap almond flour for the all purpose flour. You need the structure from the all purpose flour. Almond flour is just ground up almonds. You can try a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend if you’re looking for gf alternative.
Fabi
I used 1 full cup of all purpose and half of almond flour, it worked, and tested dellicious
cindy a roundtree
Love this cake! Thank s for the recipe!
Allison
You’re welcome. Thanks for stopping by!
Denise
Although not recommended, I baked this recipe in a 8×8 square pan (stainless steel). I had to bake it a bit longer than the recipe states, so I baked at 350 for 30 min and about 10 min at 325. Came out beautifully and family loved it! Definitely a “Keeper”.
Allison
I’m glad that worked for you. Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂 Happy baking!
Grace
Hey!
I was wondering if you think this recipe would work as cupcakes/muffins? How would you adjust the temp and time?
Allison
Yes, that should work. Oven temp will be the same, I would begin checking the cupcakes/muffins after 15 minutes, then every few minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Enjoy!