A soft and moist almond flavored cake filled with fresh cranberries and topped with a sweet almond streusel. A delicious breakfast or dessert for the holiday season. Choose between two pan sizes and whip up this incredible cake anytime you choose.
Get ready to sink your teeth into the very best Cranberry Cake! The combination of almond and cranberry is a match made in heaven! This soft almond cake is studded with fresh cranberries, topped with an almond streusel, and drizzled with almond icing.
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Recipe overview
Cake: The base of this cake is an almond-flavored cake that is soft and moist and filled with fresh cranberries.
Topping: An almond streusel topping gets sprinkled on top of the cake before baking. This crumb topping adds a sweet almond crunch to every bite.
Bake: Bake this cake in a 9×9 or 8×11 pan for 30-40 minutes.
Icing: After cooling, drizzle the cake with an almond icing made from powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Texture: Thanks to the butter/sugar creaming technique as well as the addition of sour cream this cake bakes up ultra soft and moist. The crunchy almond topping contrasts wonderfully with the tender cake.
Flavor: The combination of sweet almond and tart cranberry is incredible!
Versatility: 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.
Ingredient spotlight: almond extract
Aside from the cranberries, almond extract is the star of this recipe. It adds the perfect almond flavor to every layer (cake, topping, AND icing). Be sure to use pure almond extract, not imitation, for the best flavor. Almond extract is much stronger than vanilla extract, so use it sparingly.
More almond recipes: Almond Cake, Almond Croissants, Almond Cherry Crumb Bars.
Recipe tips
Butter should be room temperature so that it blends easily.
Use thick sour cream (full fat or low fat) so that the batter isn’t too thin. Daisy brand is my favorite.
Don’t overmix. In order to keep the cake light and tender make sure to mix the cake batter until just combined.
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.
Pan size options
This recipe can be made in a 9×9 square baking pan or an 8×11 rectangle baking pan.
9×9: This makes a slightly thicker cake. It will take a little longer to bake than the 8×11 pan.
8×11: This is my preferred pan size. The cake is thick, but not too thick. It bakes a few minutes faster than the 9×9.
Do NOT try to squeeze this batter into an 8×8 pan. There will be too much batter and the edges will dry out before the center is cooked through.
Can you freeze cranberry cake?
Yes. Double wrap leftover slices of this cake and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw a slice anytime you need a sweet treat.
Recipe
Almond Cranberry Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour*
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ teaspoons almond extract
- ⅔ cup sour cream, thick sour cream is best
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 scant cups fresh cranberries
Almond topping:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Icing:
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ 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 ⅔ 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 9×9 square baking pan or 8×11 rectangle 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 30-40 minutes (begin checking at 30 minutes, see note), 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.
Video
Notes
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!
Christina G says
This cake is really good! You take a bite and you get a pop of tartness from the cranberries. Yum! I didn’t have almond slices so I used slivers. I did toast them before putting them in the topping. It gives it a better, nutty flavor. This is definitely a keeper.
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Mickie says
I used a Bundt pan and it took 60 minutes to bake. This cake is delicious!!!
Rebekah says
Just wondering…when you used the Bundt pan, what did you do with the topping? Put it at the bottom then the cake batter on top?
Diane says
This recipe looks amazing, and my mouth is watering just thinking of it!
Can frozen cranberries be used for this recipe?
Allison says
Yes. You might just need to add a couple minutes to the bake time. Enjoy!
Germain says
This cake recipe is truly a keeper! The sour cream really makes for a moist cake along w the cranberries which also meld wonderfully w the almond flavoring. I added a small extra amount of almond flavoring to the cake and the topping bc my family loves the taste of almond! I also doubled the recipe and used a 9 x 13 inch cake pan and it does take extra time to bake bc this batter is thick and there’s a lot of it. You won’t be disappointed! My daughter requested that I make this cake especially for her birthday or she said that she’d be heartbroken if I didn’t!!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Amanda Grumbach says
Have you ever tested this recipe (or any of your cake recipes) with gluten free flour?
Allison says
I have here and there, but not this one specifically. I’ve had the most success with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour.
Lux says
Can I substitute applesauce for half of the butter, or will that ruin the texture?
Allison says
It will definitely change the texture. You’re welcome to play around with it.
Rose says
This is a very good recipe. The cake is light in texture love it. I will definitely make this again.
Allison says
I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
Mary says
Can you use frozen cranberries?
Allison says
Sure. You’ll probably need to increase the bake time just a bit.
Lavetta Duhe says
Can you bake cake in a loaf pan?
Allison says
You’ll have too much batter for one loaf pan. I’m not sure if it will be enough for two.
Pam says
Do you think I could freeze this cake?
Allison says
That should be fine.