Cranberry Orange Cake
This cranberry orange cake has become the unofficial summer Christmas cake in our house. Loaded with cranberries and oranges, it is a delicious, moist cake that can be served up in so many ways!
An affordable family friendly cake for Christmas
The bright tartness of cranberries and oranges come together in this beautiful and tasty cake. Christmas time can be so expensive, from the food to the presents and the travelling. The list goes on and on. I like this recipe because it is an affordable and easy recipe to make and share with family, friends and even to pack into lunchboxes for a little treat. Most of the ingredients you will have on hand in the pantry with the exception of one orange and half a bag of dried cranberries. Using margarine instead of butter does not compromise on the flavour or the texture of this cake. Use a dairy free margarine and top with an orange drizzle and you will have a dairy free masterpiece.
Ingredients
Cranberries – Use dried cranberries, they’re great to store in the pantry and will absorb plenty of flavor when you soak them.
Orange tea – Optional but totally boosts the flavor. You could use any citrus or fruit tea instead.
Orange – One large orange, zest and juice.
Margarine – Use a dairy free margarine to make this recipe dairy free or you can use softened butter instead if you prefer.
Pantry staples – Sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, cornflour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
How to serve your cranberry orange cake
While this cake is absolutely delicious on its own, here a few ideas to take it to the next level.
Frosting – Vanilla buttercream, cream cheese frosting, white chocolate ganache and orange butter cream are all great options to ice your cake with. I have used a vanilla butter cream for mine.
Decorations – Cranberries, candied oranges and white chocolate curls all make great decorations but you could also decorate with sprinkles, piped decorations or fresh flowers depending on the occasion.
Orange drizzle– For a different topping altogether you can make this delicious drizzle.
Simmer together 200g sugar, 200ml orange juice and 1 Tbs orange zest in a small saucepan for 5-10 minutes. Pierce the cake all over with a wooden skewer and then drizzle the syrup over the cake. Serve warm.
Cranberry Orange Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Roughly chop the cranberries and add them to a small bowl along with the boiling water and tea bag. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 160 degrees, fan bake and line a regular round cake pan with baking paper.
- Place your margarine, orange zest and sugar into a large bowl and mix well. Add in your eggs next and mix to combine.
- Remove the tea bag from your soaking cranberries before adding them to your bowl along with the orange juice. Mix well to combine
- Add in the remaining ingredients and mix together using an electric whisk until everything has just combined.
- Pour the cake batter into your prepared cake pan and bake for 40 minutes or until baked through.
- Let your cake cool completely.
- Ice your cooled cake with your choice of frosting and and decorate with cranberries, candied oranges, sprinkles or white chocolate decorations.
Notes
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my cranberry orange cake recipe. I hope you enjoy trying this out for yourself. Please feel free to add any questions or comments below. I am happy to help out wherever possible and I would love to hear how this recipe worked out for you.
