Cranberry Cake with Warm Butter Sauce

Simple and rustic, this Cranberry Cake is a homestyle cake loaded with fresh cranberries and a hint of orange. Top with a warm butter sauce for the ultimate holiday cake.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Fresh cranberries are not just for Cranberry Sauce! Grab a few bags and make this cranberry cake, this Cranberry Orange Bread, or this Cranberry Orange Cheesecake.

If you are like me, and still have lots of holiday baking you want to do, you definitely need to add this Cranberry Cake with Warm Butter Sauce to your list. You all know that I’m a sucker for a good old-fashioned, homey dessert. They are my favorite. Like that Oatmeal Cake. Or even the retro Tomato Soup Spice Cake Recipe. This Cranberry Cake falls in that same category for me. A simple cake, baked in a 9×13 baking dish.

But then it gets exciting.

Because of 3 words. Warm. Butter. Sauce.

Seriously – that sauce totally makes this cake. Don’t get me wrong – the cake on its own is actually very good. But then you add this sweet, buttery, warm sauce, and it turns that piece of cake into a little piece of heaven. SO good. You may want to just eat the sauce with a spoon.

Now it’s time to get your holiday baking on!!

Ingredients

For the Cake

To make the cake, you’ll need all the normal basic cake ingredients, like butter, sugar, an egg, flour, baking powder and milk. You will also need a bit of orange zest, you should be able to get your 2 teaspoons from one regular sized orange. If you don’t care for orange, you could leave this out, but I love the extra layer of flavor that it brings.

You’ll also need cranberries. I used fresh, but frozen will work just as well. If you are using frozen, you don’t have to thaw them, but I would set them on the counter to get a start on the thaw while you prepare the cake. I would not suggest using dried cranberries because the end result will not be the same.

For the Butter Sauce

All you need for the butter sauce is butter, sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract. I will sometimes add a pinch of salt, as well, because I think it elevates the sauce just a bit. Or you could use salted butter.

I would not suggest substituting the butter with margarine, because so much of the flavor of the sauce comes from the butter.

How to Make the Cranberry Cake

BATTER: Start by beating the butter and sugar together. Add the egg.

In another bowl, combine your dry ingredients. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat to combine, then add in half of the milk. Continue with another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the remaining milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Add the orange zest. You want to make sure everything is combined, but do not overbeat the batter.

FOLD IN: Take your chopped cranberries and fold them into the cake batter. Pour this batter into a 9×13-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

BAKE: Bake the cake until it is baked through and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

How to Make the Warm Butter Sauce

COMBINE:Combine the butter, sugar and cream in a saucepan. Place the pan on the stove over medium heat.

BOIL:Let the mixture come to a boil while you stir it constantly.

COOK:Once it is boiling, reduce the heat and let the sauce cook until it is thick. You don’t have to stir it constantly at this point, but you will want to stir it regularly.

SERVE:Serve the sauce over the cake while it is still warm. If serving leftovers, heat the sauce up again before serving.

Tips and Tricks

• This sauce will thicken up as it cools, and you may not be able to pour it. And I have issues with it crystallizing after it cools, as well. So just make sure to keep the sauce warm, or warm it back up before serving.
• You can serve the cake warm or at room temperature.
• Store the cake at room temperature, lightly covered. The butter sauce needs to be stored in the refrigerator.
• You can make the cake a day or two ahead of time. The butter sauce is best made just before serving, but you could make it ahead of time and gently reheat it on the stove.
• This cake can also be frozen. Let it thaw at room temperature before serving. I would not suggest freezing the butter sauce. It will be best made fresh.

More Holiday Baking

The Best Sugar Cookies with Sugar Cookie Icing
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Lemon Cheesecake
Meringue Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms

Cranberry Cake with Warm Butter Sauce

5 from 1 vote

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 15 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Print Pin SaveSaved!

Simple and rustic, this Cranberry Cake is a homestyle cake loaded with fresh cranberries and a hint of orange. Top with a warm butter sauce for the ultimate holiday cake.

1x2x3x

Ingredients

Cake:

• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter (softened)
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ dash salt
• ▢ 1 cup milk
• ▢ 2 teaspoons orange zest
• ▢ 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (roughly chopped)

Warm Butter Sauce:

• ▢ 1 cup butter
• ▢ 1 cups sugar
• ▢ 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until crumbly. Beat in the egg. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the milk. Beat in half of the remaining flour, the remaining milk, then the remaining flour. Add the orange zest. Fold in the chopped cranberries.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
• To make the butter sauce, combine the butter, sugar and cream in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until thick, 10-15 minutes, stirring very regularly.
• Serve the warm sauce poured over each slice of cake. The sauce will get thicker as it cools, and may crystallize. Re-warm the sauce as needed for serving.

Recipe Notes:

cake recipe adapted from Taste of Home

SUBSTITUTIONS: Do not substitute dried cranberries for the fresh cranberries. The end result will not be the same. You can use frozen cranberries.

STORE: Store any leftover cake lightly covered at room temperature. The butter sauce will need to be refrigerated and reheated before serving. You could also make the cake ahead of time and freeze it, tightly wrapped. Let it thaw at room temperature. The butter sauce is best if made just before serving.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 417kcal (21%), Carbohydrates: 54g (18%), Protein: 3g (6%), Fat: 22g (34%), Saturated Fat: 13g (81%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 73mg (24%), Sodium: 90mg (4%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 42g (47%)

Keywords: cranberry cake