Description
This delightful Cranberry Orange Cake combines the zesty brightness of fresh orange zest with the tart freshness of cranberries, resulting in a moist and flavorful dessert that’s perfect for any occasion. The cake features a tender crumb enhanced by buttermilk and is topped with sparkling sugar for a subtle crunch.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Batter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- zest of one orange, peeled in strips with a vegetable peeler (just the orange part, none of the bitter white pith)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups cranberries
- 2 Tbsp sparkling sugar
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9×9 inch baking pan. For easy removal and slicing, line the pan with two sheets of parchment paper, leaving long ends to lift the cake later.
- Make Orange Sugar: Place the granulated sugar and orange zest into a food processor and pulse until the zest is fully incorporated and the sugar appears pale orange and moist.
- Cream Butter and Orange Sugar: In a stand mixer or with electric beaters, cream the orange sugar and room temperature butter together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Add Wet and Dry Ingredients: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined. Then add baking powder and salt, mixing thoroughly while scraping the bowl.
- Incorporate Flour and Buttermilk: Lower mixer speed and add half of the flour, mixing just until almost blended. Pour in the buttermilk, then add the remaining flour. Mix only until the flour is fully incorporated to avoid overmixing.
- Fold in Cranberries: Gently fold the fresh cranberries into the batter to distribute them evenly without breaking the berries.
- Transfer Batter to Pan: Spread the thick batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- Add Sparkling Sugar: Sprinkle the sparkling sugar over the surface of the batter to add a sweet, crunchy topping.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the cake is risen, golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean without wet batter. Check slightly earlier if your oven runs hot to prevent overbaking.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes. If lined with parchment, lift the cake out to cool completely, or slice while still slightly warm. Store leftovers covered with foil at room temperature.
Notes
- To prevent the cranberries from sinking, you can toss them in a little flour before folding into the batter.
- If buttermilk is unavailable, substitute with milk mixed with 1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice, let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Using parchment paper makes it easy to remove the cake from the pan and helps with clean slicing.
- Check oven temperature with an oven thermometer for best results as oven temperatures can vary.
- Sparkling sugar can be replaced with coarse sanding sugar or turbinado sugar for a similar crunchy topping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 230 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
