This cranberry orange cake pairs tender butter-and-yogurt crumb with tart fruit pockets and a delicate sugar crust. A generous amount of zest from two large oranges brings a pronounced orange fragrance, while the demerara sugar topping goes on before baking. Serve it with afternoon coffee or as a simple dessert around Thanksgiving. It needs no glaze, which would soften the crisp surface.
The secret to the crunchy sugar top
Coarse demerara sugar keeps some of its crystal texture as the cake bakes. Sprinkle it in a light layer rather than stirring it into the batter or soaking it afterward with juice. Cool the cake uncovered on a rack so steam can escape. The contrast between the crisp top and moist crumb is best on the day of baking.
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For the generous amount of freshly grated orange zest in the batter. Avoid the white pith beneath the peel.
View on Amazon*Kaiser La Forme Plus Springform Pan, 24 cmThe 24 cm springform matches the batch; a substantially different pan size changes the cake depth and baking time.
View on Amazon*At a glance
Cranberry Orange Cake with a Moist Crumb and Crackly Sugar Crust
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 55 min
- Total time
- 2 hr 20 min
- Yield
- 12 slices
Total time includes 1 hr of additional time. See the instructions for details.
Ingredients for 12 slices
Use a 9½-inch (24 cm) springform pan. Prep: about 25 minutes. Baking: about 55 minutes, usually 50–60 minutes, possibly longer with frozen berries. Cooling: about 60 minutes. Total: about 2 hours 20 minutes. Bring the batter butter, eggs and yogurt to room temperature beforehand. Weigh ingredients for the most consistent result.
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| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 180 g | unsalted butter, softened (about ¾ cup plus 2 teaspoons), plus 5 g for the pan |
| 200 g | white sugar* (about 1 cup) |
| 2 tablespoons | finely grated orange zest (about 10 g) from 2 large, washed oranges with peel suitable for eating; use only the colored outer layer |
| 3 | large eggs (about 150 g without shells) |
| 150 g | plain whole-milk yogurt, unsweetened (about ⅔ cup) |
| ¼ | US cup freshly squeezed orange juice (60 ml) |
| 1 teaspoon | vanilla bean paste* (about 5 g) |
| 250 g | all-purpose flour* (about 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon, spooned and leveled) |
| 2 teaspoons | baking powder* (8 g) |
| ⅓ teaspoon | fine salt* (about 2 g) |
| 200 g | fresh or unsweetened frozen cranberries (about 2 cups); do not thaw frozen berries |
| 25 g | coarse demerara sugar* for the crust (about 2 tablespoons) |
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C conventional) or 320°F (160°C fan). Line the base of a 9½-inch (24 cm) springform pan with parchment and lightly grease the sides with 5 g butter. Sort and wash fresh cranberries, then pat thoroughly dry; halve very large fresh berries. Keep frozen cranberries frozen until folding them in.
- Rub the white sugar and finely grated orange zest together with your fingertips until fragrant. Add the 180 g softened butter and beat with an electric mixer for 3–4 minutes until pale and creamy, scraping down the bowl occasionally.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, allowing about 30 seconds for each. In a second bowl, stir together the yogurt, orange juice and vanilla bean paste. The butter-and-egg mixture may look slightly split; it should come together when the flour is briefly mixed in.
- Reserve 1 tablespoon of the measured all-purpose flour. Mix the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with the yogurt mixture, mixing briefly on low speed just until no dry flour remains. Avoid prolonged mixing.
- Toss the cranberries with the reserved tablespoon of flour and fold evenly into the batter with a spatula. Scrape the thick batter into the pan and level the top. Sprinkle the demerara sugar thinly and evenly over the surface without mixing it in.
- Bake on the middle rack for about 50–60 minutes, allowing a few extra minutes if needed for frozen cranberries. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil after about 40 minutes. Insert a wooden skewer into a cake portion near the center: it should have no raw batter on it, although some fruit juice or a few moist crumbs are fine. Liquid batter means it needs more baking.
- Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes. Carefully release the sides, transfer the cake off the pan base onto the rack and cool uncovered for about another 40 minutes. Cut into 12 slices. Do not soak with orange juice or cover while warm, to help preserve the crunchy sugar crust.
Bake the cranberry orange cake
Fresh or frozen cranberries?
Either works. Fold frozen cranberries into the batter straight from the freezer; thawing releases extra juice. Dried, usually sweetened cranberries are not a direct replacement because they change the moisture, tartness and sweetness. Use fresh or unsweetened frozen berries for this recipe.
More orange fragrance, without excess liquid
Finely grate only the colored outer peel, avoiding the white pith underneath. Rubbing the zest into the white sugar distributes it through the batter. Measure the juice rather than adding everything squeezed from an orange of any size; extra liquid changes the batter consistency.
Keep mixing brief once the flour goes in
The wet and dry ingredients only need to come together. Extended beating after adding all-purpose flour can make the cake denser. Butter, eggs and yogurt at similar temperatures combine more easily. Do not taste raw batter because it contains uncooked flour and egg.
Making ahead and storing
Bake on the serving day for the crispest top and cool completely uncovered. Then cover leftovers, refrigerate and eat within 3 days, letting slices lose their refrigerator chill before serving. The crust softens during storage. Freeze well-wrapped individual slices for up to 2 months and thaw in the refrigerator.
Estimated nutrition per slice
About 297 calories, 39 g carbohydrate, 4 g protein and 14 g fat per slice, based on 12 slices. Includes all 25 g demerara sugar topping, 10 g orange zest and 5 g pan butter. Ingredient brands and portion sizes change the estimate.
Contains wheat/gluten, milk and egg. Check baking powder and vanilla paste labels for additional ingredients. Do not taste raw flour or cake batter, and bake the cake through.
Recipe by myai
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