Ridiculously Easy Orange-Glazed Cranberry Cake
Love EASY, super delicious cakes with a moist, tender, crumb? This one-bowl, no-mixer Orange-Glazed Cranberry Cake is super festive and checks all the boxes!
Servings: 12
Calories: 259kcal
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- finely grated zest of 1 medium orange save the juice for the glaze
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup neutral-flavored oil ie, sunflower, avocado, grape seed, canola, soybean, vegetable oil.
- 1½ cups whole cranberries
For the glaze:
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- ¾ cup of powdered sugar
- sparkling sugar for garnish
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Spray an 8-inch round cake pan generously with baking spray, rub inside surface of pan with a paper towel to cover evenly with the spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper and spray parchment paper lightly. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, sugar, and eggs along with the vanilla and almond extracts. Whisk until well blended. Add the orange zest, baking powder and salt. Whisk again until all baking powder is incorporated.
- Add the flour and stir just until combined. Add the oil and stir well. Don’t worry, at first it will seem to separate, but keep stirring till smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Fold in the cranberries, reserving about 20 for the topping.
- Pour the batter into a prepared pan. Sprinkle the reserved cranberries over the top and gently push them in so just the top is poking out.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (every oven is different, so check with the toothpick test rather than the time). Be careful not to over bake though. The best way to tell if a cake is done is to check the internal temperature with an instant thermometer. The internal temp should be 200-205˚F.
- If the cake seems to be getting too brown but is still not done in the center, remove the cake from the oven. Set the cake on a sheet of foil and bring the foil up around the outer edges of the pan. You can also lightly cover the top with foil to prevent over browning.
For the glaze:
- Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; then turn it out of the pan onto the rack. The bottom of the cake will be facing up at this point. Combine the orange juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and stir with a fork until nice and smooth.
- With a pastry brush, gently pat the glaze all over the bottom (facing up right now) and sides of the cake. Then flip the cake over and brush the top and sides (again) with the remaining glaze. Keep going over the cake till the glaze is gone. Some of it will drip off, but most of it will soak in. Sprinkle the top of the cake with sparkling sugar. Allow cake to cool completely.
Notes
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.
Nutrition
Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 124mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 86IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg