Cranberry cake has always been synonymous with the Holidays to me. The tart, tangy cranberries are the perfect complement to a creamy, moist cake brightened by citrus. When I couldn't find our family's classic Cranberry Cake recipe I begin testing recipes and played around ingredients to come up with the closest possible resemblance to our family favorite. In my opinion a good Cranberry Cake needs cream cheese. This is truly the Easiest Lemon Cranberry Cake Ever. Only one bowl and no stand mixer needed!
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My Easiest Lemon Cranberry Cake Ever also travels beautifully and is a great gift for neighbors and friends. Just make sure to keep an extra loaf for yourself. It keeps well on the counter and can be enjoyed a slice at a time over the holidays.
Equipment Needed:
1 large mixing bowl
Whisk
Large spoon
2 cup measuring cup
9x5 inch loaf pan or an 11x3 terrine like our family's Le Creuset
Cake Ingredients:
- 2 Cups All purpose flour
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks + an additional tablespoon for greasing the pan
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¾ cup of lemon juice (juice of one lemon with water added )
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 ½ cup whole cranberries
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan or 11x3 terrine pan with the tablespoon of butter
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. (Kids love to help with this!).
Add the chucks of butter and cream cheese into the dry mixture. Use your fingers to break up the pieces into small bits until the batter takes on a grainy texture.
Zest the lemon, set aside. Squeeze the lemon juice into a measuring cup (the 2 cup size at least) and top up with water to reach ¾ of a cup of liquid. Add in the lemon zest and the beaten egg. Mix together.
Pour egg mixture into the dry ingredients and lightly mix together with a spoon. You don't want to mix too much or the batter becomes tough! Fold in the cranberries.
Pour the batter into your loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. (Note if you are cooking in a cast iron terrine reduce cooking time to 50 minutes). Stick a cake tester (or a knife) into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean then the cake is done.
Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then turn the cake out of the pan - running a knife around the pan to loosen the sides - and let cool entirely on a cooling rack.
Serving the Lemon Cranberry Cake
You can choose to glaze this cake to make it look even more festive, but I believe it is sweet enough without it. The Easiest Lemon Cranberry Cake Ever is also the yummiest.
P.S. If you are new at baking - try out my Baguettes for Beginners Recipe - learning to bake baguettes in your own home is a wonderful gift.
Other Recipes You Will Love
The Best Lemon Sugar Crêpes Recipe
How to make Crème Brûlée like a French Chef
FAQS
Both work beautifully, though frozen cranberries are wonderfully convenient and still give you that bright pop of tartness. If using frozen, there's no need to thaw - just toss them in lightly with flour to prevent them from sinking.
Tossing cranberries in a little flour before folding them into the batter helps suspend them evenly. This gentle coating gives each bite a cheerful burst of tart fruit rather than one lonely cluster at the bottom.
The finished cake should be light and tender with a hint of lemon sparkle and juicy cranberry pockets throughout. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with just a crumb or two - never wet batter.
I hope you enjoyed the Cranberry Cake recipe with dark chocolate ganache. Please let me know if you make it, I love to hear from you!
Au plaisir,
Le Chef's Wife
All About Le Chef's Wife
Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (8 and 5) and I run a marketing company and a non-profit in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.
Look inside our Kitchen with this Washington Post Article. We were featured on the TODAY SHOW for our recipes of French Onion Soup Gratinée and Moelleux au Chocolat. You can watch our full segment below.
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Print
Easiest Lemon Cranberry Cake Ever
- Prep Time: 15mins
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 portions 1x
Description
Truly the Easiest Lemon Cranberry Cake Ever! Tart, tangy cranberries are the perfect complement to a creamy, moist cake brightened by citrus.
Ingredients
2 Cups All purpose flour
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
⅓ cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks + an additional tablespoon for greasing the pan
¼ cup cream cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
¾ cup of lemon juice (juice of one lemon with water added)
1 large egg, beaten
1 ½ cup whole cranberries
Instructions
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan or 11x3 terrine pan with the tablespoon of butter
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. (Kids love to help with this!).
Add the chucks of butter and cream cheese into the dry mixture. Use your fingers to break up the pieces into small bits until the batter takes on a grainy texture.
Zest the lemon, set aside. Squeeze the lemon juice into a measuring cup (the 2 cup size at least) and top up with water to reach ¾ of a cup of liquid. Add in the lemon zest and the beaten egg. Mix together.
Pour egg mixture into the dry ingredients and lightly mix together with a spoon. You don't want to mix too much or the batter becomes tough! Fold in the cranberries.
Pour the batter into your loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. (Note if you are cooking in a cast iron terrine like in the photo - reduce cooking time to 50 minutes). Stick a cake tester (or a knife!) into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean then the cake is done.
Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then turn the cake out of the pan - running a knife around the pan to loosen the sides - and let cool entirely on a cooling rack.
You can choose to glaze this cake to make it look even more festive, but I believe it is sweet enough without it.
Mag says
What can I change out the cranberries for?
Puhh Watt says
This lemon cranberry cake is an absolute dream! The recipe was so simple to follow, and the results were incredible—moist, flavorful, and perfectly balanced between tart and sweet. I loved the bright citrusy kick from the lemon paired with the burst of cranberries. It looked beautiful right out of the oven and was a huge hit with my family. Thank you for such a delicious and elegant dessert that didn’t take hours to make!