Cranberry Orange Cake

Cranberry orange cake pairs soft and fluffy cake layers with a bright cranberry filling and orange-infused frosting. It's perfectly balanced, impressive, and SO festive for fall and winter holidays!

Recipe includes a how-to video!

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 22

Chilling Time 30

Total Time 1 27

Servings servings

Calories 767kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake

6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter softened
2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
⅔ cup (160 ml) neutral cooking oil (avocado, canola, or vegetable oil)
1 Tablespoon orange zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups (345 g) all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (235 ml) buttermilk room temperature preferred
6 large egg whites room temperature preferred

Cranberry Filling

⅔ cup (135 g) granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons (38 g) brown sugar firmly packed
½ cup (120 ml) orange juice
¼ cup (60 ml) water
2 cups (226 g) fresh or frozen cranberries rinsed

Frosting

8 oz (226 g) brick style cream cheese, softened
½ cup (113 g) salted butter softened
2 Tablespoons orange zest
5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon orange juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cake

Preheat your oven to 350F (175C) and lightly grease and flour four 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, (or in your stand mixer with a paddle attachment) use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and creamy.
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Add sugar, oil, and orange zest and beat until well combined.
2 cups granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon orange zest, ⅔ cup neutral cooking oil
Stir in vanilla extract.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the batter, starting and ending with the flour mixture (I add the flour in 4 parts and the buttermilk in 3). Stir until just combined after each addition.
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup buttermilk
Pour egg whites to a separate (completely clean, dry, and grease-free) mixing bowl (do not use a silicone, rubber, or plastic bowl). Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed until foamy, then gradually increase speed to high and continue to beat until you reach stiff peaks (opaque white, thick, voluminous, and hold their peak when the beater is lifted).
6 large egg whites
Add the whipped egg whites to the cake batter and use a spatula to gently fold the egg whites into batter until thoroughly combined, but just combined (don’t overdo it but you do not want to have any streaks of egg white remaining).
Divide batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Bake 2 cake pans at a time in preheated 350F (175C) oven for 20-24 minutes or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. I usually begin my cranberry filling once the cakes are baking.
Allow cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge and carefully inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely before assembling.

Filling

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine sugars, orange juice, and water over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved.
⅔ cup granulated sugar, 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, ½ cup orange juice, ¼ cup water
Once sugar has dissolved, add cranberries and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer, stirring frequently, until the berries have burst and the mixture has thickened to a jam-like consistency (note that the sauce will thicken as it cools). Time may vary, usually takes about 7-10 minutes on my stovetop but may take longer. Be careful, as the berries pop they can splatter and the mixture is hot!
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend mixture until smooth.
Pour mixture into a heat-proof bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool while you prepare the frosting.

Frosting

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to stir together cream cheese, butter, and orange zest until smooth and creamy.
8 oz brick style cream cheese, softened, ½ cup salted butter, 2 Tablespoons orange zest
Gradually add powdered sugar, about 1 cup (125g) at a time, until all sugar is combined. Be sure to use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the sugar.
5 cups powdered sugar
Gradually stir in orange juice followed by vanilla extract until well combined.
½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 Tablespoon orange juice

Assembly

Once cakes and filling have cooled completely (very important or assembly will be a mess, trust me!), assemble and decorate the cakes. If cakes are uneven, you may wish to level them using a cake leveler (I link to mine in the equipment section below, an inexpensive and handy tool if you make a lot of cakes and your oven makes the layers uneven).
Place your first cake layer on your cake platter and fill a large piping bag fitted with an open tip (I like the 1A) with the frosting.
Pipe a border around the inside edge of a cake layer to form a dam to hold the cranberry sauce.
You will have 4 layers of cake and 3 layers of filling. Fill the first dam with ⅓ of your cranberry filling and spread into an even layer. Repeat with the next two cake layers. Add your fourth and final layer of cake and cover the entire cake in a semi-naked covering of the remaining frosting. If you want to be extra, top the cake with sugared cranberries for decoration.
Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.

Video

Notes

Cake flour

You may substitute 3 cups (345g) cake flour for the all-purpose flour called for.

Storing

Cover cake (or store in an airtight container) and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I prefer to let the cake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so before serving, as it’s a bit softer that way.

Nutrition