This Cranberry Almond Cake is simple, tender, lightly sweet, and studded with juicy pops of tart cranberries. Almond extract adds a cozy, nostalgic aroma, and the naturally pink cranberry glaze turns this unfussy bake into something special enough for holiday brunch. It’s a simple loaf cake you’ll want to make all season long.
Recipe highlights
- Bright, festive flavor. Tart cranberries, almond extract, and fresh lemon juice & zest give this simple cake tons of bright flavor.
- Naturally pink glaze. The gorgeous glaze is tinted only with cranberry juice for a vibrant pop of natural color.
- Simple to make. Minimal fuss with no layering or frosting required.
- Perfect for winter baking. A great way to use fresh or frozen cranberries during their peak season.
- Holiday-ready. Ideal for brunch, gifting, or bringing to gatherings.
- Easily customizable with citrus, add-ins, or different glazes.
Recipe overview
⏱️ Prep: 10 mins • Bake: 50–60 mins • Total: ~1 hour
🍴 Yield: 1 loaf (8–10 slices)
💪 Skill level: Beginner
😋 Flavor profile: Tart, bright, and lightly sweet with a hint of almond. Pairs well with: Lemon curd, whipped mascarpone, crème fraîche whipped cream, hot cider, holiday brunch spreads.
How to make cranberry almond cake
Find the full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below. Here’s the step-by-step overview so you know exactly what to expect.
- Cream butter: Beat butter until smooth. Rub sugar and lemon zest together until fragrant; combine with butter and cream until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time.
- Mix dry ingredients & wet ingredients: Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) together in a medium bowl. Combine milk, lemon juice, vanilla & almond extracts in a separate container.
- Alternate dry & wet: Add about 1/3 of flour mixture to butter mixture; blend. Add about 1/3 of milk mixture and mix until nearly incorporated. Continue alternating dry ingredients and milk until everything is just blended.
- Add berries: Fold in chopped cranberries, then spread the batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment.
- Bake: Cook until the cranberry loaf is golden and a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let it cool fully before glazing.
- Make cranberry glaze: Whisk powdered sugar & cranberry juice together. The color becomes a stunning, natural pink! Adjust the thickness to your liking and drizzle over the cake.
Pro tips for the best cranberry almond cake
Use fresh or frozen cranberries. No need to thaw frozen berries; add straight from the freezer, folding swiftly & gently into the batter to avoid too much bleeding.
Use 100% cranberry juice. The typical cranberry juice mixtures contain mostly apple juice and will be way too sweet for the glaze. You want to use the pure stuff here. Or make your own!
👩🏻🍳 Make your own cranberry juice for the glaze: Simmer a handful of cranberries over medium heat with a small amount of water until berries burst. Crush them with a fork and strain through a fine meshed sieve. Discard the skins and use the strained juice to make the glaze.
Don’t skip the almond extract. It’s key to the cake’s signature flavor.
Use fresh citrus. The fresh lemon zest & juice adds so much brightness and vibrant flavor to this cake. Swap for orange if you prefer.
Line the pan well. For ease of removal, butter your pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. You can even leave some parchment hanging over two sides of the pan to use as handles for easily lifting the cake out after baking.
Let it cool fully before glazing. Warm cake will melt and absorb the glaze.
Variations & substitutions
Swap orange for the lemon: Substitute the lemon juice & zest for orange. It’s a perfect complement to the cranberries for a slighter sweeter flavor profile.
Skip the almond: If you don’t have almond extract, you can add an additional ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract instead.
Try a different glaze: Mix powdered sugar with lemon or orange juice instead of cranberry for a different finish. This Meyer lemon glaze would be delightful! Or for a richer version, use honey cream cheese glaze.
Milk options: Whole milk contributes to the loaf’s tenderness because it’s higher in fat. I don’t recommend using skim or nonfat milk, but full-fat oat milk or almond milk would work well.
Add almonds: To boost the almond factor and add crunch, fold a cup of chopped toasted almonds into the batter or scatter sliced almonds on top of the glaze.
Serving & storage
Serve cranberry almond cake at room temperature for the best flavor and texture. To dress it up a bit and make it more of a full-on dessert, serve it with a dollop of Crème Fraîche Whipped Cream, Lemon Olive Oil Curd, or Fresh Mango Curd.
Store the cake at room temperature for up to 4 days, tightly wrapped or in an airtight container.
Other simple loaf cakes:
- Gingerbread Lemon Cake
- Huckleberry Cake with Lemon Streusel
- Zucchini Cake with Silky Chocolate Glaze
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
If you make this Cranberry Almond Cake, please let me know what you think! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. Thank you!
Cranberry Almond Cake
Equipment
- 9×5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
Cranberry Almond Cake
- 4 ounces (½ cup) unsalted butter, soft
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries*, chopped
Cranberry Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons cranberry juice**
Instructions
For the cranberry cake:
- Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom and long sides of the pan with parchment paper for easier removal after baking.
- Cream the 4 oz butter until smooth and silky.
- In a small bowl, combine lemon zest and 1 cup sugar. Stir for a few minutes, until lemon releases its natural oils. The sugar will become sticky and fragrant.
- Add lemon sugar to butter and beat until thoroughly mixed.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated.
- Sift dry ingredients (1 ¾ cup flour, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt) together in a medium bowl. Combine ¾ cup milk, 1 tbsp lemon juice, ½ tsp almond and ½ tsp vanilla extract in a separate container.
- Add about ⅓ of flour mixture to butter mixture; blend. Add about ½ of milk mixture and mix until nearly incorporated. Continue alternating dry ingredients and milk until everything is just blended.
- Fold in 1 ½ cups chopped cranberries.
- Pour cake batter into the prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes.
- Allow to cool for about 20 minutes. While still just slightly warm, invert cake onto a cooling rack. Allow to finish cooling completely.
For the cranberry glaze:
- Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tbsp cranberry juice together thoroughly. Adjust thickness if necessary by adding a bit more powdered sugar or juice. Glaze should be thick but pourable.
- Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Slice and serve!
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
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