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A piece of yellow cake with cranberries on a plate.

Cranberry Butter Cake with Warm Vanilla Sauce

This Cranberry Christmas Cake with Warm Vanilla Sauce is an easy cranberry dessert that combines the rich flavors of moist cake, tart cranberries, and hints of warm spices.
Servings: 12 servings
Chef Alli
4.91 from 10 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients
 

For the Cake

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups fresh cranberries

For the Vanilla Sauce

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup whipping cream or half-and-half
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract, if using bourbon instead of vanilla, I typically add 1 Tbs. bourbon

Instructions
 

Make the Cranberry Butter Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
  • Sift the flour into a mixing bowl; gently stir in the baking powder and salt.
    In a separate mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the melted butter and sugar until well blended. Add the eggs, beating again.
  • Alternately add the milk and the dry ingredients, beating after each addition. Using a spatula, fold in the fresh cranberries.
  • Transfer the prepared cake batter to the prepared baking pan, smoothing the batter.
  • Bake the cake, uncovered, on the center rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven, letting it cool slightly.

To Make Cranberry Butter Cake in a Bundt Pan

  • Follow the instructions as above for making the cake batter. Spray a bundt pan well with non-stick spray, then spoon the prepared cake batter into the greased pan.
    Bake the cake, uncovered, on the center rack of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
    Remove the cake from the oven, letting it cool completely. When the cake is fully cooled, use a knife to loosen the edges of the bundt cake, then flip the cake pan over onto a cake stand or serving platter, then remove the bundt pan. Serve the slices of bundt cake with the warm vanilla sauce.

Make the Vanilla Sauce

  • Meanwhile, make the vanilla sauce by combining all the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the sauce begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium, simmering for 10-12 minutes, whisking constantly, making sure the sauce doesn’t boil over.
    Remove the sauce from the heat, letting it thicken as it cools a bit.

Serve the Cake

  • Pour the hot sauce over the top of the cake as soon as it's removed from the oven. Or, keep the sauce separate and warm over low heat, pouring it over individual pieces of cake as they are served.

Notes

Tips for Making Cranberry Butter Cake with Warm Vanilla Sauce 
  • Don’t over bake the cake. Over baking can cause your cake to be dry and crumbly. Bake the cake just until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  • If you are planning to serve this cake to a large group of people who will be eating the majority of the cake at one sitting, pour the sauce over the entire cake immediately after it comes out of the oven. This will ensure that the cake has a very moist and rich texture since the sauce will seal in all the residual heat and moisture from the hot cake. (Once the sauce has been poured over the entire cake, you’ll want to eat it within 2-3 hours; following that time frame, the cake can become too soggy.)
  • If your guests will be eating this cake a few pieces at a time, say all throughout the afternoon or evening, keep the sauce separate in a small pitcher or saucepan so guests can pour it over their piece of cake as desired.
  • Be sure to sift the flour before you add the other ingredients, this keeps the texture of the cake nice and light.
  • If you especially enjoy this cake made with cranberries, be sure to stock up on fresh cranberries throughout the holiday season during November and December. You can toss the fresh cranberries into a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 532kcalCarbohydrates: 70gProtein: 4gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 320mgPotassium: 93mgFiber: 1gSugar: 52gVitamin A: 934IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 1mg
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