This Cranberry Almond Cake Recipe is great for the holidays! Especially when paired with Champagne frosting! A great alternative to a pie or cookie recipe. And it is easy to incorporate cranberries into your dessert by using cranberry sauce!
For the cranberry sauce in this recipe I used a can that had whole cranberries. I would not recommend using the jellied version. If you don’t want any texture to the cranberries then you can blend it before adding to your cake batter.
As far as the champagne goes, that is up to you! Use whatever brand is your favorite. You can also try any other sparkling wine, or a sparkling mead! I had never heard of mead until I moved to Colorado, and now I am hooked!
If you are looking to make the sugared cranberries for decoration, it is very easy to do. First get a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Place the cranberries in a small mixing bowl and lightly coat with maple syrup. Then coat with sugar and spread them out on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with more sugar if necessary. Let them dry until they have hardened a bit, about 30 minutes to an hour. Then you are ready to decorate with them! And you are able to eat them if you would like, however they will be pretty tart still. The cranberries look very pretty though!
This Cranberry Almond Cake Recipe is definitely affected by altitude. Below should be the high altitude recipe, and at the bottom is the sea level recipe. I hope you enjoy it! Be sure to leave a comment if you try it out or have any questions!
High Altitude Cranberry Almond Cake Recipe
This Cranberry Almond Cake with Champagne Frosting is a great recipe for the holidays! A creative way to use cranberries in your baking that tastes amazing!
Equipment
- Mixer
- Small Mixing Bowl (x2)
- Small Bowl
- Small Sauce Pan
- Spoonula
- Mesh Strainer
- Cake Pans (three 6" or two 8")
- parchment paper
- Cake Strips
- Plastic Wrap (optional)
- Cake boards (optional)
Ingredients
Cranberry Almond Cake
- 5 large eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar minus 2 tbsp
- 1 cup cranberry sauce (I used canned with whole cranberries)
- 3 cups flour plus 3 tbsp
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 tsp avocado oil (to grease cake pans)
- 2 tbsp flour (to flour cake pans)
Champagne Frosting
- 2 cups butter
- 2 bags powdered sugar (16 oz. or about 3 3/4 cups)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup champagne
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Fill one small mixing bowl with water and place the cake strips in it.
- Take out a small bowl and crack all of the eggs into it.
- Measure out your buttermilk and leave it on the counter.
- For the butter, either use room temperature butter or take out of the refrigerator and heat for about 10 seconds. Place it in your mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar to your mixing bowl and wait to mix until you have everything else ready.
- Measure out the cranberry sauce and place by your mixing bowl.
- In the other small mixing bowl, place your mesh strainer over it. Measure out your flour, baking powder and salt into the strainer. Sift until all of it is in the mixing bowl.
- Prepare cake pans by greasing with the avocado oil, and then use approximately 2 tbsp of flour to coat them. After that is finished, cut circles out of parchment paper to fit the bottom of each pan.
- It is now time to start mixing. Cream the butter and the sugar together until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add about half of the eggs and mix until incorporated. Repeat.
- Add in the vanilla and almond extract and mix quickly.
- Add in the cranberry sauce and mix until incorporated.
- Put half of the flour mixture into the batter and mix.
- Pour in the buttermilk and mix until incorporated.
- Add in the rest of the flour mixture and mix until everything is combined. Then mix by hand to really scrape the bowl and make sure everything is mixed together.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared cake pans.
- Wrap the pans with the cake strips and then place into the oven on the middle rack.
- Baking time will depend on your cake pans. Check after 30 minutes for 8" cake pans and 40 minutes for 6" cake pans. Add more time as necessary. Cake is done when it is starting to pull away from the sides and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cook the cake in the pans on a cooking rack for 15 minutes. Then remove from the pans and cool completely.
- Cut off the tops of the cakes to even them out and then either store in the refrigerator or the freezer. Can store in an airtight container or on cake boards and wrapped in plastic wrap.
Champagne Frosting
- In a small sauce pan, add the champagne and bring to a boil.
- Simmer over medium heat until it has been reduced to about 1/2 cup.
- Let is cool and then place in the refrigerator before making the frosting. This can be done ahead of time.
- Make sure your butter is slightly softened and add to your mixing bowl.
- Beat for about a minute. Then add in about 1/3 of a bag of the powdered sugar. Mix until incorporated. Repeat until you have added one bag.
- Add in vanilla extract and 1 tbsp of reduced champagne. Mix until combined.
- Start adding in the second bag of powdered sugar, and repeat until all of it is incorporated.
- Add in 3 tbsp of reduced champagne. Mix until incorporated. Add in another 3 tbsp and mix. If the frosting is too stiff you can add in another tbsp.
- Beat the frosting for a few minutes until it is lighter in texture.
- After you are done with your mixer, quickly hand mix to reduce air pockets.
- Decorate your cake with the frosting, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Cranberry Almond Cake Recipe
This Cranberry Almond Cake with Champagne Frosting is a great recipe for the holidays! A creative way to use cranberries in your baking that tastes amazing!
Equipment
- Mixer
- Small Mixing Bowl (x2)
- Small Bowl
- Small Sauce Pan
- Spoonula
- Mesh Strainer
- Cake Pans (three 6" or two 8")
- parchment paper
- Cake Strips
- Plastic Wrap (optional)
- Cake boards (optional)
Ingredients
Cranberry Almond Cake
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup cranberry sauce (I used canned with whole cranberries)
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 tsp avocado oil (to grease cake pans)
- 2 tbsp flour (to flour cake pans)
Champagne Frosting
- 2 cups butter
- 32 oz. powdered sugar (two 16 oz. bags or about 8 cups)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup champagne
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Fill one small mixing bowl with water and place the cake strips in it.
- Take out a small bowl and crack all of the eggs into it.
- Measure out your buttermilk and leave it on the counter.
- For the butter, either use room temperature butter or take out of the refrigerator and heat for about 10 seconds. Place it in your mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar to your mixing bowl and wait to mix until you have everything else ready.
- Measure out the cranberry sauce and place by your mixing bowl.
- In the other small mixing bowl, place your mesh strainer over it. Measure out your flour, baking powder and salt into the strainer. Sift until all of it is in the mixing bowl.
- Prepare cake pans by greasing with the avocado oil, and then use approximately 2 tbsp of flour to coat them. After that is finished, cut circles out of parchment paper to fit the bottom of each pan.
- It is now time to start mixing. Cream the butter and the sugar together until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add about half of the eggs and mix until incorporated. Repeat.
- Add in the vanilla and almond extract and mix quickly.
- Add in the cranberry sauce and mix until incorporated.
- Put half of the flour mixture into the batter and mix.
- Pour in the buttermilk and mix until incorporated.
- Add in the rest of the flour mixture and mix until everything is combined. Then mix by hand to really scrape the bowl and make sure everything is mixed together.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared cake pans.
- Wrap the pans with the cake strips and then place into the oven on the middle rack.
- Baking time will depend on your cake pans. Check after 30 minutes for 8" cake pans and 40 minutes for 6" cake pans. Add more time as necessary. Cake is done when it is starting to pull away from the sides and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cook the cake in the pans on a cooking rack for 15 minutes. Then remove from the pans and cool completely.
- Cut off the tops of the cakes to even them out and then either store in the refrigerator or the freezer. Can store in an airtight container or on cake boards and wrapped in plastic wrap.
Champagne Frosting
- In a small sauce pan, add the champagne and bring to a boil.
- Simmer over medium heat until it has been reduced to about 1/2 cup.
- Let is cool and then place in the refrigerator before making the frosting. This can be done ahead of time.
- Make sure your butter is slightly softened and add to your mixing bowl.
- Beat for about a minute. Then add in about 1/3 of a bag of the powdered sugar. Mix until incorporated. Repeat until you have added one bag.
- Add in vanilla extract and 1 tbsp of reduced champagne. Mix until combined.
- Start adding in the second bag of powdered sugar, and repeat until all of it is incorporated.
- Add in 3 tbsp of reduced champagne. Mix until incorporated. Add in another 3 tbsp and mix. If the frosting is too stiff you can add in another tbsp.
- Beat the frosting for a few minutes until it is lighter in texture.
- After you are done with your mixer, quickly hand mix to reduce air pockets.
- Decorate your cake with the frosting, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Hi! My name is Laura. I am a self taught baker living at high altitude (8,600ft) in Colorado. I created this blog so I could share my favorite recipes and baking tips that I have learned over the years. I am so glad you have stopped by my site and hope you are inspired to bake!
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