Cranberry Cake
Fresh cranberries and sour cream combined together in this delicious cake and topped with milk chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Ganache
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup milk cream
For Topping
- ¼ cup cranberries, coated in 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a square baking tray with butter and dust with flour.
- In a mixing bowl sprinkle, some dry flour on to the cranberries and set-aside.
- In another mixing bowl sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder.
- Beat sugar and butter in a bowl until soft and pale in colour. Stir in sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture to the sour cream one in two batches. Stir in cranberries and gently fold in to combine.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking tray and bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until checked by skewer
- Remove the cake and cool completely before frosting.
For ganache
- In a saucepan start cooking the cream for few minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Mix with the spatula until smooth.
- Pour the ganache over the cake into the baking tray. Let it set in the refrigerator.
- Top with the sugar coated cranberries.
- Slice into desired shape and serve.
Notes
• Use fresh cranberries for best flavor
Fresh cranberries hold their shape beautifully during baking and give the cake bright, tart pops in every bite. Frozen cranberries work too, but don’t thaw them — add straight into the batter to avoid streaking.• Flouring the cranberries prevents sinking
Tossing the berries in a bit of flour gives them grip in the batter and keeps them evenly distributed rather than sinking to the bottom.• Don’t overmix the batter
Once the dry ingredients go in, mix gently. Overmixing develops gluten, which can make the cake dense instead of soft and tender.• Make sure the butter is softened
Soft butter creams better with sugar and traps more air, giving the cake its light texture. Cold butter will give you a denser, heavier crumb.• Cool the cake completely before adding ganache
Even a slightly warm cake will cause the ganache to melt into the surface. Let it cool fully for that smooth, shiny top layer.• Adjust ganache consistency if needed
If the ganache feels too thick, add a splash more warm cream.If it feels too thin, add a few additional chocolate chips and stir until melted.
• For a stronger chocolate flavor
Use 70–75% dark chocolate instead of regular chocolate chips. The bitterness pairs wonderfully with tart cranberries.• Want a lighter cake?
Replace half the sour cream with plain yogurt. It will be slightly fluffier and less rich.• Add orange zest for extra holiday flavor
Cranberry + orange is a classic Christmas pairing. A teaspoon or two of freshly grated orange zest brightens the whole cake.• A little vanilla goes a long way
Don’t skip the vanilla — it ties together the tangy, sweet, and chocolatey notes.• Storage
- The cake keeps 3–4 days in the fridge.
- Leave at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving for the softest texture.
- It also freezes well (before ganache). Wrap tightly, freeze up to 2 months.
• Presentation tip
For clean cuts through the ganache, dip your knife in warm water and wipe dry between each slice.• Holiday variation ideas
- Add chopped toasted pecans or walnuts to the batter.
- Top with white chocolate drizzle for a “snowy” look.
- Sprinkle crushed candy canes over the ganache for a festive crunch.
Tried this recipe?Mention @Behlsapana or tag #cookingwithsapana!