bite of cranberry cake with butter sauce.

Festive Cranberry Cake With Butter Sauce

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Impress your family and friends at gatherings this holiday season when preparing this delicious Cranberry Cake with Butter Sauce. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and savory that will keep everyone coming back for seconds.

slice of cranberry cake on white plate

Are you tired of preparing the same desserts during the holiday season? Do you want to make something different that everyone can enjoy and will likely rave over for months on end? If this sounds good to you, you’re in the right place because this Cranberry Cake with Warm Butter Sauce is incredibly unique, absolutely delicious, and everything you could possibly want in a dessert. Imagine waking up to this cake on Christmas morning, you can toss healthy eating right out the window.  If you’re a fan of cake, try our Chocolate Layered Ding Dong Cake, or Raspberry and cream cake roll.

What Is Cranberry Cake?

Cranberry cake is a sweet and savory dessert consisting of fresh or frozen cranberries mixed with sugar, flour, and butter and served with a flavorful butter sauce. The butter sauce consists of just a few simple ingredients, including butter, salt, vanilla, sugar, and a bit of half-n-half, all of which make this dessert even better than you can imagine. So, what are you waiting for? Get ready to slice into a little piece of heaven when you make this dish. Another tasty cranberry dish is this Cranberry Cookies Recipe.

Why You’ll Love the Cranberry Cake with Warm Butter Sauce

  • It’s a unique dessert that will keep you coming back for seconds and even thirds.
  • The sweet and tangy taste of the cranberries pairs perfectly with the warm homemade butter sauce.
  • Although, perfect for dessert during holiday gatherings with family, this Cranberry Cake with Butter Sauce can be enjoyed at any time throughout the year.
  • Can be made ahead, frozen and taken out for last minute holiday guests.

Equipment Suggested

Ingredients

**All ingredients and measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

  • Cranberries – Can use fresh or frozen but fresh cranberries will taste best.
  • Butter – Use real butter for the best flavor.
  • Sugar – Use granulated sugar.
ingredients for cranberry cake
ingredients for butter sauce

Recipe Notes for Homemade Cranberry Cake with Butter Sauce

  • Use a non-stick pan for this recipe. If you don’t have a non-stick pan, take the time to grease your pan well enough to prevent the cake from sticking and turning into a big mess.
  • Combine your dry ingredients first, followed by the wet ingredients. When adding your cranberries, whether fresh or frozen, avoid overmixing. You want them to still be in whole pieces for this recipe.
  • After you’ve prepared the butter sauce, allow it to cool down a bit until it’s no longer hot and is only warm. Once it’s warm, serve it with a fresh slice of this cake. Don’t add the sauce to your cake too soon in advance because then the cake can get soggy, which alters the texture of it.

Substitutions and Additions

  • Add in some grated orange zest to the batter and or the butter sauce.
  • Chopped nuts, raisins or dried cherries make a tasty addition.

Storing and Freezing

Cranberry Cake with Butter Sauce can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 5 days.  Store the cake and butter sauce separate to avoid sogginess.

This dessert can be frozen for up to 3 months.  Slice and freeze in an airtight container.  When ready to eat, allow to thaw before serving.  It’s best to make the warm butter sauce fresh when ready to serve as butter tends to separate when frozen.

Cranberry Cake With Butter Sauce FAQs

Which is better to use in this recipe, fresh, or frozen cranberries?

While fresh is always best, don’t hesitate to use frozen cranberries if they’re more affordable or easier to find. I prefer to use fresh cranberries, but you can use whatever you want. 

What other toppings can you add to this unique cake?

Hot butter sauce, whipping cream, tart cranberries or just a bad of cranberries, fresh fruit, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

How to Make Cranberry Cake With Warm Butter Sauce

**Complete instructions in recipe card below.

  • Sift dry ingredients.
  • Pour in melted buter and milk.
  • Stir in cranberries.
  • Bake
  • Heat sauce ingredients.
  • Serve with cake.
mix dry ingredients in bowl
Combine dry ingredients.
add melted butter and milk to dry ingredients.
Add melted butter and milk.
add cranberries to batter.
Stir in cranberries.
cranerry cake batter in pan.
Spread batter into pan and bake.
baked cranberry cake.
Baked cranberry cake.
heat butter sauce.
Heat butter sauce ingredients.
bite of cranberry cake with butter sauce.
Cranberry Cake with Butter Sauce.
three slices of cranberry cake on a white plate with a ramkin of warm butter sauce

Cranberry Cake With Butter Sauce

Sweet cake with tart cranberries served with a warm butter sauce
Print Pin Rate
Course: cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cranberry,cake,butter sauce,holiday
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 202kcal

Ingredients

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • tablespoon butter melted
  • 1 cup cranberries

Sauce

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup halff and half
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375℉
  • Sift together all the dry ingredients.
  • Pour in the melted butter and milk to the dry mixture and stir until well combined, but do not over mix.
  • Stir in the cranberries and pour into a 9”round cake pan that is well-greased or a non-stick pan.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Sauce

  • Place all the ingredients into a medium size saucepan and bring to a low boil for 5 minutes.
  • Allow to cool and serve with the cake.

Notes

 Do not add sauce until ready to serve or serve it on the side to prevent cake from getting soggy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 35mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 142IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg

If you try this recipe, please come back and let us know how you like it.

bite of cranberry cake with butter sauce

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