This easy apple cranberry cake is comprised of scratch with recent cranberries, apples, and pantry staples. With simply 20 minutes of prep time and 50 minutes of baking (with minimal hands-on effort), it’s the right vacation cake to make for Thanksgiving or Christmas! Serve it with a dusting of powdered sugar, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It may possibly simply be modified to be gluten-free and dairy-free!
Why you will adore it
- Fast and straightforward prep. With simply 20 minutes of prep and 50 minutes of idle baking time, this apple cranberry cake is easy to make—no mixer wanted! It options easy, healthful substances with none synthetic colours, glazes, or frostings.
- Perfect vacation dessert. This recipe is ideal for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or Christmas gatherings, because it showcases festive substances like apples and recent cranberries which can be certain to impress household and mates. I additionally suggest these 2 truffles for the vacations: apple pumpkin bundt cake or the gorgeous cranberry apple pecan bundt cake.
- Tart-sweet taste combo. Made with recent cranberries and apples, this cake has a balanced tart-sweet taste, with simply the correct quantity of sugar to melt the cranberries’ tanginess.
- Versatile recipe. There are many methods to customise this cake! Attempt swapping cranberries for raspberries or blueberries and utilizing pears as an alternative of apples. It additionally works nicely in several baking pans, like a 9×3-inch springform, and even an 11- or 12-inch forged iron skillet.
The substances and substitutions
- Flour – Use common all-purpose or cake flour. This cake could be made gluten-free; I’ve examined it with each Bob’s Crimson Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and King Arthur’s gluten-free measure-for-measure flour.
- Baking Powder – Guarantee it’s recent to assist the cake rise correctly.
- Butter – I used melted salted butter, so no further salt was added. Soften it briefly within the microwave. It’s also possible to use a impartial vegetable oil instead.
- Sugar – Common granulated white sugar.
- Eggs – They supply construction and texture to the cake.
- Vanilla – Each actual vanilla extract and imitation vanilla work nicely.
- Greek Yogurt – Provides moisture and a refined tang. You may substitute bitter cream, plain yogurt, or buttermilk.
- Cranberries – I used 2 cups of recent, uncooked cranberries. In the event that they’re unavailable, you possibly can swap in raspberries or blueberries.
- Apple – I used 1 massive, peeled, and thinly sliced apple. Select apples which can be agency and never overly ripe to make sure they maintain their form throughout baking and don’t flip to mush. My favourite candy apple varieties that I take advantage of on a regular basis are Fuji, Envy, Gala, and Honeycrisp.
Methods to make apple cranberry cake
Listed below are step-by-step photographs and an outline of the directions. For full recipe particulars, scroll to the recipe card under.
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9×3-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease it with butter or cooking spray.
2) Put together the batter. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. In a big bowl, whisk collectively the sugar, melted butter, and eggs till gentle and fluffy. Add Greek yogurt and vanilla, mixing till simply mixed. Regularly add the flour combination, stirring till clean. Fold in 1 cup of cranberries.
3) Pour the batter into the ready pan. Organize thinly sliced apples in a round sample on prime, with cranberries positioned between. See my photographs for reference.
4) Bake for 50-60 minutes, till a toothpick comes out clear.
5) Enable the cake to chill for about Half-hour earlier than releasing it from the pan. Mud with powdered sugar, prime with whipped cream or ice cream, and serve!
Methods to make this cake gluten-free
This recipe has been efficiently examined with each Bob’s Crimson Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour; both can be utilized as a direct 1-to-1 substitute with out some other adjustments. If the batter appears too thick, add an additional ¼ cup of Greek yogurt. Observe that utilizing gluten-free flour could require a barely longer bake time. For greatest outcomes, I like to recommend baking the cake in a cast-iron skillet when utilizing gluten-free flour.
Methods to make it dairy-free
- Exchange the ½ cup of butter (4 oz) with ½ cup of neutral-flavored oil, like gentle olive oil, avocado oil, or canola oil.
- Swap the 1 cup of Greek yogurt for a dairy-free possibility, similar to unsweetened almond or cashew milk yogurt. Alternatively, you need to use 1 cup of sunshine olive oil or one other cooking oil rather than the yogurt.
Baking dish choices
- 9×3-inch springform pan – Excellent for simple launch and that is the pan I used.
- 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet – Yields golden-brown, crispy edges and a mushy, moist middle on account of even heating.
- 9×13 rectangular pan – Pour the batter right into a greased pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or till a toothpick comes out clear.
- 12-cup muffin pan – Flip this apple cranberry cake into muffins or cupcakes! Combine all cranberries and apples into the batter, fill every cup ⅔ full, and bake for 20-Half-hour, checking with a toothpick.
Storage suggestions
- Room temperature. Preserve the cake at room temperature for the primary 48 hours. Let it cool utterly, then cowl loosely with parchment paper or foil, permitting air circulation. It is best loved inside this time.
- Refrigerate. After 48 hours, switch to the fridge for as much as 3 days, saved in an hermetic container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or a freezer bag.
- Freezing. As soon as totally cooled, freeze the cake inside 2 days of baking. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. It is going to maintain for as much as 2 months.
Different truffles for Thanksgiving and Christmas
- The Finest Apple Cake
- Cranberry Apple Pecan Bundt Cake
- Apple Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Simple Apple Squares
- Apple Blueberry Cake
Apple Cranberry Cake
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Elements
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or baking flour, sifted or aerated (see be aware under)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 oz salted butter melted (½ cup)
- 2 massive eggs
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt low-fat
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups recent cranberries
- 1 massive apple (peeled and cored) – select candy, agency apples like Fuji, Gala, Envy, or Honeycrisp.
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). In case your oven has a convection setting, use a convection bake setting. Line the underside of the 9×3-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the edges and the underside of the springform pan with butter or cooking spray.
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In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder.
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In a big bowl, mix granulated sugar, melted butter, and eggs, and beat utilizing a whisk for about 1 or 2 minutes till the combination turns gentle in colour, clean (not grainy), and fluffy.
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Combine in Greek yogurt and vanilla extract, and whisk simply till mixed.
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Add the flour combination step by step, whisking 1 cup of flour at a time with the moist substances till mixed. Don’t over-mix.
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Fold in 1 cup of recent cranberries into the batter.
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Pour the cake batter into the parchment paper-lined springform pan. Organize thinly sliced apple slices in a round sample on prime, with the remaining 1 cup of cranberries positioned between.
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Place the springform pan with the cake batter on the center rack—particularly in non-convection ovens. Bake for about 45–50 minutes, or till a tester or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clear. If not completed, proceed baking in 5-minute increments, checking every time. I used a convection setting and baked for precisely 45 minutes at 350°F, leading to a totally baked, properly browned cake. In a daily oven, it could take a bit longer, about 1 hour at 350°F.
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Take away the cake from the oven and let it cool within the springform pan on a wire rack. After about Half-hour, launch the cake from the pan. As soon as it is cool sufficient, you possibly can rigorously slide your hand or a big spatula underneath the cake, between the parchment paper and the cake, and switch it onto a cake plate, discarding the parchment paper.
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When serving, mud with powdered sugar.
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I present useful step-by-step photographs above the recipe card (scroll up).
Notes
Methods to measure flour appropriately with cups:
To measure flour correctly utilizing measuring cups, first sift or aerate the flour by fluffing it up and whisking it. Then, spoon the flour into the measuring cup, avoiding scooping straight from the bag. As soon as crammed, use a knife to degree off any extra. Should you merely scoop the flour from the bag, you will find yourself with extra flour than the recipe requires, which might result in a dry cake batter. Be sure you aerate the flour to get the suitable consistency!
What baking pans can you utilize?
- I used a 9×3-inch spherical springform pan, lining the underside with parchment paper for a cleaner launch.
- It’s also possible to use a 9×13-inch rectangular baking pan—grease the pan, pour the cake batter in, and bake for about 40 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clear.
- For muffins or cupcakes, use a 12-cup muffin pan. Fold all 2 cups of cranberries and sliced apples into the batter and fill the muffin cups about ⅔ full. Bake for 20 to Half-hour, or till a toothpick inserted comes out clear.
- A ten-inch or 12-inch spherical high-sided cast-iron skillet offers you crispy, golden-brown edges with a mushy and moist middle.
Different notes
- Make it gluten-free. This recipe has been examined with Bob’s Crimson Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, and you too can use King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure flour. If utilizing these flours, you could want so as to add an extra ¼ cup of Greek yogurt if the batter is just too thick.
- Greek yogurt could be substituted with plain kefir, common yogurt, buttermilk, or bitter cream. Nonetheless, I extremely suggest utilizing plain kefir or Greek yogurt for his or her gentle texture and nice tang.
Diet
