Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake Recipe || 7 Easy Steps To Make

Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake Recipe is the perfect dessert for a holiday party. The cake is wonderfully moist with a thin lemon glaze icing. It is sweet and tart, just like Christmas.

This Cranberry Pound Cake recipe will make a great addition to your Christmas table this year. It is a moist and delicious cake that you can be proud to bring to any holiday party.

It is made with fresh cranberries that add a bright festive flavor and red tint to the icing.

This Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake recipe makes an attractive centrepiece cake if you frost it with white icing or place the cranberries on top of the cake without frosting it and then decorate it.

How To Make a Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake Recipe?

Preparation Time: 30 min

Bake Time: 1 hour 5 min

Total Time: 1 hour 35 min

Serve: 12 Servings

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 sticks softened unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Frosting:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 5 oz. cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, or more to make it thick enough to spread on top of the cake
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

• 1/4 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted, poured over the cake.

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch round pan with parchment paper and lightly grease the sides with oil.

Step 2: Sift flour and salt together in a large bowl, then stir in butter until the mixture is crumbly and resembles a fine meal. Stir in sugar, vanilla, and eggs.

Step 3: Using an electric mixer, beat until well combined and a paddle attachment is no longer lumpy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add cranberries to the batter, and fold through very gently so that some cranberries remain whole.

Step 4: Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.

Step 5: Bake for 1 hour and 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Step 6: Cool completely before frosting with cream cheese mixture and then with powdered sugar mixture by either piping or spreading on top of the cake.

Step 7: Drizzle melted white chocolate over the cake.

Topping:

Step 1: Mix cranberries, pecans, and white chocolate chips in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 2: Frost your cake and then sprinkle reserved topping over the cake using a fork.

Nutrition Information:

• Calories: 415
• Fat: 26g
• Cholesterol: 76mg
• Sodium: 422mg
• Carbohydrates: 42g
• Protein: 6g
• Dietary Fiber: 0g

Health Benefits Of Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake Recipe

Eating cranberries and other foods rich in antioxidants may reduce the risk of developing several types of cancer. Cranberries may also help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels.

Dark chocolate has high levels of flavonoids, a group of nutrients that act as antioxidants and may be good for your heart and brain health.

Can I Use Less Sugar In This Christmas Cranberry Cake?

You can make a less sweet cake by cutting down on the sugar in this Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake recipe. Try to use as much pure maple syrup as possible.

You can also try using less butter and just using pure unsalted butter in this cake instead.

This Cranberry cake will taste great without frosting, and you can decorate it with fresh cranberries instead of chocolate chips.

Why Is My Cranberry Pound Cake Dry?

You might notice that your cranberry pound cake is dry when it is not fully cooked.  This could happen if your oven runs hot and your pound cake doesn’t cook through.

Pound cakes can usually handle some moisture well, so the fact that the cake is dry may not be an issue.

Why Is My Cranberry Pound Cake So Dense?

If your cranberry pound cake is too dense, it probably contains too much flour. The flour absorbs all of the fruit’s moisture and prevents all fruit juice from being incorporated into the batter.

Denser pound cakes are often better for making a glaze or crumb topping.

If you want to make a crumb topping on your cranberry pound cake, use about half as much flour as you would for your standard cranberry pound cake recipe.

Can You Freeze Cranberry Pound Cake?

You can freeze cranberry pound cake after it has cooled. Just wrap it well in aluminium foil or plastic wrap and put it in a freezer bag.

When you want to eat the cranberry pound cake, either thaw it overnight in the fridge or leave it at room temperature for an hour.

Then you can frost the cake and enjoy!

Storage: This Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake recipe can be stored for up to 3 days at room temperature, refrigerated for about a week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Can You Use Dried Cranberries Instead Of Fresh Cranberries?

Yes, instead of fresh cranberries, you can use dried cranberries instead. You can also use equal parts of both.

If you are using dried cranberries, I suggest adding them to the flour mixture and not mixing them with the wet ingredients because they tend to absorb a lot of moisture when added directly to the liquid ingredients and will cause your cake batter to be too dry.

Can This Cake Be Made Without Whole Wheat Flour?

Yes, this cake can be made without whole wheat flour.

You will have to adjust the number of eggs and amount of flour with your favourite white or all-purpose flour.

Why Are My Berries Sinking To The Bottom Of My Cranberry Pound Cake?

This is caused by over-mixing your batter. Be careful not to over-mix it after adding the cranberries and chocolate chips; stir gently until they are blended in.

Conclusion

Cranberry Pound Cake – Based on the classic pound cake recipe I have used for years, this Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake recipe is simple and tastes wonderful.

The homemade cranberries add a fruity tang to the cake we all love, with a potent antioxidant benefit promoting good health. 

This Cranberry Pound Cake is one of my favourite cakes at Christmas because it’s so festive and easy to make and a wonderful gift that everyone can enjoy.

I hope you enjoy this easy Cranberry Christmas Pound Cake recipe with Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze.

If you are bored with traditional fruit cake, try this recipe, the whole family will love it.

Make sure that you check out our other favourite dessert recipes before you leave!