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Cranberry Christmas Cake (Gluten-Free)

This gluten-free cranberry Christmas cake is a beautifully festive, sweet-tart cake made with loads of cranberries and balanced by a buttery, dense cake.

Gluten-Free Cranberry Christmas Cake Recipe

This beautiful gluten-free cranberry Christmas cake is wintry celebratory perfection. This is a buttery, sweet-tart cake based on a Williams Sonoma recipe I have made for years. It’s the ideal holiday party dessert.

The cake base is composed of a simple and lovely trifecta of gluten-free flours in equal amounts: oat, almond, and sweet white rice flours (easy substitution swaps are found below the recipe). The final result is a wonderful, sturdy butter cake topped with juicy cranberries.

Though intended as an upside-down cake, on the first recipe test the cranberries did not stay perfectly at the bottom of the cake — some trickled down into the cake, which did not result in the solid, beautiful cranberry pink-red top I remembered. On the second test, they stayed put. I mention this because you might experience both occurrences; each is delicious.

A slice of cranberry cake

Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Cranberry Cake

During the winter season, make the most of cranberries! I love this cake because it’s sweet, simple, and simple to make gluten-free.

  • Cranberries. Loads of juicy, tart cranberries make this cake truly stand out.
  • Festive color. Again, those cranberries make an impact! This is an especially lovely cake to serve during the winter months when cranberries are in season.
  • Simplicity of ingredients. Just three gluten-free flours are needed to make gluten-free cranberry Christmas cake, along with good quality butter, eggs, and whole milk.
Gluten-free cranberry cake on a plate.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Gluten-Free Cranberry Christmas Cake

Here’s a glance at everything you’ll find in this gluten-free cranberry cake. The full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Butter – I always use unsalted butter in my baking.
  • Granulated sugar
  • Cranberries – You can use fresh or frozen cranberries.
  • Oat flour – This delicious whole grain gluten-free flour makes cakes fluffy and is naturally gluten-free.
  • Almond flour – Choose almond flour rather than almond meal.
  • Sweet white rice flour – This starchy flour works as a wonderful binder in gluten-free cakes.
  • Baking powder – To help the cake rise.
  • Salt – My favorite salt for cooking and baking is fine sea salt.
  • Eggs – Use large eggs.
  • Milk – Whole milk gives the cake a nice richness.
  • Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract will give the best flavor!

How to Make Cranberry Christmas Cake

  1. Make topping: Melt butter and sugar, then pour into a cake pan. Scatter the cranberries over the top.
  2. Mix dry ingredients: Whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Cream butter: Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs.
  4. Combine: Add in the flour, alternating with the milk.
  5. Bake: Smooth the batter over the cranberries and bake for 30-35 until set.
Gluten-free cranberry cake and candles.

Tips for Success

Here are a few tips that will help you to make this lovely cake:

  • Rest the batter – Let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes before baking. Oat flour benefits from a rest to let it absorb liquids.
  • Use room temperature ingredients – Bring ingredients to room temperature before using.
  • Oat flour substitute – Swap sorghum or millet flour.
  • Almond flour substitute – Try teff flour or another finely ground nut flour.
  • Sweet white rice flour substitute – try arrowroot or tapioca flour.
  • Make dairy-free – Sub your preferred non-dairy milk for the milk and use coconut oil or your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter.
  • To make refined sugar-free – Use coconut sugar or maple sugar.

Serving Suggestions

I love eating this cake cold and straight from the fridge! But of course you can do more. Here are a few suggestions for how to serve gluten-free cranberry Christmas cake:

  • Whipped cream – Cranberry Christmas cake is divine served with piles of homemade, softly whipped cream! You can leave it unsweetened or add a little sugar.
  • Ice cream – Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of slices of cranberry Christmas cake.
  • Coffee – It’s perfectly acceptable to serve cranberry cake as a mid-morning snack along with a strong, hot cup of coffee.
  • Tea – Or, serve cranberry Christmas cake for afternoon tea!

How to Store

Store cranberry Christmas cake well-wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve at room temperature.

More Holiday Recipes


A slice of cranberry cake

Gluten-Free Cranberry Cake

Nicole Spiridakis
This gluten-free cranberry Christmas cake is a beautifully festive, sweet-tart cake made with loads of cranberries and balanced by a buttery, dense cake.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10
Calories 354 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ pound cranberries
  • ½ cup gluten-free oat flour (70 grams)
  • ½ cup almond flour (70 grams)
  • ½ cup sweet white rice flour (70 grams)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs large, lightly beaten
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • To make the topping, butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment. Put the butter and sugar a heavy bottom skillet in the and place the pan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved. Pour into the prepared pan and scatter the cranberries over the butter-sugar mixture. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
  • In a large bowl and using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the butter is lighter in color, about 45 seconds. Then add sugar in a steady stream and scrape down the bowl again. Continue to mix on medium speed until the mixture is very light in color and texture, about 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Slowly pour in the eggs a little at a time, and beat very well for about 2 minutes.
  • Combine the vanilla and milk in a small bowl or measuring cup.
  • With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in four doses, alternating with the milk in three doses. Scrape down the sides of the bowl in between additions.
  • Pour the batter carefully on top of the cranberries in the cake pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Let the batter rest while the oven heats.
  • Then place the cake in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges are starting to come away a bit from the sides of the pan.
  • Remove cake from the oven and set on a rack to cool for 30 minutes then turn out onto rack and peel off the parchment if necessary to finish cooling completely.
  • Cake will keep, in an air-tight container in the fridge, for up to 5 days. Serve at room temperature, although cold, straight from the fridge, is also delicious.

Notes

Oat flour substitute — swap sorghum or millet flour.
Almond flour substitute — try teff flour or another finely ground nut flour.
Sweet white rice substitute — try arrowroot or tapioca flour.
Whole milk substitute — sub your preferred non-dairy milk.
Butter substitute — swap for an equal amount of coconut oil or your favorite non-dairy butter.
Maple sugar substitute — use regular cane sugar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 354kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 3gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 163mgPotassium: 87mgFiber: 2gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 511IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Let me know in the comments how it went!

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