It feels weird posting a cake with a Christmasy title in May, but here we are. Many people think of cranberries as a seasonal, holiday time ingredient, but I refuse to accept that. As the season for fresh cranberries ends, you will find me in the grocery store, taking full advantage of the sale prices and buying up bags of them to freeze.
And so, here we are in May, me craving something cranberry, and going into the ol’ Pinterest archives into my list of things to try, and I pulled up this cranberry Christmas cake from Barefeet in the Kitchen.
This cake is so much like a coffee cake, a little less dense (because of the method of whipping the eggs and sugar together for so long) and it is absolute heaven. The sweet cake with the bursts of tart cranberries– Yes, it definitely screams Christmas, and I’m sure I will make it again in the fall, but who doesn’t enjoy a little holiday cheer in May?
I may even put on a Christmas carol and have a slice of it with a cup of tea this afternoon. But after that, it has to go. I will eat it all, so it is going to work with my husband tomorrow.
Enjoy!
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. (The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step.) This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.
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Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.
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Spread in a greased 9×13 pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into small slices. Enjoy!
Rumbly in my Tumbly 
why no baking powder or soda in this cake?
Hi Jena,
Whipping up the eggs and sugar for so long is the substitute for leveners in this recipe. It’s actually a very light fluffy cake without them.