Celebrate the holiday season with this stunning Cranberry Layer Cake—a festive showstopper bursting with bright, tangy flavor and cozy winter spices. Made with soft, tender cake layers, a homemade cranberry filling, silky cream cheese frosting, and sparkling sugared cranberries, this dessert strikes the perfect balance of sweet and tart. It’s an elegant centerpiece for Christmas dinner, holiday parties, and winter gatherings, yet simple enough for any home baker to make. If you’re looking for a holiday cake that delivers bold seasonal flavor, beautiful presentation, and reliable results every time, this Cranberry Layer Cake is guaranteed to impress.
Cranberry Layer Cake
This cake is not only beautiful, but super moist and delicious. It takes about 35 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to bake. From there, a few simple decorations and you’re set for a beautiful Christmas dessert!
What Ingredients Do You Need?
Cake Ingredients:
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Cake flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Allspice
- Ground ginger
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Whole milk
Cranberry Filling Ingredients:
- Frozen (or fresh) cranberries
- Sugar
- Salt
- Water
Simple Syrup Ingredients:
- Water
- Sugar
Frosting Ingredients:
- Cream cheese, softened
- Butter, room temp
- Powdered sugar, packed
- Vanilla extract
Sugared Cranberries:
- Frozen (or fresh) cranberries
- Sugar
- Water
How to Make the Cranberry Layer Cake
To make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 2 – 9” round cake pans, or use nonstick.
In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time until well combined. Add the vanilla and mix.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, and spices).
Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the butter and sugar, starting and ending with the flour until all the ingredients are well combined, but not overmixed.
Divide evenly between the two pans and place in the oven to bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, until a knife comes out cleanly.
Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before flipping the cake out of the pan and allowing to cool completely before assembling.
To make the cranberry filling:
In a medium sized saucepan, place the cranberries, sugar and salt over medium/low heat and cook until the cranberries start to burst. Add the water and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. (Can be made ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator.)
To make the simple syrup:
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat to allow the sugar to dissolve completely. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
To make the frosting:
Using a hand (or stand) mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and mix.
To make the sugared cranberries:
Heat ½ of the sugar with the water until sugar is dissolved and add in the cranberries. Remove from heat and strain off the excess water before rolling the cranberries in the remaining sugar to coat the outside.
How to Assemble the Cranberry Layer Cake
On a plate/cake stand place the first layer flat side up in the center of the plate. Brush the top with half of the simple syrup and then spread the cranberry filling evenly on top.
Place the second layer, flat side down evenly on top of the first layer. Use the remaining simple syrup and brush the top of the cake.
Add the frosting on top, pushing it to the edges to allow it to slightly drip down. Arrange the sugared cranberries in a pile in the center of the cake.
Cranberry Layer Cake
Ingredients
- Cake Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ c butter, room temp
- 2 c sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 ¾ c cake flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp cloves
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 ¼ c whole milk
- Cranberry Filling Ingredients:
- 3 c frozen (or fresh) cranberries
- ½ c sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp water
- Simple Syrup Ingredients:
- ½ c water
- ½ c sugar
- Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ c butter, room temp
- 1 c powdered sugar, packed
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Sugared Cranberries:
- 1 c frozen (or fresh) cranberries
- 1 c sugar
- ½ c water
Instructions
To make the cake:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 2 - 9” round cake pans, or use nonstick.In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time until well combined. Add the vanilla and mix.In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, and spices). Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the butter and sugar, starting and ending with the flour until all the ingredients are well combined, but not overmixed.Divide evenly between the two pans and place in the oven to bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, until a knife comes out cleanly.Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before flipping the cake out of the pan and allowing to cool completely before assembling.To make the cranberry filling:In a medium sized saucepan, place the cranberries, sugar and salt over medium/low heat and cook until the cranberries start to burst. Add the water and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. (Can be made ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator.)To make the simple syrup:Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat to allow the sugar to dissolve completely. Remove from heat and allow to cool. To make the frosting:Using a hand (or stand) mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and mix.To make the sugared cranberries:Heat ½ of the sugar with the water until sugar is dissolved and add in the cranberries. Remove from heat and strain off the excess water before rolling the cranberries in the remaining sugar to coat the outside.To assemble:On a plate/cake stand place the first layer flat side up in the center of the plate. Brush the top with half of the simple syrup and then spread the cranberry filling evenly on top.
Place the second layer, flat side down evenly on top of the first layer. Use the remaining simple syrup and brush the top of the cake. Add the frosting on top, pushing it to the edges to allow it to slightly drip down. 
Arrange the sugared cranberries in a pile in the center of the cake.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 214Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 379mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 8g
This N That with Olivia, occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thisnthatwitholivia.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Christmas Blessings Giveaway
The Christmas season is here! It’s a time for joy, generosity, and celebrating the blessings in our lives. And what better way to spread a little cheer than with a special giveaway just for you?
I’ve partnered with a wonderful group of bloggers to bring you the Christmas Blessings Giveaway. We know the holiday season can be full of both joy and stress, and our hope is to ease that burden just a bit for a few families. We are giving away FOUR $250 gift cards, and the best part is that each winner will get to choose where the gift card is from. Whether it helps with presents, groceries, or something special for you, we pray it brings encouragement and peace this Christmas.
The giveaway runs November 19 through November 28, so be sure to get your entries in before it ends!
To enter, simply use the entry form below. We know it’s a long one, but each blogger personally contributed to make this giveaway happen, and your support means so much. Plus, the more entries you complete, the better your chances of winning one of the $250 prizes!
Wishing you a season full of peace, joy, and blessings!
Giveaway ends November 28th at 11:59pm ET. Winners will be drawn and emailed the following day. The winners will have 48 hours to respond to email to claim the prize. By entering this giveaway you will be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers. You must live in the United States or Canada to be eligible to win.