Cranberry Orange Breakfast Cake (Printable)

Tender crumb with orange zest and tart cranberries for a cozy morning treat.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 3/4 cup whole milk
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Flavorings & Add-ins

09 - Zest of 1 large orange
10 - 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

→ For Serving

11 - Powdered sugar for dusting, optional

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or line with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, cream softened butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.
04 - Add milk, eggs, and vanilla extract to the creamed butter. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Fold in orange zest and chopped cranberries gently with a spatula until evenly distributed.
07 - Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and spread evenly.
08 - Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
09 - Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Dust with powdered sugar just before serving, if desired. Slice and enjoy.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It fills the kitchen with the kind of smell that makes people wander in asking whats for breakfast.
  • The cranberries stay just tart enough to balance all that tender, buttery sweetness.
  • You can mix it up in one bowl without fuss and still pull out something that looks like you tried.
  • It keeps beautifully, so you can bake it the night before and wake up to an easy win.
02 -
  • If you skip softening the butter, it wont cream properly and youll end up with a dense, uneven crumb.
  • Chopping the cranberries matters more than you think, whole ones create pockets of sour that can be jarring.
  • Frozen cranberries work great, but dont thaw them first or theyll bleed too much color into the batter.
  • Overmixing after you add the flour is the fastest way to turn this tender cake into something chewy and tough.
03 -
  • Zest the orange directly over the bowl so you catch all the aromatic oils that spray out, thats where the flavor lives.
  • If your cranberries are especially tart, toss them with a teaspoon of sugar before folding them in to take the edge off.
  • Use a serrated knife to slice the cake cleanly without tearing the crumb, especially if its still a little warm.
  • Let the cake cool completely before wrapping it up for storage or the trapped steam will make it soggy.
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