I’m sorry I didn’t come out with this recipe in time for Christmas, but why not bake Holiday desserts all winter long? This wintery cake is super flavorful, not too sweet, and perfect for Christmas!
It is my second time making a cranberry orange cake for Christmas and this recipe is FAR better than the one I made last year (I was such an inexperienced gluten-free baker). The layers are soft, they’re loaded with cranberries, perfectly flavored with orange zest, a tiny hint of cinnamon, and all wrapped up in a lovely white chocolate whipped cream frosting. You could switch up the frosting if you like (cream cheese frosting would be good!), but I chose whipped cream for this recipe because the extreme sweetness from regular frosting prevents me from getting seconds if I still have room (haha)! But definitely feel free to have fun and switch things around. I hope you give this recipe a try and that you will love it just as much as I do!
This post contains affiliate links to some of my very favorite ingredients. This way it is easy for you to find the ingredients I used at the best price I’ve found. If you click on any of them and purchase from Amazon, I will receive a very small percentage of the sale, to support what I do here. Thank you!
Link to my favorite gluten-free flour blend is here.
Link to my favorite organic, flavorless coconut oil is here!
The 6 inch cake pans I use are linked here.
The 8 inch cake pans I use are linked here.
Gluten & Nut Free Cranberry Orange Cake
Equipment
- hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ cups (320 grams) Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 baking flour spooned and leveled, not scooped (linked above this recipe card)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon optional
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¾ cup (144 grams) flavorless liquid oil or melted coconut oil my favorite coconut oil is linked above this recipe card
- 1 ⅓ cups (280 grams) sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature if using coconut oil
- ¾ cup (178 grams) milk of choice room temperature if using coconut oil
- The grated zest of 2 naval oranges
- The juice from half of an orange
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries you can use more or less depending on your preference
Frosting
- 2 ¼ cups cold heavy cream
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
- 2 tsps unflavored gelatin
- 2 tbsps plus 1 ½ tsps water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit (177 degrees celsius). Grease two 8 inch cake pans with oil or butter and line the bottoms with parchment paper circles.
- In a bowl whisk the gf flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon together. In a separate bowl (with tall sides to prevent splattering) combine the sugar, oil (if using coconut oil, make sure to melt it first), and eggs (you can also do this in a stand mixer). Beat with a hand (or stand) mixer until pale and fluffy. Add half of the dry mixture and beat until combined. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and milk and mix well. Add the rest of the dry mixture and beat until you have a thick and smooth consistency. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula then beat in the orange juice. Continue mixing until everything is completely smooth. Carefully fold the cranberries into the cake batter. Evenly distribute the batter between the 2 cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once the cakes are baked, remove from the oven and let the cake layers cool completely.
Frosting
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine the white chocolate chips, gelatin, and water. Melt these things in the microwave for 20 seconds and stir (or on the stove over a double boiler). If it hasn’t melted completely microwave for another 20 seconds, being careful not to overheat and burn. Once melted, set it aside to let it cool slightly. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or any tall bowl and use a hand mixer), beat the heavy cream for about 1 minute and 45 seconds or until it looks foamy and the slightest bit thicker. Add the white chocolate-gelatin mixture and beat for about 55 seconds or until a thick frosting-like consistency forms, then stop IMMEDIATELY! Overmixing will turn it into butter. You do not want that!
Assembly
- If needed, level the cooled cake layers using a knife. Place one cake layer on a plate and smooth some whipped cream frosting on top. Place the other cake layer on top of the frosted layer. Spread the rest of the frosting on the top and sides of the cake. At this point you can pipe extra frosting or decorate the cake however you wish! I decorated mine with an edible Christmas tree (made from rice crispy treats and green frosting to look like a tree), marzipan presents, sugar-coated cranberries, candy canes, rosemary, white chocolate chips, mini gingerbread men, and sprinkles. Have fun decorating the cake and enjoy eating it!
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