Cranberry Orange Breakfast Cake (Printable)

Tender crumb cake with orange zest and tart cranberries, perfect for cozy mornings.

# What You'll 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 and 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

# How-To Steps:

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. Avoid overmixing.
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.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • The batter comes together in under 20 minutes, making this perfect for those mornings when you want homemade but don't have hours.
  • Cranberries burst with tartness against the tender, buttery crumb—it's sweet but never cloying, and the orange zest keeps everything tasting fresh.
  • One slice tastes like breakfast, two tastes like dessert, and somehow that versatility is exactly when a recipe earns its place in rotation.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients blend together like they actually want to be friends—cold eggs and butter will fight you and create a grainy, broken-looking batter that bakes up dense.
  • Chopping the cranberries instead of baking them whole keeps them from sinking to the bottom like little ruby landing pads while leaving you with pockets of tart surprise throughout.
  • The moment you see that toothpick come out clean, stop baking—one more minute in the oven and you've crossed from tender to dry, and there's no coming back from that.
03 -
  • Zest your orange before you do anything else and set it in a small bowl—once you've started mixing wet ingredients, you'll want both hands free and won't want to hunt for the zester.
  • If you're using frozen cranberries, don't thaw them; frozen berries hold their shape better and won't bleed color into your batter the way thawed ones do.
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