A beautiful and festive dessert, Easy Cranberry Cake with Hard Sauce will make a unique sweet ending for your Christmas meal.
Full of fresh tart cranberries, this cake has it all; the colors of the season, a winning combination of flavors and textures, and the creamy, blissful yumminess of a decadent hard sauce.
Easy Cranberry Cake with Hard Sauce is my new favorite dessert. A not too sweet, super moist cake, the texture is more of a cross between pudding and cake. It’s denser than a regular cake and out of this world delicious! It’s so good, my husband and I both had a piece for breakfast this morning. It is the holidays after all…
Whatever you do, don’t skip the Hard Sauce. This scrumptious sauce made with butter, sugar, and cream is surprisingly easy to make and elevates this old-fashioned dessert into the stratosphere!
Speaking of old-fashioned, the recipe for Easy Cranberry Cake with Hard Sauce was handed down to my friend Sarah Doctor-Williams by her grandmother. Sarah was kind enough to share it with me, so now I can share it with you!
Cranberry Recipes:
If you like cranberries as I do, be sure to check these other delicious and popular recipes which feature cranberries: Easy No-Bake Cranberry Cheesecake, Cranberry Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip, Cranberry Sauce with Oranges and Apples, Christmas Cranberry Pie, and 3-Ingredient Easy Cranberry Brie Bites.
How to make Cranberry Cake:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Add butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, salt, milk, and cornstarch to a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes.
Fold in cranberries and gently stir to combine with the cake batter.
Pour the cake batter into a 2-quart casserole dish which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the batter is just set and the top has started to brown.
How to make Hard Sauce:
While the cake bakes, combine butter, sugar, and cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
To serve, pour a healthy amount of sauce over each piece of cake.
If you make this recipe, please be sure to rate it and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you! Also, please follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones!
Recipe:
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Grits and Pinecones.
Cranberry Cake with Hard Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Cranberry Cake Ingredients:
- 5 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1-¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2-½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-¼ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2-½ cups fresh cranberries can use frozen cranberries
Hard Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1-⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Cranberry Cake Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, salt, milk, and cornstarch to a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes.
- Fold in cranberries and gently stir to combine with the cake batter.
- Pour the cake batter into a 2-quart casserole dish which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes or until the batter is just set and the top has started to brown.
Hard Sauce Directions:
- While the cake bakes, combine butter, sugar, and cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
To Serve:
- To serve, pour a healthy amount of the Hard Sauce over each piece of cake.
Kay
How long does this cake last and how do you store it? Do you have to enjoy it right away?
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Kay, like most baked goods, it’s best to serve it within 24 hours. It will still be good after that, but it might begin to dry out. I hope you enjoy it.
Sharon
Char-marie
You have so many popups that you can’t even read the recipie!!
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Char-marie, I am so sorry you are seeing too many popups. I have just removed all popups from my site and other than ads which help pay for my site, there shouldn’t be anything else. Can you send me a screenshot of what you are seeing so I can check into it further?
All the best,
Sharon
Suzette
Hard Sauce implies alcohol. My mother’s was rum infused and not saucey, not like a butter.
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Suzette,
Thanks for your comment! Hard sauce definitely varies by family. Some make it with rum or brandy, and others—like the version I grew up with—keep it alcohol-free and butter-based. I chose to share the one I know and love, and anyone who wants to spike it with a little rum can absolutely do that.
All the best, and Happy Thanksgiving,
Sharon
KENDALL Y. ELDER
You’re Awesome!!! Thanks allot for sharing such DELICIOUS, Easy to make Recipes 🙂
Maud Marie Santucci
Hi, Sharon – Hope this finds you and your family well. Can’t wait to try this recipe – sounds yummy! Will take it to our Thanksgiving potluck. Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season.
Sharon Rigsby
Hey Maud Marie,
I just saw where your husband jumped out of a perfectly good plane for his birthday! I hope you guys are doing well, and it was great to hear from you! I hope your holidays are wonderful this year and I hope you enjoy the cake!
All the best,
Sharon
Billie
So Yummy! Love how tart this is. Each bite of a whole cranberry explodes with flavor.