A simple yet delicious moist, buttery Chocolate Cranberry Cake booming with tart fresh cranberry and decadent dark chocolate chips.
Chocolate & Cranberries – A Heavenly Combo
I’ll start this one off by declaring my love for my favorite baked good combination ever – cranberries and chocolate. I love the sweet, tart and bold flavor of cranberries combined with the smooth, decadent lushness of chocolate.
Together the pair remind me of almost a tangy cherry and chocolate. When I saw this recipe for a sweet, buttery cranberry cake I knew I must make it immediately.
I quote myself:
“I bake with cranberries often. Each time I write about them I like to remind everyone to stock up when they’re in season, or after the winter holidays when the prices drop. Cranberries freeze perfectly, just throw the little baggies in the freezer as is. Cranberries can be baked without being thawed – perfect for last minute baking! You’ll find many recipes call for cranberries to be coarsely chopped or thrown in the food processor. I pass on that – I enjoy a nice little chunk of cranberry in each bite. My suggestion is to take a few minutes and cut the cranberries in half instead. It’s not that terrible of a task when they’re frozen. If they’re not frozen, well, throw them in the freezer for a few.”
Need more cranberry baked goodness? Check out my recipes for Chocolate Cranberry Bars, Cranberry Chocolate Chip Muffins, Ocean Spray Cranberry Bread & Cranberry Chocolate Scones!
Ingredients & Instructions
Today, folks, we will be doing no chopping of cranberries. We’re going in all or nothing. That whole bag of whole cranberries is getting tossed in. While we’re at it, lets throw in a heaping cup of chocolate chips.
This is a very basic cake recipe. You’ll notice there are only a few ingredients and you won’t find any of your usual leavenings listed. The beaten eggs are the leavening agent. This recipe calls for you to beat the eggs with the sugar for 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened and light in color.
Make sure you do this and you do it right. This process will incorporate air into the cake batter which expands when heated and will make your cake rise.
That’s it. Spoon that luscious, thick cake batter in a dish and bake until it’s a light golden brown. Cool, cut and fall in love. This cake is perfectly light, fluffy, buttery and moist and loaded with that tart and decadent flavor that makes my heart skip a beat. Ohhhhh…heart be still.
This Chocolate Cranberry Cake is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other day of the year!
Hope you enjoy!
Amanda ♥
Recipe adapted from Barefeet In The Kitchen
Chocolate Cranberry Cake
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Lightly grease or spray a 13″x 9″ baking dish.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture will almost double in size. Pay attention to this step – the eggs are the leavening agent in this recipe.
- Add in the softened butter and vanilla extract. Mix another 2 minutes.
- Stir in the flour, by hand, until just combined – do not over mix!
- Add the cranberries and chocolate chips. Gently stir until mixed throughout.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until top is a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean.
- Cool completely on wire rack. Serve and enjoy 🙂
Why is it that I have never had cranberries and chocolate chips together in baked goods?! It is such a great combination. This looks moist and absolutely delicious! I also love that the list of ingredients is so short.
Thanks Thao! Cranberries & chocolate are my favorite sweet combo ever! I warn you though – it may be habit forming lol 🙂 I love this cake – hope you try it!