Sometimes life calls for a simple, one bowl, easy to throw together coffee cake, and this gluten-free vegan fresh cranberry cake is perfect for the occasion! The tartness of the fresh cranberries provides a great balance to this sweet spiced spongy cake and makes it a great choice for a treat to enjoy with some tea or coffee, with company, or even for a quick breakfast treat or lunchbox snack {I must admit I enjoyed in in all those forms}.
Fresh or frozen cranberries will work equally well here, or another berry or fruit can be substituted for alternate flavors. I can see this basic coffee cake being delicious with some raspberries, or apple chunks, chopped strawberries, blueberries, or anything seasonal. Maybe even some chocolate chips. Adding some chopped nuts would work great too -- especially in combination with cranberries or raisins. Have some fun with choosing the flavor combo or enjoy using up your pantry leftovers :) . Or go with the original fresh cranberry option -- I wouldn't have changed it one bit myself since I loved the sweetness to tartness ratio and the giant bursts of fresh juicy cranberries in every bit were a big bonus ;) .
P.S. Although it looks like it's topped with powdered sugar, I actually dusted the cake with some powdered coconut milk -- it looked wonderful and tasted delicious, and nobody would know it's refined sugar-free ;)
PrintFresh Cranberry Cake
The tartness of fresh cranberries provides a great balance to this sweet spiced spongy cake and makes it a great choice for a treat to enjoy with some tea or coffee, with company, or even for a quick breakfast treat or lunchbox snack
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: one 9" x 13" cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce {I used homemade}
- 1½ cups maple syrup
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup water or non-dairy milk
Dry:
- 2½ cups of my gluten-free flour blend {1 cup brown rice flour, ¾ cup tapioca starch, ¾ cup sweet rice flour, ¾ teaspoon guar gum} {or if using a store-bought mix, I recommend using 2¼ cups Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend}
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp of each of the following: allspice, nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp of each of the following: cloves, cardamom
- dash of salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
Fold-Ins:
- 8 oz fresh or frozen cranberries -- tossed with 2 tablespoon of gluten-free flour {I used fresh} {the flour just helps keep the cranberries from sinking to the bottom -- it is optional though}.
Topping:
- Optional: some non-dairy powdered milk for dusting {or powdered sugar if you prefer}
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Generously grease a large square cake pan and set aside {I used a 9" x 13" pan, but anything of a similar size would work}
- Mix all wet ingredients in a mixing bowl {I used a hand mixer}. Add in dry ingredients and mix everything thoroughly. Quickly add in your fold-ins, mix through, and immediately transfer the cake batter into the pan. Smooth out the batter and make sure it is distributed evenly.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted down the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Prior to serving, dust with some powdered non-dairy milk if you like, and enjoy!
Aimee says
This cake is AMAZING!!! I only had whole wheat flour so used that, and I used the whole 12 oz bag of cranberries. I also slightly undercooked it (even though toothpick came out clean). It’s my new favorite cake. Thanks so much for this recipe!!
★★★★★
Audrey says
Hi Aimee, thanks so much for the lovely feedback and for sharing your swaps. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying this recipe! :)
cis says
Would love to make this...
I am put off by the "flour issue": we don't have the Pamela gluten-free flour mix here in Europe (that I know of) so I would need to manually convert the gluten-free amounts to metric measurements. Too much room for error!
Audrey says
A simple alternative would be to get measuring cups :)
Jamie Rambeck says
We loved this cake! Tart and sweet, light and fluffy and so very delicious! We are planning to make this for Christmas. 😊
★★★★★
Audrey says
Thanks so much for the sweet feedback, Jamie. So happy you enjoyed the cake! I love making it at Christmas as well :)
C Stanley says
This is a nice quick recipe, thank you for taking the time to write the article.
Audrey says
You're welcome. Enjoy it!
Sophie33 says
I made your lovely cake but used wholegrain spelt flour in here! A wonderful well-flavoured cranberry cake! Delicious!
★★★★★
Audrey says
Oh, that's awesome -- so glad to hear it worked with spelt. A lot of people ask about alternative non gf flours for these cakes, so good to know that works :). Thank you for the feedback!
Akshatharv says
Hi Audrey , I just tried ur recipe it didn't come out well as yours I used Pamela s gluten free flour as I didn't get palmers n my batter was not so thick .The cake didn't turned out fluffy as yours . The recipe is wonderful on your end. thanks for sharing .
Audrey says
Hello Akshatharv, so sorry I missed your comment somehow and that your cake wasn't as fluffy. I'm a little bit confused -- did you use Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend or another gluten-free mix? Just trying to figure out what could have gone wrong...
DessertPlease says
Hi Audrey,
I tried this just recently! I'm not an experienced baker- the photos and lure of cranberry got me to try something new ;) Your instructions and recipe were easy enough to follow that I may have passed baking 101 here! I added walnuts to mine and raspberry extract because I didn't have almond. I got the flour blend you suggested and it was great! However, my pan was too big for this recipe, (I didn't pay much attention to it) so mine didn't turn out as fluffy/thick as yours. Overall, wonderful recipe on your end and happy stomachs on mine :)
I'm inspired to try some more on here, especially the chocolatey ones..
Thanks!
★★★★★
Audrey says
High five for passing the baking 101! :)
So glad to hear it turned out well for you! Walnuts would definitely be delicious in this. And so would the raspberry extract. I told you it's the kind of recipe where pretty much anything in your cupboards goes ;) . As for the bigger pan = larger squares and more room for ice cream on top, that's all ;)
Danielle says
Wow! I love cranberries. This looks amazing. Thanks for sharing at Savoring Saturdays!!
Audrey says
Thanks Danielle -- this is definitely a cake for cranberry lovers :)
Brianna @Flippin' Delicious says
I have a bag of cranberries in my fridge and this is where they are headed now. :) Just wanted to let you know that I'm featuring your Cranberry Cake on Flippin' Delicious/Savoring Saturdays this week. Thanks for linking up. Can't wait to see what you share this week!
Audrey says
Thank you, Brianna! Enjoy the cranberry cake :) Happy baking!
Miz Helen says
Your cake is just beautiful and I have pinned it. Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
★★★★★
Audrey says
Thanks so much for sharing it, Miz Helen! :)
vegetarianmamma (Cindy) says
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays Party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! :) I can't wait to see what you share next time!
-Cindy
Audrey says
Thank you :)
Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free says
Mmm, I love things made with fresh cranberries and this looks really nice and moist. Thanks so much for sharing this on Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, I’ve pinned it : )
Audrey says
Thanks for sharing it, Danielle! There's something so satisfying in fresh cranberries in baked goods -- they're just bursting with flavor and went really well in this cake.
Rachel (LittleChefBigAppetite) says
THIS LOOKS SO GOOD! I can't wait to make this!
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Rachel! I can feel your enthusiasm over here -- and it's contagious! :) Happy baking!