Thanksgiving Spiced Apple Cranberry Cake
This spiced apple cranberry cake is a festive Thanksgiving dessert alternative that rivals pie. Warm spices, tart cranberries, and sweet apples meet rich cream cheese frosting with a hint of orange zest—guaranteed to wow your guests.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Hand Mixer
- Round Cake Pans
- Offset Spatula
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups chopped apples small pieces, tossed with cinnamon + sugar
- 1 cup dried cranberries soaked in orange juice
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
- 1 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- 16 oz cream cheese softened (2 blocks)
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp orange zest for brightness
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour 2 round cake pans, or line with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat together sugars, yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Toss apples with a little cinnamon + sugar. Stir apples and soaked cranberries gently into the batter.
- Divide batter into prepared pans and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- For frosting: beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and orange zest, beat until fluffy.
- Frost cake layers, stack, and decorate as desired. Optional: dust with powdered sugar, top with pecans, or drizzle with caramel sauce.
Notes
Substitutions: swap apples for pears, yogurt for sour cream or buttermilk, cranberries for blueberries. Freeze cake layers ahead for stress-free hosting. Always let cakes cool before frosting to avoid melting disasters.