Cranberry Almond Cake (GF & DF)
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Cranberry Almond Cake! A sweet and wonderfully tart fall dessert that’s perfect for the holidays! This cake is also dairy and gluten-free.

Ingredients For This Cranberry Almond Cake:
- Whole fresh cranberries
- Nuts – sliced almonds or pecans
- Organic raw cane sugar
- Eggs
- Vegan butter or butter of choice
- Oat flour
By the way, this recipe comes courtesy of my mom (I’m not sure who she got it from. I wish I could take credit for it but I can’t. I will share it with you all though). She makes it every year and I love it.
To make this dessert fit my cooking style, I have chosen to make it dairy and gluten-free.

How To Assemble This Dessert:
- Add the cranberries to a glass pan or cast iron skillet. Top with nuts and 1/2 cup sugar.
- To a separate bowl, with a hand mixer, cream together the remaining 1 cup sugar, eggs and butter. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Pour over the top of the cranberries. That’s it!
How To Serve This Cranberry Cake:
- Feel free to garnish with sugared cranberries. This isn’t apart of the original recipe, but I think it adds such a festive touch. Also serve with vanilla bean ice cream.
Helpful Tips:
- Cranberries – You can use frozen fresh for this recipe. (When cranberries are in season, I usually buy a number of bags and throw them in the freezer for later).
- Eggs & Butter – Make sure both are at room temperature.
- Eggs – Add them to a bowl of warm water and let them sit for about 5 minutes.
- Butter – It needs to be soft and not melted. Also, I would not recommend melting it in the microwave, because if it gets too melty it will mess up the cooking process. (You can use vegan butter or your butter of choice).

And, for more dessert recipes, please give these a try:
- Maple Pecan Pie Bars
- Apple Turnovers with Homemade Caramel
- Apple Pie Espresso Frappuccino
- Apricot Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a star rating below so I know how you liked it. Thanks! Enjoy!
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Cranberry Almond Cake (GF & DF)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 + servings 1x
Description
A sweet and wonderfully tart fall dessert that’s perfect for the holidays!
Ingredients
- 2 cups Ocean Spray Fresh Cranberries, whole
- 1/2 cup Pecans or Sliced Almonds, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup Florida Crystals Organic Raw Cane Sugar
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 sticks Miyoko’s Creamery European Style Cultured Vegan Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Gluten-Free Whole Grain Oat Flour
- Dairy-Free Vanilla Ice Cream
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray an 8 x 8 glass pan with cooking spray, or use an ungreased cast iron skillet.
- Base: Cover the bottom with whole cranberries. Top with pecans or almonds (which are my favorite) and 1/2 cup sugar.
- Filling: In a separate mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, cream together the remaining 1 cup sugar, eggs and butter. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Pour over the top of the cranberries.
- Cook: Bake for 35 minutes in a glass pan, or for 45-50 minutes in the skillet.
- Garnish: Serve topped with sugared cranberries and vanilla bean ice cream!
Notes
- If using a cast iron skillet: You may want to add another 1/2 cup of cranberries or so. I have cooked this dessert in glass and cast iron before, and I personally feel it may need a bit more cranberries in the skillet.
- Eggs & Butter: Make sure both are at room temperature.
- Eggs: Add them to a bowl of warm water and let them sit for about 5 minutes.
- Butter: It needs to be soft and not melted. Also, I would not recommend melting it in the microwave, because if it gets too melty it will mess up the cooking process. (You can use vegan butter or your butter of choice).
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Cake, Cranberry, Cranberry Cake, Cranberry Recipes, Dairy-Free Recipes, Dessert, Easy Baking, Easy Dessert Recipes, Fall, Fruit, Gluten-Free Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Low Sodium
NOTE:
- My pinch bowls are from Target, but this similar set of Cravings 3 Stoneware Pinch Bowls can be found on Amazon. These Terracotta Pinch Bowls are from Amazon as well and are a best seller.

Would almond flour work? I have not used it yet, so have no experience.
Sounds so yummy. Thanks for sharing.
Hi! I would use either oat flour or a blend like this Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour which is a combination of almond flour, arrowroot starch, organic coconut flour and tapioca flour. I wouldn’t recommend using just almond flour though because it absorbs a lot of moisture and you may end up needing to use more. I hope this helps! Let me know what you think once you try the cake. 😉