Spice Cake with Cranberry Filling
This Spice Cake with Cranberry Filling is the ultimate holiday season dessert. Moist, tender, layered spice cake with a cranberry layer in the center is topped with classic cream cheese frosting and sugared cranberries.
If you’re looking for the best holiday dessert you’ll ever make, then look no further. You’ve found it with this cake. It’s full of classic holiday flavors, and it’s easier to make than you might think!
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It only uses simple, basic ingredients for the cake, filling, and frosting.
- It’s a recipe that looks involved but is deceptively easy to make.
- It’s a show-stopper on any holiday table.
- It absolutely explodes with holiday flavor in every bite!
🛒Ingredients
Every ingredient needed to make this recipe is a basic one. More than likely, you have the majority of them in your kitchen right now. Anything you don’t have, say, cake flour and cranberries, is readily available at your local grocery store.
All the ingredients are listed here, but you can find their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
For the Cake
- Butter – room temperature
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Cake flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Allspice
- Ground ginger
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Whole milk
Cranberry Filling
- Cranberries – fresh or frozen
- Sugar
- Salt
- Water
Simple Syrup
- Water
- Sugar
Frosting
- Cream cheese – softened
- Butter – room temperature
- Powdered sugar – packed
- Vanilla
Sugared Cranberries
- Cranberries – fresh or frozen
- Sugar
- Water
🔪 How to Make Spice Cake with Cranberry Filling
There are several steps to this recipe, but don’t let that deter you! Although there are a few more steps than you might be used to, they’re all very simple when you break them down. Even beginners can make this recipe!
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then, grease or spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray.
Step 2: Combine the Wet Cake Ingredients
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Add the vanilla and mix.
Step 3: Combine the Dry Cake Ingredients
Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and spices together in another bowl.
Step 4: Make the Cake Batter
Alternate adding the flour and milk to the other wet ingredients, ending with the flour, until all ingredients are combined but not overmixed.
Step 5: Bake
Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake for 35 to 30 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 6: Cool
Remove the pans and cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Then, flip the cakes out and cool completely before assembling.
Step 7: Make the Cranberry Filling
Combine the cranberries, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the cranberries begin to burst. Then, add the water and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Step 8: Make the Simple Syrup
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Step 9: Make the Frosting
Beat the cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Then, add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Then, add the vanilla and mix.
Step 10: Make the Sugared Cranberries
Heat half the sugar with the water until the sugar dissolves. Then, add the cranberries. Remove from the heat and strain off the excess water. Roll the cranberries in the remaining sugar to coat the outside.
Step 11: Assemble the Cake
Place one of the cakes on a plate or cake stand and brush the top with half the simple syrup. Then, top evenly with cranberry filling. Place the second cake, flat side down, on top of the first, and brush with the remaining simple syrup. Frost the top with the cream cheese frosting, passing it to the edges to allow it to drizzle down slightly. Top the center of the cake with sugared cranberries.
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Cranberries – You can use fresh or frozen cranberries for all parts of this recipe.
- More Frosting – If you love frosting, make extra and fully frost the top and sides of the cake.
- More Sugared Cranberries – Try making more sugared cranberries and place them around the bottom edge of the cake as well as the center.
If you think this delicious spice cake looks good, then we think you’ll love our apple spice cake with cream cheese frosting.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Two 9-inch cake rounds
- Cake stand or plate
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate this cake for up to 4 days in an air-tight container.
What to Serve with Spice Cake
Serve this cake with a glass of milk for the kids or a cup of hot coffee or tea for the grownups. It’s also delicious paired with a bit of ice cream or some fresh fruit!
💭 Tips
- STOP mixing your cake batter as soon as it’s combined. Overmixing will lead to a tough cake.
- A hand or stand mixer is your best bet to thoroughly mix all the ingredients.
- You can make the cranberry filling ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to assemble the cake.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
A spice cake is a cake flavored with a variety of spices. Traditionally, it’s flavored with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg and served during the holiday season.
Spice cake is usually frosted with cream cheese frosting. However, some other frosting options typically found include caramel and brown sugar frosting.
The simple syrup adds more sweetness and extra moisture to this already incredibly moist cake.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy cake? Then try these delicious recipes:
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Spice Cake with Cranberry Filling
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- mixing bowls
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- Two 9-inch cake rounds
- Cake stand or plate
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups butter room temp
- 2 cups sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 ¾ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
Cranberry Filling Ingredients:
- 3 cups frozen cranberries or fresh cranberries
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water
Simple Syrup Ingredients:
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
Frosting Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup butter room temp
- 1 cup powdered sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Sugared Cranberries:
- 1 cup frozen cranberries or fresh cranberries
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 2 – 9” round cake pans, or use nonstick.
- In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time until well combined.
- Add the vanilla and mix.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, and spices).
- Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the butter and sugar, starting and ending with the flour until all the ingredients are well combined, but not overmixed.
- Divide evenly between the two pans and place in the oven to bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, until a knife comes out cleanly.
- Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before flipping the cake out of the pan and allowing to cool completely before assembling.
To make the cranberry filling:
- In a medium sized saucepan, place the cranberries, sugar and salt over medium/low heat and cook until the cranberries start to burst.
- Add the water and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. (Can be made ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator.)
To make the simple syrup:
- Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat to allow the sugar to dissolve completely.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
To make the frosting:
- Using a hand (or stand) mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter.
- Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add the vanilla and mix.
- To make the sugared cranberries:
- Heat ½ of the sugar with the water until sugar is dissolved and add in the cranberries.
- Remove from heat and strain off the excess water before rolling the cranberries in the remaining sugar to coat the outside.
To assemble:
- On a plate/cake stand place the first layer flat side up in the center of the plate.
- Brush the top with half of the simple syrup and then spread the cranberry filling evenly on top.
- Place the second layer, flat side down evenly on top of the first layer.
- Use the remaining simple syrup and brush the top of the cake.
- Add the frosting on top, pushing it to the edges to allow it to slightly drip down.
- Arrange the sugared cranberries in a pile in the center of the cake.
