Thanksgiving Cake With Apples + Cranberries
This moist, spiced apple cranberry Thanksgiving cake recipe makes the ultimate non-pie dessert. A layer cake folded with apples, cranberries, nuts, and raisins for flavor, texture, and seasonal sweetness. You can also make this cake as two loaves -- one for you, one to bring! (A standard baking loaf pan is about 8.5" x 4.5" x 2.6".)
Servings: 8 people as a layer cake, more if baked as loaves
Calories: 862kcal
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, diced small
- 1 cup cranberries, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 recipe vanilla buttercream (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and line two 9-inch cake pans. Soak the raisins in hot water to soften them up while you mix the cake.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and salt until mixed and lightened. Scrape the bowl.
- Add the flour and baking soda. Stir until about 3/4 mixed, then add the apples, cranberries, nuts, and drained, softened raisins. Stir until fully mixed.
- Divide the batter into the two cake pans. The batter will be thick and chunky, so use a spatula to spread it evenly in the pans.
- Bake until a cake tester comes out clean from the center, about 40 minutes. If you are baking these in loaf pans, each loaf will take about 1 hour.
- Cool fully. Frost with vanilla buttercream and decorate as you like, and serve.
Notes
I love this Thanksgiving cake recipe. It's moist, easy to make, and full of lots of goodness like apples and nuts. Make the cake layers a day or two in advance. Store at room temperature, wrapped, until ready to frost and decorate.
Nutrition
Calories: 862kcal | Carbohydrates: 113g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 310mg | Potassium: 342mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 69g | Vitamin A: 141IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 3mg
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.
