Vegan cranberry almond cake - this easy vegan snack cake is soft and moist with a sweet almond flavour and bursts of tangy fresh cranberry. You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries so it is a great year-round cake! Eggless and dairy-free.
This vegan cranberry almond cake is a great simple cake for snacking on, or even for breakfast!
It is a soft, moist, almond flavoured cake which is studded with tangy fresh cranberries and topped with a crisp topping of flaked almonds and demarera sugar.
While it is a lovely cake to bake around Christmas time (or Thanksgiving if you are in the US), because it can be made with either fresh or frozen cranberries it can also be made year round as well.
I adapted and veganised it from this cranberry breakfast cake recipe by the view from great island.
What Do I Need To Make Vegan Cranberry Almond Cake?:
Vegan block butter: For the best textured cake it is important to use a vegan block butter/margarine to make this cake – the kind that comes in a foil wrapped block, NOT the spreadable kind in a tub which has too high a water content for baking.
I use Naturli Vegan Block but Flora, Stork, Vitalite or Tormor blocks are also fine (not the tub versions). Spreadable will work in a pinch but I really do recommend block if possible.
Non dairy milk: Any variety will work but soy milk is best for baking as it has the highest protein content. Go for an unsweetened one if possible.
Non-dairy yogurt: Vegan yogurt is a great egg replacer! I always prefer to use an unsweetened one and I use a thick yogurt rather than a runny one. I recommend the Coconut Collaborative. I haven't tested this cake with any other substitutes.
Lemon juice: A little lemon juice sours the milk to make a replacement buttermilk which helps the cake to rise and keeps the crumb tender.
Caster sugar and demarera sugar: I like to use golden caster sugar for a bit of extra flavour but white is good too. If you only have granulated sugar then that will work ok, or you can give it a quick blitz in a blender to make your own caster sugar.
I sprinkle the top of the cake with demarera sugar before baking for a nice, crunchy topping. This is optional but the contrast in textures between the soft cake and crisp top is lovely.
Cranberries: I use fresh cranberries. Frozen will also work but don’t defrost them first, use them straight from the freezer. The cake may take a couple of minutes longer to bake. You could also try using dried cranberries instead.
Cornflour (cornstarch): A bit of cornflour helps to give the cake a nice soft texture. If you don’t have any you can just swap it for more plain flour but I do recommend using it if possible. And if you happen to have any cake flour then you can omit the cornflour and plain flour and use all cake flour instead.
Plain flour: I use a blend of plain flour and the above cornflour for a good texture. If you have cake flour then you can just use that in place of both flours.
Baking powder: Obviously necessary if you want your cake to rise!
Vanilla and almond extracts: vanilla and almond extracts give the cake lots of flavour. Be sure to use extract rather than essence for the best flavour.
Flaked almonds: a generous scattering of flaked almonds on top of the cake provides a nice crunch and extra almond flavour.
How To Make Vegan Cranberry Almond Cake:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
Start by whisking together the wet ingredients - non-dairy milk, non-dairy yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla and almond extracts; set aside.
Cream together the vegan butter and caster sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Whisk in the baking powder, cornflour and salt then whisk in half of the wet ingredients.
Add half of the flour, whisk until just combined then add the rest of the wet ingredients followed by the other half of the flour.
Whisk until you have a thick, smooth batter.
Fold through the cranberries, reserving a few to add to the top of the cake.
Transfer the batter to a greased and lined 23 cm/9 inch square cake tin and spread it level. Dot over the remaining cranberries and press them gently into the batter.
Scatter over a couple of handfuls of flaked almonds then sprinkle with demarera sugar.
Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre (but not into a cranberry!) comes out clean.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then carefully lift it out of the tin and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Top Tips:
For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
For the best textured cake use a vegan block butter/margarine – the kind that comes in a foil wrapped block, NOT the spreadable kind in a tub which has too high a water content for baking. I use Naturli Vegan Block but Stork, Vitalite or Tormor blocks are also fine (not the tub versions).
The cake batter should be very thick, don't be tempted to add more milk.
You can use frozen rather than fresh cranberries but don't defrost them first, add them to the batter straight from the freezer.
How To Store Vegan Cranberry Almond Cake:
This cake is really best eaten on the day it is baked while the top is still crunchy.
It will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days but the top will become soft.
It can also be frozen, either whole or in slices. Make sure that it is completely cold then wrap it well to protect from freezer burn and freeze for up to three months. Allow to defrost at room temperature. You may wish to refresh it in a low oven for a few minutes before serving.
More Vegan Cakes With Fruit:
Vegan pineapple upside-down cake
Raspberry, chocolate and almond sheet cake
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Vegan Cranberry Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 90 ml (6 Tbsp) unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy is best)
- 60 g (¼ cup) unsweetened non-dairy yogurt (I use the Coconut Collaborative)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp almond extract
- 120 g (½ cup) vegan block butter/margarine softened
- 200 g (1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar (granulated sugar is fine)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 10 g (1 Tbsp) cornflour (cornstarch)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 250 g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 200 g (2 cups) fresh cranberries*
- a couple of large handfuls of flaked almonds
- 1-2 Tbsp demarera sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm / 9inch square cake tin and line it with baking parchment.
- Whisk together the milk, yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla and almond extracts in a jug. Set aside.
- Cream together the vegan butter and caster sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Whisk in the baking powder, cornflour and salt then whisk in half of the wet ingredients.
- Add half of the flour, whisk until it is just combined then whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients followed by the other half of the flour. Whisk until you have a thick, smooth batter.
- Fold through the cranberries, reserving a few to add to the top of the cake.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared tin and spread it level. Dot over the remaining cranberries and press them gently into the batter.
- Scatter generously with flaked almonds then sprinkle with demarera sugar.
- Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre (but not into a cranberry!) comes out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then carefully lift it out of the tin and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Best eaten on the day it is baked.
Notes
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
- *You can use frozen rather than fresh cranberries but don’t defrost them first, add them to the batter straight from the freezer.
Amy
I can't find cranberries anywhere?! Can you recommend an alternate fruit?
hannahhossack
Blueberries or raspberries should work well!
Jenbro
This looks beautiful! It’s going on our Christmas breakfast table!
Shannon
Just made it for a gathering that got canceled. Does it freeze well?
Hannah
Hi Shannon, yes it freezes well.