Bringing Treats

The Contenders

Cranberry-Orange is the cake-off flavour for Christmas Day! Largely because I wanted to make some classic fruitcake, but my husband reminded me that between the large amount of alcohol, dried-fruit, and picky kids, not many people would eat fruitcake. Cranberry-Orange still says Christmas to me in a way that’s more accessible to our family.

I wanted a range of textures from light to dense, and the perfect mix of flavours. The ideal winning cake could be served for Christmas Dessert, and still keep as leftovers throughout the week after as snacks or quick breakfasts. I chose four recipes that were well-rated and reviewed, easily available, looked like they would match my texture range goal, and could easily adapt to my flavour goal of tart cranberries and sweet citrusy orange.

1. Snack Cake: Expected to have a light, tender, crumbly crumb that’s fruit-forward and sweet. This one’s made with the foam ribboning method, and is fairly straightforward. The recipe is technically just a cranberry cake, so I replaced vanilla with orange extract to make it comparable to the others in this cake-off.
2. Classic Christmas Cake: I found this recipe in quite a few places, so it’s a definite classic. It’s meant to be sweet, dense but tender, and a rich butter flavour. It also uses the foam ribboning method, and I added some orange zest and extract to mimic other similar recipes, and keep it comparable for this cake-off.
3. Bundt Cake: Expected to have a dense but moist texture with a tight crumb, and be less sweet. This one uses the creaming method. It has a lower longer bake and contains sour cream, lots of eggs, and a mix of brown and white sugars, which are meant to contribute to that dense but moist texture.
4. Plush Cake: Expected to have a soft, moist and fine crumb. It uses the one-bowl dump method. It uses make-it-yourself cake flour, butter and oil, which are meant to translate to tender and very moist cake.

Baking Day

Between a busy toddler, holiday prep, and attempting my self-imposed “Twelve Cakes of Christmas” challenge, I did not bake all of these cakes on the same day. I heavily and happily relied on my freezer to store the cakes after they cooled to room temperature. I baked them all in a 6″ bundt pan, which make rounds that are easier for sharing and look more festive for the holiday! I baked them in order of what looked like most time-consuming to quickest, during moments of quiet throughout the days leading up to Christmas.

Tasting Notes

We brought these cakes to Christmas Dinner at my in-laws, where about eight people tasted them and discussed verbally, and four people actually scored them with my score sheets.

1. Snack Cake: Very pretty golden brown crispy crust. Dense but tender cakey crumb. Not too sweet, less orange flavour. Perfect texture for breakfast too! This one was Will’s favourite.
2. Classic Christmas Cake: Shortest, palest and looked dry and crumbly – but it wasn’t! This was a dense cake with a smooth and creamy-moist crumb and crumbly crust. It was buttery sweet and had lots of cranberry to counter that. The surprise between look and texture won it more points with the crowd. This was Lisa’s favourite.
3. Bundt Cake: Beautiful, tall, and light golden brown. It had a dense, tight crumb that was perfectly moist. The flavour was balanced buttery sweetness cut with bright orange and cranberry. Texture was of a mid-weight pound cake. This ended up being no one’s favourite in the tasting, but only because the others were so distinct. However, it was the sleeper favourite as it held up the longest in flavour and texture in the days after Christmas, perfect for snacks or breakfast!
4. Plush Cake: Golden yellow, soft crust – beautiful! Moist, dense, plush melt-in-mouth texture. It had a balanced orange and cranberry flavour, and reminded everyone of a delicious cake donut! It was the crowd favourite during the tasting.

Results & Recipes

We brought these cakes to Christmas Dinner at my in-laws, where about eight people tasted them and discussed verbally, and four people actually scored them with my score sheets!

1. Preppy Kitchen – Cranberry Cake: Golden brown, dense but tender and not too sweet with less orange flavour. This is a relatively easy recipe, if you don’t mind whipping up a ribbony meringue and then creaming butter. It’s perfect for lovers of cranberry. Bring this to a family Christmas where you can have leftovers for breakfast the next morning!
2. Barefeet in the Kitchen – Craberry Christmas Cake: Pale and crumbly look with a smooth, moist, creamy crumb that was sweet and had lots of cranberry. It’s perfect for people with a sweet tooth who don’t judge a book by its cover. Bring it for a Christmas dessert as a showstopper, and save any leftovers as a sweet treat the next day.
3. Sally’s Baking Addiction – Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake: Tall and light golden brown, with a moist dense crumb, and sweetness balanced well with orange and cranberry. This was a straightforward recipe perfect for lovers of pound cake. Bring this to a Christmas gathering where it’s one of many desserts, then save leftovers as snacks and breakfast in the lazy days after!
4. Cakes by MK – Moist Cranberry Cake: Golden with a soft, plush texture and balanced orange-cranberry flavour. This was the easiest recipe of the four, perfect for lovers of cake donuts! Bring this to a Christmas gathering where it can be a sure crowd-pleaser, especially with kids, and save any leftovers as a snack the next day.

Overall, these cakes all fit what I was after and would be perfect for a Christmas gathering and as leftovers. The range in textures was dense to light, but all moist in their own way. The range of flavours was characterised by sweetness levels, and whether the orange hid from or balanced with the cranberry. Which would you choose?

Thanks for taking this cranberry-orange cake-off journey with me. May you enjoy your cake – because it’s cake!