Ginger Spiced Cranberry Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
The easiest cake recipe you'll ever make.
I am entering my baking era and tbh you should to. This is a very beginners + otherwise fool proof recipe that I made for a private event a couple of weeks ago. If I’m being honest I am not realllly a cake person, but if I am going to have cake it absolutely must be spiced. Maybe it’s the Caribbean in me but Carrot cake, Jamaican Rum Cake, Ginger Spiced Cake are top tier in my opinion. I am however a SUCKER for frosting. I tend to typically like things on the sweeter side but that’s because I was raised on pop tarts and ice cream.
As always I encourage you to adjust to your liking! When I was testing this recipe, I initially made the frosting with 2 cups of sugar. Personally I loved it, but I knew it was too sweet for most people. For the event I cut the amount of sugar in half - using just 1 cup and it was perfect. The point of making cream cheese frosting is to let the tanginess of the cream cheese shine, only enhancing it with a bit of sugar. (I know 1 cup isn’t a bit but you know what I mean). I decorated the cake with sage leaves to compliment the spiced flavor of the cake, but I think using just cranberries dusted with a little powdered sugar would be equally gorgeous and delicious.
Feel free to make the cake ahead of time! I prepped the cake in the morning and kept it wrapped in plastic wrap until after dinner. If you make the cake a day early, I recommend storing it on the counter at room temperature otherwise the cake hardens and looses its soft pillowy texture. (It will not go bad I promise!)
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh cranberries + more for garnish
150g of salted butter
1 cup confectioners sugar (approximately 1 cup)
2 tbsp cane sugar
1 lemon
3 eggs
2 tbsp milk
205g flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp pumpkin spice
cream cheese frosting:
8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
1 stick of butter (room temp)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup sugar
Instructions:
Set oven to 350ºF. In a small sauce pan add cranberries, 2 tbsp of cane sugar, a splash of water, lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer. Let it cook on low for 5-10 minutes until cranberries start to burst and a sauce starts to form and thicken, adding a pinch more sugar if needed. You want to create a cranberry “jam” to drizzle into the cake batter. It is done once it can coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let it cool in fridge.
For the cake batter - whisk butter and sugar together adding eggs one at a time, then add milk.
In a separate bowl mix together flour, spices, and baking powder.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet by sifting it through a fine mesh strainer in order to ensure there are no clumps.
Fold in as much of the chilled cranberry jam as you’d like (its ok if its still slightly warm). Tasting the batter as you go until it reaches your desired flavor. Stir the mixture until smooth.
Pour the batter in a greased springform pan.
Bake the cake for approximately 45 minutes. Only remove it from the spring form pan once it’s fully cooled down. (You could do this step ahead of time, and leave the cake wrapped in plastic wrap until ready to frost + eat.)
For the frosting - whisk cream cheese, maple syrup and butter together until it is evenly incorporated and reaches a thick whipped consistency. Slowly add in powdered sugar, whisking thoroughly making sure there are no clumps. I(f you feel like you may have over mixed, just place the whipped frosting in the fridge for 20 minutes to let it thicken and solidify a bit.)
Using either a silicone spatula, or an offset icing spatula - gently spoon the frosting on top of the cake, spreading it evenly.
Decorate with cranberries and whatever other toppings you’d like! I used whole sage leaves, because it really complimented the spices in the cake and balanced out the sweetness of the frosting.
