Gluten-Free Recipes

Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Cake

This easy recipe for gluten free orange cranberry cake is a layer cake with cranberry jam filling and orange buttercream frosting. This moist cake uses sour cream and makes the best layer cake. You will love this cake recipe for Christmas or Thanksgiving!

I use my Easy Gluten Free White Cake recipe for this cake. I love this recipe! It smells amazing when it's baking and is the perfect white cake to use whatever filling or frosting you desire.

I filled this cake with my Gluten Free Cranberry Jam. This jam is the perfect mixture of tart and sweet! It is perfect on toast, waffles or in between layers of cake. I love making my own homemade jam so I know exactly what ingredients are used.

If you are looking for more cranberry recipes try my Cranberry Fluff Salad, my Gluten Free Cranberry Apple Crisp, my Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Biscotti or my Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Butter Cookies.

You can find all of my cake recipes here: Gluten Free Cake Recipes

three slices of gluten free orange cranberry cake with cranberry jam filling and orange buttercream frosting on plates

This Gluten-Free Orange Cranberry Cake is the perfect dessert for the holiday season! It combines the zesty flavor of orange with the tartness of fresh cranberries.

The cake features a light, fluffy gluten-free white cake base, layered with a rich cranberry filling that brings a burst of festive color and flavor. Topped with a smooth and creamy orange buttercream frosting, this cake is an easy-to-make, crowd-pleasing treat. This cake captures the essence of Christmas in every bite.

Whether you're baking for a Christmas party, a family gathering, or looking for a delicious seasonal cake, this dessert is sure to impress.

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Ingredients

Gluten Free Flour
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Sea Salt
Unsalted Butter
Granulated Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla Extract
Milk
Sour Cream
Cream Cheese
Powdered Sugar
Orange Juice
Orange Peel
Fresh Cranberries

Instructions

Make the layer cakes using this Easy Gluten Free White Cake recipe.

Make the cranberry jam for filling using this Gluten Free Cranberry Jam recipe.

For the frosting beat the butter and cream cheese in your stand mixer until combined. Add salt, powdered sugar, orange juice and orange peel. Beat until combined and smooth.

If the frosting is too thick for you add milk one tablespoon at a time until you get your desired consistency.

Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. I like to freeze my cakes overnight to make frosting them really easy.

Supplies

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make my gluten free cake more moist?

Gluten free flours can be dry, so it's important to add moisture when converting a regular recipe to a gluten free recipe. For cakes it's best to add a bit of apple sauce or sour cream to the recipe to give the cake a higher moisture level. Using apple sauce or sour cream will keep the cake light and fluffy.

I would start with ¼ cup of either the apple sauce or sour cream and see what your batter consistency is. If you aren't happy with that add a bit more. I would mix this added ingredient in by hand so you don't overheat your cake batter and make it flat.

Do gluten free cakes take longer to bake?

Yes, gluten free baking in general takes a little bit longer to bake than a cake made with regular wheat flour. However, gluten free baked goods tend to brown faster. So you will want to test the cake with a tooth pick in the center to make sure it's actually done even if it looks browned.

Your cake should be a nice golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean. You may need to bake your cake up to 5-8 minutes more. If your cake is already very brown, but not done in the center you will need to lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees and cook longer.

More Recipes You Might Enjoy

I get a lot of my ingredients from Thrive Market. Thrive Market has been a game changer for me eating gluten free. They have so many options I can't get at my rural grocery stores! Use this link to get 40% off your first order!

Gluten Free Orange Buttercream

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Author: Elaine VanVleck
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 2 - 9 inch cakes 1x
Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Ingredients

Scale

Easy Gluten Free White Cake

Gluten Free Cranberry Jam

Orange Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1- 8 ounce package Cream Cheese, softened
½ tsp. Sea Salt
3 cups Powdered Sugar
2 Tbsp. Orange Juice
1 tsp. Orange Peel, finely zested
1-2 Tbsp. Milk, if needed to thin

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Instructions

Make the layer cakes using this Easy Gluten Free White Cake recipe.

Make the cranberry jam for filling using this Gluten Free Cranberry Jam recipe.

For the frosting beat the butter and cream cheese in your stand mixer until combined. Add salt, powdered sugar, orange juice and orange peel. Beat until combined and smooth.

If the frosting is too thick for you add milk one tablespoon at a time until you get your desired consistency.

Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. I like to freeze my cakes overnight to make frosting them really easy.

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Category: Cake
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Gluten Free

Gluten Free Cranberry Jam

This easy gluten free cranberry jam recipe uses fresh cranberries, orange juice and orange zest. It's so simple to make this homemade sauce! It's perfect with Christmas breakfast or brunch.

a jar of cranberry jam with orange slices and fresh cranberries

Gluten-free cranberry jam is a delightful addition to your holiday table, perfect for enhancing breakfast or desserts. This easy cranberry jam recipe transforms fresh cranberries into a vibrant, flavorful spread that captures the essence of the season.

Whether you're looking to make a homemade Christmas jam or a Thanksgiving jam recipe, this jam is versatile enough to complement various dishes. With its sweet and tangy flavor, it's an ideal topping for toast, scones, or even as a jellied cranberry sauce alternative.

If you are looking for more cranberry recipes try my Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Muffins, my Gluten Free Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs, my Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Cake or my Gluten Free Pumpkin Cranberry Breakfast Cookies.

You can find all of my breakfast recipes here: Gluten Free Breakfast Recipes

a jar of gluten free cranberry jam with a spoon out of it

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Ingredients

Fresh Cranberries
Granulated Sugar
Orange Juice
Orange Peel
Water

Instructions

In a sauce pan add the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, grated orange peel and water. Cook on medium low heat until it begins to simmer.

Continue to simmer the jam while stirring constantly to keep the jam from burning on the bottom of the pan. This should take 10-12 minutes to cook the ingredients down into a jam.

The cranberries will begin to pop. Watch out for hot splatter!

Once the jam has reached the consistency you desire remove the pan from heat.

Pour the jam into a heat proof jar and let sit on the counter until it cools completely.

Once the jam is cooled seal the jar and store in your refrigerator for up to a month.

Supplies

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between cranberry sauce and cranberry jam?

Jam should be thicker than a sauce. Usually jam has bits of the fruit it is made out of while a sauce may be pureed and smooth. For this jam I used whole cranberries and left hearty chunks of them and their seeds in the jam.

This gluten free cranberry jam has a cup of granulated sugar. This is more than I would use in a cranberry sauce to go with savory foods. I also cook this jam longer to get a thicker consistency than I would with a sauce.

Do cranberries have pectin?

Yes, cranberries naturally have pectin. You won't need to add pectin to get a nice thick consistency to your jam. Fresh cranberries contain somewhere between 0.4 and 1.2 percent pectin. The longer you boil the cranberries the more pectin that is released.

Why is my cranberry jam not thickening?

Likely you need to boil it more and cook it down. Depending on how much moisture your fresh cranberries release you may need to cook the jam a bit longer. If the jam seems too runny and isn't a jam consistency it needs to be cooked more.

Continue to lightly boil the jam while stirring to keep your jam from sticking to the pan until you get the thickness you want. Once your jam is done remove your pan from the heat and transfer the jam to a heat proof jar to store in your refrigerator.

More Recipes You Might Enjoy

I get some of my ingredients from Thrive Market. Thrive Market has been a game changer for me eating gluten free. They have so many options I can't get at my rural grocery stores! Use this link to get 25% off your first order!