Cranberry Almond Snack Cake (Gluten Free)

Name: Cranberry Almond Snack Cake (Gluten Free)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 cups gluten free all purpose flour; 1/2 cup almond flour; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; Pinch of salt; 1 cup castor sugar; 2 eggs; 1/2 cup butter; 1/4 oil; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp almon extract; 3/4 cup buttermilk; 1 orange zest; 1 cup dried cranberries (soaked in 1/4 cup warm water until plump ); 1/2 cup flaked almonds ((for the top)); 2 tbsp demerara sugar ((for the top)); 1 cup icing sugar; 1 tbsp orange juice; Sprinkles (optional)

A soft and spongy gluten free cake that is a one bowl recipe, filled with cranberries, almonds and oranges. Topped with a simple icing and festive sprinkles, it is the perfect snack cake for the season.

There are some recipes that are perfect for anytime, anywhere. This is one of those recipes. The simplicity of this recipe makes it so much more delicious if I have to be honest. I love a good snack cake recipe where it is easy to make but more importantly is yummy, comforting and easily feeds a crowd. Unfortunately, during the holidays I find it tough to get a good allergy free recipe aka gluten free recipe. I have made a yummy cranberry orange cake last year and it is perfect and you can use the gluten free substitute to make it but this one is more almond and cranberry and more snack cake vibes.

What is a snack cake?

A snack cake most often than not is baked in a tray, it could be square or rectangle. Sometimes it is considered to be a sheet pan can as well. It can be cut into squares and is travel friendly. Some cakes have a simple glaze or frosting again which is easy to prepare and layer on top of the cake. But snack cakes have to be easy to make and delicious, not mention perfect for snacking.

What is a cranberry almond snack cake?

We take all the best flavors of cranberries, orange and almonds and put them into this snack cake. Making for a festively delicious cake recipe to make this season that is perfect to feed a crowd.

What ingredients do you need to make this cranberry almond snack cake?

Dry ingredients –

This is a gluten free cake which means we need a gluten free flour mix. I prefer using Bob’s red mill cup for cup measure. You can use any gluten free flour mix you like. We also need almond flour, I just blend my almonds until it is a powder but you can use the store bought packets. Baking powder and baking soda to give the cake a lift once baked.

Wet ingredients –

This recipes uses eggs, castor sugar, butter, oil, oranges, dried cranberries, buttermilk, vanilla and almond extract. If you want to make this cake eggless, you can substitute each egg for 50gm yogurt instead. I have made this cake using coconut sugar and brown sugar as well, it is delicious! This cake uses butter and oil, which makes it tender and moist. To make buttermilk at home, mix milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice.

Cranberries & Almonds –

For the cranberries I have used dried cranberries here, let them soak in warm water until plump. Or you could soak it in brandy as well. I add the soaking liquid in the cake. We use almond powder and flaked almonds to make this cake, if you don’t have flaked almonds you can use sliced almonds or chopped almonds as well.

Icing ingredients –

We need icing sugar and orange juice to make this icing, it is simple and easy to mix together but you do need icing sugar or powdered sugar or confectioners sugar.

What equipment do you need to make this cranberry almond snack cake?

We need a couple of mixing bowls, whisk, rubber spatula. The cake is baked in an 8x8inch tin lined with baking paper. You could bake this cake in a 9×13 inch tin as well but keep an eye on the baking time as it will take less time to bake.

How to make this cranberry almond snack cake?

Preheat the oven to 180℃ and line an 8×8 inch tin with butter and baking paper, set it aside. In a bowl add the gluten free flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and stir together. Set aside. In another bowl, add the castor sugar and orange zest, rub it together until the sugar has a pale orange color. Add the eggs and whisk together until pale and creamy. You can do this step with an electric beater. Add the butter, oil and whisk well. Add the buttermilk, vanilla, almond extract and whisk until smooth. Add the soaked cranberries with the soaking liquid and mix. Add the dry ingredients and fold together until smooth. Pour into the prepared tin and top with flaked almonds and Demerara sugar. Bake for 55-60 mins until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let it cool completely. To make the icing, mix the icing sugar and orange juice together until smooth, drizzle over the cooled cake and top with sprinkles.

How to serve & store this cranberry almond snack cake?

Once the cake is decorated, you can slice into squares or bars. Serve with milk, coffee, tea – as it is a snack cake it can be served for tea, at brunch, or even as as dessert. Store it in air tight containers in the fridge for 3 days and if you are storing it longer, store it in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Looking for more festive cake recipes?

Best Vegan Vanilla Cake
Masala Chai Cake
Chocolate Irish Stout Cake
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

Now that we have covered how to make this cranberry almond snack cake, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.