Cranberry Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze Recipe

This sweet-tart cranberry cake topped with dairy-free vanilla bean cream cheese glaze will be the star of your holiday table.

I developed this dairy-free cranberry cake recipe in collaboration with GO VEGGIE. Thank you for supporting the brands that inspire my cooking.

With the end of daylight savings time and busy holiday routines, the arrival of fresh cranberries at the market felt like a bright spot this week. I love cranberries for the contrast they bring to baked goods — their puckery tartness lifts sweet batters and pairs beautifully with warm spices and citrus. I keep a handful of cranberry recipes in regular rotation and used three bags of berries to dial in this cake until it was just right.

Most fruit-filled cakes rely on a dense, butter-rich batter to support the fruit and stay moist. For a dairy-free version, I experimented until I found the right balance of texture and flavor. The combination that worked best for me was unsweetened applesauce plus GO VEGGIE classic plain cream cheese. The applesauce keeps the cake tender and moist, while the vegan cream cheese adds body and a subtle tang that complements the cranberries. I also swapped coconut milk for dairy milk and added a splash of orange liqueur for brightness. The result is a moist, slightly springy cake with a hint of pound-cake character and plenty of holiday appeal.

The cake itself is not overly sweet, so a glaze makes a big difference. I opted for a simple dairy-free cream cheese glaze flavored with vanilla bean paste. Using cream cheese in the glaze echoes the subtle cheese notes in the batter and gives the finishing touch a more complex flavor than a plain powdered-sugar drizzle. The glaze can be made thick and spreadable with a small amount of coconut milk, or thinned to a pourable consistency by adding a little more coconut milk.

This cranberry cake is versatile: serve it as a dessert after Thanksgiving, bring it to a holiday party, or enjoy a slice with coffee on a cozy winter morning. It’s approachable to bake, celebrates seasonal fruit, and delivers a balanced sweet-tart flavor that many guests will appreciate.

Cranberry Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Course: Healthy Dessert Recipes

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 295 kcal

Author: Lauren Keating

Ingredients

For the cake

• 1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons GO VEGGIE classic plain cream cheese
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups fresh cranberries

For the glaze

• 4 tablespoons GO VEGGIE classic plain cream cheese
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1–2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk, as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
2. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups of flour, the baking powder, and the salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the applesauce, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated. Stir in the orange liqueur.
4. Alternate adding half of the dry flour mixture, then the coconut milk, then the remaining dry ingredients, beating gently until combined.
5. Toss the cranberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour to prevent sinking, then fold them into the batter.
6. Pour the batter into a greased 9-inch round cake pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan on a rack before glazing.
8. To make the glaze, whisk together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add coconut milk a tablespoon at a time until you reach your preferred consistency. Spread or drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories: 295 (Calories from fat 81)

Fat: 9 g (14% DV) — Saturated Fat: 6 g (38% DV)

Cholesterol: 58 mg (19% DV)

Sodium: 290 mg (13% DV)

Fiber: 2 g (8% DV) • Sugar: 26 g (29% DV)

Protein: 5 g (10% DV)

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.