You'll love the flavors in this easy, delicious, glazed cranberry orange cake, bursting with fresh cranberries and citrus zest (makes 12 servings)!
Preheat oven to 350° F. Generously grease or spray a 9x9 " baking pan (bottom and sides). Use butter or non-stick baking spray.
Place butter, orange zest (finely grated peel), and 1 cup of granulated sugar into a large mixing bowl (or a stand mixer bowl). Cream ingredients together with electric mixer, until fully blended and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add egg and vanilla extract to the mixture; beat until fully incorporated.
Measure 2 Tablespoons of all purpose flour into a small dish and set aside (you will use this later). Place remaining flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl, and whisk together, to combine. Add flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, a little at a time, alternating between flour and buttermilk, mixing on low speed after each addition.
In a small bowl, add fresh cranberries to reserved 2 Tablespoons of flour. Gently stir until cranberries are completely coated with flour. Doing this prevents cranberries from "bleeding color" into cake batter! Once coated, gently fold them into the cake batter. Evenly spread cake batter into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the batter with remaining Tablespoon of granulated sugar.
Bake cake at 350° F. for 35-40 minutes, then test for done-ness. When done, cake should be golden brown on top. Test for done-ness by inserting a toothpick into middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, cake is done. If cake needs more time (oven temps. vary), put it back in the oven and check on it every 4-5 minutes, until done. Once done, remove cake from oven, and transfer dish to a wire rack. While still hot, use a toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
Place powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon orange juice. Stir well. Continue to add a few drops of water at a time to this glaze, stirring after each addition, until glaze is thin enough to drizzle over the cake. You want it to drizzle in a thin stream. Use a spoon to drizzle glaze over the top of the cake while it is still hot. The glaze will run over the cake and into all of the holes you poked with the toothpick! Once you've drizzled all of the glaze evenly over the top, let the cranberry orange cake cool completely! Once cooled completely (and glaze has firmed up), slice cake into 12 pieces, serve and enjoy!
Cranberry Orange Cake https://www.thegratefulgirlcooks.com/cranberry-orange-cake/