Vegan Orange and Cranberry Cake
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This luscious cake combines the zesty brightness of orange with the tartness of cranberries for a fusion of sweet and tangy flavors that both vegans and non-vegans will love! This stunning two layer naked cake is incredibly simple to make, yet it will impress all your guests this holiday season!
If you’re looking for more vegan recipes, check out some of my other favorites like my Sourdough Chocolate Chip Brownies, Vegan Snickers Bars, or my Vegan Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This stunning Vegan and Orange Cranberry Cake is loaded with fresh cranberries and free from dairy and eggs. The result is a moist and tender crumb that will satisfy anyone who is vegan or dairy intolerant. But, this cake is so delicious that even your non-vegan friends will love it!
I make a two layer cake, which makes the cake layers thicker, perfect for when you are baking without eggs! This cake is frosted naked style, which makes it look really fancy, but in fact, it’s incredibly easy to do! I top this cake with Sugared Cranberries for even more holiday sparkle!
Ingredients
La Tourangelle Organic Canola Oil
Real Coco Organic Coconut Milk
Organic Aquafaba (chickpea brine)
Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
Frontier Co-Op Organic Orange Flavor
Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour (use code MIMIORGANIC15 for 15% off your order!)
Organic Orange
Organic Cranberries
Spectrum Organic Vegetable Shortening
Florida Crystals Organic Powdered Sugar
Tools Needed
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
6-inch Cake Pan (use code MIMIBAKES for 10% off Kana, my favorite sustainable cake pans!)
Parchment Paper (use code MIMIBAKES for 10% off Kana, my favorite non toxic parchment paper!)
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Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
Step 2
To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, canola oil, aquafaba, vanilla extract, and orang flavor. Mix on low to combine.
Step 3
Add the cane sugar, all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, sea salt, and orange zest in that order. Mix on low until combined into a smooth batter. Fold in the cranberries.
Step 4
Transfer to the prepared baking pans evenly, they should weigh about 550 grams each.
Step 5
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cake pans.
Step 6
To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the vegetable shortening, powdered sugar, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high and mix for 1 to 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #827.
Step 7
Place the first cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Pipe a spiral of frosting, starting on the outside and working your wan into the cake. Top with the second cake layer. Pipe a spiral of frosting, starting on the outside and working your way into the cake. Top with sugared cranberries.
Baker's Tips
- Make sure to make the Sugared Cranberries first. You can even make these a day or two in advance. This is an optional topper, but it really makes the cake so festive! You could also use fresh cranberries if you prefer instead.
- I always use parchment paper for cakes as I think it really helps. My favorite nontoxic parchment paper is from Kana. Use code MIMIBAKES for 10% off your order!
- I use organic vegetable shortening for the frosting, as I love how this whips up for vegan frosting. But you could also use your favorite vegan butter too! I also like the Miyoko’s Vegan Butter.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. If you frost a warm cake, the frosting will just melt into the cake, not ideal, especially when working with buttercream!
- I frost this cake naked style, but if you want to cover it completely, you can do that as well. You will have enough frosting with this recipe to frost the cake either way, as naked cakes just have more frosting in the middle.
- If you are going to make this cake ahead of time, you can do that. Be sure to store it in a cake dome so it stays fresh. And I would not add the sugared cranberries on top until before serving!
FAQ's
Aquafaba is the liquid leftover from a can of chickpeas. It acts similar to eggs and can help make eggless bakes fluffy! I use it here in place of eggs. All you need to do is buy a can of chickpeas and drain the liquid and measure it for this recipe. Use the chickpeas to make one of my homemade hummus recipes like my Lemon Tahini Hummus or Roasted Tomato Basil Hummus!
If you don’t want to use canola oil, then use sunflower or olive oil. Both will work in this recipe, but I use canola oil as it has the most neutral flavor.
Yes, you do! Flour plays a big role in cakes. And I use a mix of all purpose flour and cake flour in this cake because with vegan cakes, they can be less stable due to the fact that there are no eggs. Eggs are a big binding agent in cakes, so I use all purpose flour as it has a higher protein content than cake flour, making this more binding. Cake flour produces a more tender cake, due to its lower protein content, but that can sometimes make vegan cakes break easily. So, both flours are necessary! You can make your own Homemade Cake Flour very easily with all purpose flour.
If you have leftover cake, then it should be stored in an airtight container. Homemade cake is best eaten right away, but it will keep for a few days.
Craving More?
Vegan Orange and Cranberry Cake
Ingredients
Batter
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup canola oil
- 6 tablespoons aquafaba
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange flavor
- 226 grams cane sugar
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- 71 grams cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 orange (zest)
- 170 grams cranberries
Frosting
- 226 grams vegetable shortening
- 454 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, canola oil, aquafaba, vanilla extract, and orang flavor. Mix on low to combine.
- Add the cane sugar, all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, sea salt, and orange zest in that order. Mix on low until combined into a smooth batter. Fold in the cranberries.
- Transfer to the prepared baking pans evenly, they should weigh about 550 grams each.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cake pans.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the vegetable shortening, powdered sugar, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high and mix for 1 to 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #827.
- Place the first cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Pipe a spiral of frosting, starting on the outside and working your wan into the cake. Top with the second cake layer. Pipe a spiral of frosting, starting on the outside and working your wan into the cake.
- Top with sugared cranberries.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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