This Potato Flake Sourdough Cranberry Cake is a perfect dessert for the holiday season. It has a soft, moist crumb; a little sweetness; and just enough tartness from the cranberries to balance it all out. As soon as the weather turns cool and cranberries start showing up in the stores, Go ahead and grab a few extra bags to tuck in the freezer.

One of the things I enjoy about this recipe is how easy it is to fit it into a regular day. The batter is mixed the night before and left to ferment on the counter overnight. The next morning, all you have to do is stir in the leavening and cranberries and bake it. If you’re hosting, it’s an easy recipe to plan around. If you’re a busy mom trying to get ahead for the weekend or prep a dessert to share after church, this is an easy dessert that looks way more difficult than it actually was to make.

Why Potato Flake Starter Works Well in Cakes

I bake with my potato flake starter almost daily, and one thing I appreciate about it is how dependable the results are. The starter itself is mild and slightly sweet, so it blends into cake batter without adding any strong flavor. You won’t taste “sourdough,” but you will notice that it creates a tender crumb, moist cakes, and a depth of flavor!

Potato flake starter is not as sour or tangy as a flour-and-water starter. That’s one reason it works so well in sweet recipes. If this is your first time ever hearing about a potato flake starter, and you’ve only made traditional sourdough, you can take your existing starter and convert it to a potato flake starter! It’s a quick way to make a new starter with the existing wild yeast you already have built up!

If you have family members who are hesitant about sourdough in desserts, this is a good recipe to try. Nothing about the flavor gives away that there is starter in it, yet the benefits are clearly there in the texture and moisture.

Is This Similar to a Coffee Cake?

Yes — this Potato Flake Sourdough Cranberry Cake is very similar to my Potato Flake Sourdough Blueberry Coffee Cake. It’s a simple, tender, one-bowl-style cake with a soft, moist crumb and a lightly sweet flavor. While the batter ingredients aren’t exactly the same, the final texture is very similar. Instead of blueberries, cranberries are folded in, giving bright bursts of tartness, and an optional sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top adds a little sparkle. Because cranberries are more tart, this recipe includes slightly more sugar. This cake is perfect for cutting into small pieces and enjoying with a cup of coffee or tea. It’s not a layered dessert, not overly sweet, and not difficult to make — just easy, satisfying, and delicious.

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Tools You’ll Need

Hand mixer
Large Mixing Bowl
9×13 baking dish
Parchment paper or butter/oil for greasing
Measuring cups and spoons
Silicone spatula

I prefer parchment for this recipe because it lifts out easily once cooled, but a well-greased pan works too.

Ingredients

Before Fermentation

2 medium eggs
2 cups white sugar (400 g)
¼ cup potato flake sourdough starter (discard or active starter)
¾ cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour (300 g)

After Fermentation

12 ounces fresh cranberries, washed and dried
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)

Optional

2–4 tablespoons turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top

How to Make Potato Flake Sourdough Cranberry Cake:

Begin by beating the eggs and sugar together with a hand mixer. Beat on high speed for about 5 to 7 minutes. The mixture should become pale and slightly thick.

Add in the potato flake starter, softened butter, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Use a silicone spatula to fold in the flour, stirring just until it’s fully incorporated. Overmixing can make the cake dense. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure there are not any dry ingredients remaining.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the batter ferment at room temperature for 8–12 hours. It could be mixed up in the evening and baked it the next morning.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare your 9×13 pan with parchment paper or grease it well with butter to avoid sticking.

Sprinkle the baking soda and salt evenly over the fermented batter, then stir to combine.

Fold in the cranberries, making sure they’re evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 40–50 minutes. The top should be lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Baking time can vary from oven to oven so be sure to keep an eye on it towards the end. In my oven, this cake finishes around 44 minutes.

If you’d like a lightly crisp, sparkling top, pull the oven rack out halfway through baking time and sprinkle the turbinado sugar evenly over the surface. It melts slightly as it bakes and gives the finished cake a beautiful finish with just a hint of crunch. I wait until about halfway through to add the sugar so that the sugar stays on the top of the cake.

Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing if you want clean squares. If you’re serving it warm to family, you can slice it sooner — the texture is soft and delicious either way.

How to Store the Cake

This cake stores well, which makes it a good make-ahead option.

Room Temperature: Keep covered in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Refrigerator: 5–6 days, tightly wrapped.
Freezer: Slice into squares, wrap individually, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen cranberries?

Yes — add them straight from the freezer. Don’t thaw them or they may leak color into the batter.

Can I use dried cranberries?

I have not done this, but it should work. I recommend soaking them in warm water for 10–15 minutes, then gently patting them dry before adding them into the batter. The cake will be sweeter and less tart, you might even want to reduce your amount of sugar slightly.

Can I add nuts?

Chopped walnuts or pecans are both good additions. Fold in about ½–1 cup of chopped nuts with the cranberries.

Does the batter really need to ferment overnight?

The fermentation improves the texture and flavor, so I do recommend it. You can shorten it a little if needed, but 8–12 hours gives the best results. If you decided to skip the fermentation all together, you will simply add the salt and baking soda in from the beginning rather than waiting until later.

Can I bake this in a smaller pan?

You can, but the cake will be thicker and will need a longer bake time, the smallest I would recommend would be 7×11. Using a smaller pan puts you at risk of your cake rising over the edges and making a mess in your oven. You could even make two cakes in loaf pans like a quick bread style. Although the cranberries tend to settle more in loaf-style cakes. Another idea would be to make a bunch of mini loaves to give out as gifts! You would need to adjust the baking time though.

Should I use active or discard starter?

This is another thing I love about this recipe! You can use either, both active or discard starter work great in this recipe!

Other Christmas Ideas

Now, this recipe isn’t just for the holiday season, but if you are looking for something to bake for Christmas morning you can totally make this for a breakfast cake or try one of my other potato flake sourdough recipes. Some ideas to try are my classic cinnamon rolls, a cinnamon snowflake, or if you don’t want something sweet you could try out the english muffins for breakfast sandwiches or the sausage and cheese kolaches.

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