Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Cake with Almonds 

Who says holiday desserts have to be loaded with refined sugar? This Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Cake with Almonds is proof that wholesome can still feel indulgent. Made with almond flour, buckwheat flour and sweetened with maple syrup, it’s bursting with zesty orange and tart cranberries for a truly festive feel.

Original Post: January 2023 | Updated Post: November 2025.

Inspired by the cookbook Whole Food Cooking Every Day by Amy Chaplin, the base of the cake is adapted from Amy Chaplin’s Almond Cake recipe. My twist is making this an orange cranberry cake by taking fresh cranberries and cooking them down in maple syrup, orange juice, orange zest and aromatic spices.

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Ingredients you’ll need

• Fresh cranberries.
• Orange juice and orange zest. 
• Maple syrup. 
• Spices. Allspice, cinnamon and cloves.
• Almond flour.
• Buckwheat flour.
• Baking powder.
• Eggs.
• Coconut oil. A good substitute would be avocado oil.
• Vanilla extract.
• Almond extract.
• Fine sea salt.
• Slivered almonds. These provide is nice crunchy texture to the top.

How to make Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Cake

Step One:Start with preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the pan with parchment paper. Set the pan on top of a sheet pan. 

Step Two:In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cranberries, juice of the orange, zest, maple syrup and the spices. Gently stir to combine and let the cranberries cook down. Continue to stir and when the cranberries start to pop and sauce starts to thicken, remove from the heat. Set aside.

Step Three: In a medium bowl, sift the almond flour, buckwheat flour and baking powder. Gently whisk to combine. 

Step Four: In a mixer, add the eggs and beat for about a minute. Then add the other wet ingredients-the syrup, both extracts, coconut oil, and salt. Stir to combine. Then add in the flour mixture and using a rubber spatula, mix until combined. Gently fold in the cranberry sauce. 

Step Five: Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, making sure it is spread out evenly. Add the slivered almonds on top. Bake for 35 minutes, until cake is nice and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Step Six: Carefully remove from the oven and let the cake cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

• Using dried cranberries wouldn’t be the same as using fresh cranberries. I recommend using fresh cranberries only.

• A rectangular 13×4 pan is great for this gluten free cranberry cake recipe because it will make for a beautiful presentation. Also a regular cake pan will work. 

Pro Tip: if using a rectangular springform pan with the removable bottom, place it on a sheet pan before pouring the batter in. I always get paranoid I’m going to knock the bottom out! But putting it on a sheet pan makes for an easier baking experience.

• You can use a loaf pan or bundt pan however I have not tested this recipe out in those pans. If you want to use another pan, I would use a loaf pan over the bundt pan. Only because I don’t think this texture would do well in a bundt pan. Also if using a loaf pan, you will want to increase your baking time. 

• You will want to bake the cake for 35- 40 minutes. If using a round pan, it may take a few minutes longer.

• You can use oat flour or coconut flour. Any type of gluten free flour blend can work but it will change the texture a little bit.

Serving suggestions for this Christmas Cranberry Cake

You will love this delicious cake as is! But if you insist on adding a little “extra” to this, give these toppings a try:

• A simple white chocolate drizzle.
• Scoop of dairy free vanilla ice cream or homemade whip cream.
• Additional fresh cranberry sauce.
• Spoonful of vanilla Greek Yogurt.