The ultimate Christmas sheet cake recipe: these cranberry lemon bars are just divine. Sweet, with some tartness from the cranberries. I. Can't. Stop. Eating.
I visited the Dutch island of Terschelling a while ago for a long weekend. I returned with a big box full of fresh cranberries because they grow in abundance there. A little souvenir from the past, when American ships sailing towards Scandinavia, stranded in the shallow waters between the English Channel and Scandinavia. Very likely, a barrel of cranberries stranded on the island of Terschelling. The inhabitants left it in the dunes and voila, years later the island is packed with these healthy sour berries! A good thing, because you can do so many nice things with cranberries! For example: make this amazing Christmas sheet cake with cranberries & lemon! And if you have some berries left, I suggest to make this cranberry compote recipe.
Why you'll love this recipe
Packed with flavor - a wonderfully airy, sweet sheet cake with a nice acidity from the fresh cranberries and lemon zest. Some extra sweetness from the generous layer of frosting on top to finish the cake, just delicious!
Christmas favorite - this Christmas sheet cake is a real holiday favorite. Easy to make, full of flavor and great as a Christmas dessert.
This is a make-ahead recipe. The cranberry lemon bars will keep in the fridge for two days without the frosting, or you can even freeze them.
Serves a crowd - this recipe will serve 12 people and the pieces are still quite generous. You can also cut the sheet cake in 16 pieces.
Variation tips: replace the lemon with orange for a slightly different flavour. Add some chopped nuts to the batter for a nice crunch. Pecans are amazing in this recipe!
Christmas sheet cake ingredients
For this recipe you'll need:
Flour - all purpose flour works fine in this recipe.
Baking powder - to make sure the cake will rise nicely.
Salt - a pinch of salt enhances the flavors in almost every baking recipe.
Cranberries - use fresh cranberries. Dried fruit won't work in this recipe.
Granulated sugar - for some sweetness.
Mascarpone - brings so much richness to the cake. If you can't get your hands on mascarpone, use cream cheese instead. This contains less fat than mascarpone so the flavor and texture will be a bit different.
Eggs - I use free range eggs, size M in all my cake recipes.
Lemon - you'll need both the zest and the juice. Since you use the zest, I prefer a bio-lemon.
Frosting - butter, mascarpone, cream cheese and powdered sugar.
White chocolate - some white chocolate shavings look amazing and give the cranberry lemon bars an extra festive Christmas vibe.
My tips to make the best Christmas sheet cake
- Sieve the flour and baking powder to prevent any lumps in the batter.
- Mix the butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes to ensure the cake is super fluffy.
How to prepare and store the cake?
I recommend to let the cake cool completely. Then, wrap it in parchment paper and then in kitchen foil and keep it in the fridge. This prevents the cake from absorbing odors from other products in the fridge. The sheet cake will stay fresh for at least two days (without frosting).
You can also store the cake in the freezer for at least a few months. Wrap it in parchment paper and then in kitchen foil.
You can prepare the frosting two days in advance as well, just keep it in a tightly sealed box in the fridge and put it on the cake on the day you'd like to serve it. Get the cake and the frosting out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to make sure they are both at room temperature.
More Christmas recipes
Looking for more inspiration for the holiday season? I recommend checking out these easy puff pastry tarts with figs and brie, and this vegetarian beetroot carpaccio is an amazing appetizer too!
Christmas sheet cake
Equipment
- square cake tin (8 inch)
- parchment paper
- mixing bowl
- mixer
- spatula
Ingredients
For the sheet cake
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup mascarpone
- 3 eggs
- 1 lemon (zest and juice)
For the frosting
- 4 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- white chocolate shavings
Instructions
- Before you begin, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 320°F / 160°C.
- Line a square cake tin (8 inch) with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour and baking powder over a large bowl and add a pinch of salt.
- Mix the butter with the sugar until it's nice and soft. Do this for about 5 to 10 minutes. It seems like a long time, but it will make the cake fluffier.
- Add the mascarpone and mix until combined.
- Now, one by one, beat the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice into the batter.
- Fold in the flour with a spatula until just combined.
- Gently stir the fresh cranberries into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake the cranberry cake for about 60 minutes until it is golden brown. Let the cake cool for half an hour, lift it out, and then cool completely on a wire rack.
- Now, make the icing: Mix the butter and cream cheese until smooth, then add the powdered sugar little by little until combined . Spread the frosting over the cake.
- Top the icing with white chocolate shavings.
Fran Gordon
Your recipe doesn’t include the sugar for the cake batter. How much st?
Sandra
Thank you so much for pointing that out, I added it rightaway (3/4 cup)
Fran Gordon
I made this cake for a Christmas party and it was a hit!! People had two pieces!
Thank you for sharing this recipe 😋
Sandra
Thanks for the kind words Fran! Glad you all liked the cake!