Chaos Cake Cranberry Orange (Print Version)

Tangy cranberry and orange snack cake with playful drippy glaze for easy, crowd-pleasing dessert moments.

# Components:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 tablespoon orange zest
09 - ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt

→ Fruit

12 - 1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries

→ Drippy Glaze

13 - 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 2-3 tablespoons orange juice
15 - 1 teaspoon orange zest

# Preparation Steps:

01 - Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking sheet or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
02 - In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
03 - In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully mixed before adding the next. Stir in the orange zest, fresh orange juice, vanilla extract, and sour cream (or yogurt) until the mixture is uniform.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
05 - Gently fold the cranberries into the batter, distributing them evenly throughout.
06 - Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking sheet. Bake for approximately 28–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake emerges clean and the edges are lightly golden brown.
07 - Allow the cake to cool in the baking sheet for 10 minutes before carefully transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
08 - For the glaze, whisk the sifted powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of orange juice and 1 teaspoon of orange zest until you achieve a smooth, drippy consistency. Adjust with a touch more orange juice if the glaze is too thick.
09 - Generously drizzle the prepared glaze over the completely cooled cake, allowing it to cascade down the sides. Let the glaze set fully before slicing and serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Ready in under an hour from start to finish
  • Uses simple pantry ingredients most bakers already have on hand
  • Perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors
  • Feeds a crowd with minimal effort
02 -
  • This cake freezes beautifully for up to 3 months
  • The recipe easily doubles for larger gatherings
  • Each serving contains under 250 calories
03 -
  • The real secret to this cake is in the zest. Always zest your citrus before juicing, and press the zest into the sugar with the back of a spoon before adding other wet ingredients. This releases the essential oils into the sugar, intensifying the orange flavor throughout the cake. I learned this technique from a pastry chef friend, and it transformed not just this recipe but all my citrus baking projects.

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