apple cranberry snacking cake

apple cranberry snacking cake | movita beaucoup

apple cranberry snacking cake | movita beaucoup

This snacking cake is studded with apples, cranberries and walnuts. It is moist and light, and not overly filling. There is a hint of cinnamon in the batter, which always does well with fruit and nuts. This cake doesn’t taste strongly of fruit – it just adds to the overall texture and sweetness. It is topped with cinnamon sugar and pairs well with coffee and tea. It’s perfect for snacking, but would also be nice as a breakfast treat.

. . .

Apple Cranberry Snacking Cake

recipe: from Company’s Coming 150 Delicious Squares, with adjustments to the notes and method

print and bake

Yields one 9×9 baking pan.

For the topping:

  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the cake:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1/2 cup diced apple (peeled) – 1 apple should do it
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mise en place – begin by getting organized. Measure out all of your ingredients. 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 baking pan.

Make the topping. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.

In another small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

With a hand mixer in a medium sized bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar, until the sugars are moistened, well combined and crumbly. Add the vanilla and sour cream, mixing until well combined. Beat in the egg. Next, stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Finally, add the cranberries, apple and walnuts, mixing well. The batter will be thick.

Spread evenly in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for about 30 minutes – until golden, the sides begin to cook away from the edge of pan, and the cake springs back when touched. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

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51 Comments

  1. mellissa@ibreatheimhungry on October 29, 2013 at 10:38 am

    Oh what a tangled (and expensive!) web we weave, when first we practice to deceive! ha ha! Enjoy the new ride! Also, isn’t all cake for snacking? I mean what is the difference between snacking cake and regular cake? I’m so confused….



    • movita beaucoup on October 29, 2013 at 10:50 am

      No. Some cakes are, for example, celebration cakes. Some cakes are for dessert. Some are for saying, “I’m sorry I stretched out your jeans.” Thus, there is always a reason to eat cake…



      • Ang on October 29, 2013 at 11:51 am

        your logic . . . so spot on . . .



      • ibreatheimhungry on October 29, 2013 at 6:03 pm

        So you’re saying we call it different things to justify eating it whenever we want? Seems legit. I’m in!



        • movita beaucoup on October 30, 2013 at 8:55 am

          Yes, that’s what I’m saying. You totally get me.



  2. Jennifer McHenry (@bakeorbreak) on October 29, 2013 at 12:04 pm

    Lovely cake! And congratulations on the new ride. When I started reading this, I thought it was going to turn into one of our stories. Like, how I wanted to remodel a kitchen in our first house and a week later we bought land to build a house. That’s how we operate.



    • movita beaucoup on October 29, 2013 at 3:34 pm

      Ooooh, I’m going to suggest a kitchen remodel!!



  3. Big Hungry Gnomes on October 29, 2013 at 12:24 pm

    This cake sounds like the ideal thing to go with a cup of tea on a cold autumn afternoon. Your photographs are stunning



    • movita beaucoup on October 29, 2013 at 3:34 pm

      It’s kinda like fall in a pan! (And thanks!)



  4. Liz on October 29, 2013 at 1:16 pm

    Very nice recipe. Thank you.



  5. Densie - Chez Us on October 29, 2013 at 2:07 pm

    It is kind of like when we were looking for a rental to move into and then we bought a house. OY! Love me a snacking cake, and became a big fan of them last year. We lived on apple ones all winter!



    • movita beaucoup on October 29, 2013 at 3:36 pm

      There’s something about cake that makes everything better. A perfect pick-me-up during a mid-afternoon slump…



  6. Lan | morestomach on October 29, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    stop. you’re into vacuuming? it’s like i don’t even know you. how did i not know that you like to push loud machinery around the house???

    as for your new whip: exciting! we only just paid off our car but i’m already thinking about the next one. i have no loyalty. (or common sense! no car payment and i want a new car already!)



    • movita beaucoup on October 30, 2013 at 8:58 am

      Vacuums are AWESOME!! I mean, you just whip it out and IT CLEANS YOUR HOUSE. Everything looks better vacuumed. Even niles-the-cat likes getting floofed up with the brush attachment…

      Because our current car has a wicked awesome trade-in value, we’ll actually be paying less for our new 2013 than we were for our 2010. CRAZY! We’d be nuts NOT to buy it!



  7. Amy on October 29, 2013 at 4:40 pm

    Haha, Nate makes up lies just to see if I’m listening to him…most of the time I guess I’m not. Congrats on the new car and Dyson! I want a Dyson really badly. I put it on our wedding registry but (surprise!) no one bought it…possibly a bit over their budget 🙂 Which one did you get??



    • movita beaucoup on October 30, 2013 at 9:00 am

      We got the original Dyson Ball. I dunno what model that is, but it’s the cheapest one (at about $600 taxes in). It’s expensive, but everyone I know who has one LOVES ’em, and I have to say, the volume of stuff it sucked up on the first go around the house was SHOCKING. Apparently, we were living in filth.



  8. rubytheblacklabrador on October 30, 2013 at 4:29 am

    Great story well told. I love Dyson’s but they are vv expensive here (in the country where Mr Dyson comes from). Either way, I have a lot of serious reading to do this weekend so will get on and bake this (with dried cranberries which I will soak overnight) and munch away!



    • movita beaucoup on October 30, 2013 at 9:01 am

      Yah, they are crazy expensive here too. Like, re-mortgage your house expensive. However, we decided it was worth not eating for a few weeks. Our house is Dyson clean now!!

      Using dried cranberries is a brilliant idea!



      • rubytheblacklabrador on November 2, 2013 at 5:52 am

        ok – made and devoured in one day (no help from Ruby either) – very moist, moreish and easy to make. thanks for the recipe:)



  9. frugalfeeding on October 30, 2013 at 10:50 am

    Looking great as ever. Gorgeous shots of the fruit and I’ve always been a sucker for rustic, simple cake like this!



  10. jessieharrold on October 30, 2013 at 12:02 pm

    Pretty cake. Also: I love the idea of snacking cake. This cake is Merely A Snack. Therefore, it contains the 100-200 calories foods that can be called “snacks” have, and nothing more. Just a snack. That’s all. No brainer.



    • movita beaucoup on October 31, 2013 at 8:08 am

      EXACTLY. Also, every snack should be a cake. Let it be done.



  11. natalie @ wee eats on October 30, 2013 at 12:12 pm

    BEST SURPRISE EVER??? Buying my new car was actually like the most traumatic experience of my life, I hope I never have to buy a new one again. Although it could just be because I was poor and my other car exploded on me so I was FORCED INTO IT AGAINST MY WILL. That MAY have something to do with it… but we may never know.

    I don’t know how no one has asked (or they ahe and I didn’t see) WHAT KIND OF NEW CAR DID YOU GET??!?!?!? And also, what’s your favorite thing about it? How many did you test drive before you picked it out?? I NEED TO KNOW ALL THE THINGS!

    We too have a Dyson and I quite enjoy it, although I wish the pet hair attachment was more …. better? I had a word in my brain and then it pooped out of my head and I don’t know what I was going to say except that I wish our pet hair attachment worked more gooder, ya know? idk. Maybe you know.

    Also, your cake looks lovely, I like that it’s a snacking cake because it means I can just set it by me and snack on it all day (or all 20 minutes) long until it’s gone.



    • movita beaucoup on October 31, 2013 at 8:07 am

      Natalie, last night we picked up our new 2013 Mazda 3 with SkyActiv technology. (It was replacing our 2010 Mazda 3 without SkyActiv technology.) I believe SkyActiv technology makes our car more fuel efficient, and also, makes it fly. But I haven’t tried the flying function yet. IT HAS HEATED SEATS! And side mirrors that defrost themselves! And wipers that sense when it’s raining and come on all by themselves! And also, wireless stuff that makes it talk to my iPhone and do my grocery shopping. ALL FOR LESS THAN WE WERE PAYING FOR OUR OLD CAR. It’s like Mazda wants to date us or something. Today I get to drive it for the first time. I’m so feakin’ excited!

      So far, I love the new Dyson. It sucked so much out of our house on the first go that I basically barfed. WE WERE LIVING IN FILTH.



  12. spree on October 30, 2013 at 1:03 pm

    Oh i does love me a good snackin’ cake and this has all the right parts to make it such! And Movita! your photos are glorious!



  13. Leslie on October 30, 2013 at 3:45 pm

    I’m still clicking that “Print and Bake” button and all I get is a piece of paper … no cake. Old joke, I know. I live in Texas and read your blog. You make me laugh.



    • movita beaucoup on October 31, 2013 at 8:08 am

      Tee hee! I’ll see if I can work out that glitch. Must be a WordPress thing…



  14. Lily @ Life, Love, and Cupcakes on October 30, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    This looks wonderful! I was just debating to myself what exactly qualifies something as a snacking cake. I decided to bake pumpkin bars today but they turned out more cake-y than expected so I decided that I would call them a snacking cake..it just sounds right!
    I would be pretty excited about getting a dyson too, you should have seen me when I got a new hedge trimmer couple weeks ago…although I didn’t get a car along with it!



    • movita beaucoup on October 31, 2013 at 8:10 am

      We don’t even HAVE hedges, and yet, now I want a hedge trimmer…



  15. Juls on October 31, 2013 at 5:20 am

    Oh this made me laugh so much! I wish one day we would have a blog entry from 2.0 for his take on your life!



    • movita beaucoup on October 31, 2013 at 8:09 am

      That would require 2.0 to learn about using the internets. Thus, sadly, the world will never hear from him.



  16. Allison (Spontaneous Tomato) on October 31, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    That looks SO good. And not to belittle how good it looks or anything, but your solo-apple and solo-cranberry photos are beautiful!

    This is a combination I love dearly! Last year I made an apple cranberry crisp (recipe on my blog) and an apple cranberry pie, twice, so uh, two apple cranberry pies, but not on the same day (never wrote down the recipe). In other words, your snacking cake is something that I now HAVE TO TRY. Also every cake is more appetizing when you call it a “snacking cake”. (All other cakes are just being disingenuous.)

    Hope you are enjoying your new car and new Dyson! Paula wants a Dyson more than anything (seriously ANYTHING) so I will not show her this post or tell her you got one, or she will be insanely jealous.



    • movita beaucoup on November 2, 2013 at 8:21 am

      The Dyson has changed my life. Turns out I just needed more suction…



  17. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef on November 1, 2013 at 10:43 am

    LOL he bought a new car to cover up that he was in the wrong lane? I think we’re married to the same man!

    I love a cake with fruit in it and his looks laden with goodness.



  18. bakerbynature on November 1, 2013 at 2:59 pm

    I’ve been drooling over this cake for the last 20 minutes, no lie! I think that means I need to bake it?!



    • movita beaucoup on November 2, 2013 at 8:21 am

      Yes, that’s what it means. Alternatively, have someone else bake it for you, and then eat it in your pyjamas. Whatever.



  19. Monica on November 2, 2013 at 10:02 pm

    Happy about your new car but is it strange that I perked up most about the Dyson, then the cake? The cake looks really, really delicious (I love a good snacking cake) but I seriously LOVE my Dyson and would recommend it to anyone. I’ve had it for years (maybe ten) and I swear it is magical as in it must “make” dust because my house can’t possibly be that dirty! It almost makes me love vacuuming because I see why I need to do it – if my Dyson ever breaks down, I’d have to run out and buy a replacement asap because I just need it in my life.



  20. katieatthekitchendoor on November 3, 2013 at 6:44 pm

    Thousand dollar lies are just rampant these days. Guess we’ll have to bake many cakes. Thanks for the chuckle, enjoy the new wheels!



  21. Jennie on November 3, 2013 at 8:46 pm

    Wow, you made out pretty good. A new car and a new vacuum cleaner. Hey, 2.0 has to pay for his lies, and if that means spending thousands of dollars, so be it. I like my cake with cinnamon sugar and fruit. I’ll take a slice. Pinned.



  22. Eggton on November 4, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    Man, we’ve come so far! Was it just last year that we didn’t have iPhones? Or was that two years ago. And look at you now–pimpin’ in a car with heated seats, tweetin’ while you Dyson the crib. It’s been a good year.



    • Eggton on November 4, 2013 at 4:27 pm

      Also, these photos are rad.



  23. wendy@chezchloe on November 5, 2013 at 6:01 am

    I’m liking this little cake for xmas morning but will certainly try it out before then. I love having a little cake around the house despite the increase in my waistline.
    Congrats on your new purchases- will we get pics?



  24. shannon on November 5, 2013 at 5:46 pm

    listen; this whole entire post was a total blur, because my brain just kept screaming “snacking cake. SNACKING CAKE. APPLE CRANBERRY SNACKING CAKE.”
    i did see that you bought a car, and a Dyson (yay! they’re addictive; i’d stand in front of traffic for mine) and that you and 2.0 are still my favorite couple.



  25. Willow @ Will Cook For Friends on November 7, 2013 at 5:18 pm

    Well that sounds like a healthy way to handle the situation… 😛

    Congrats on the new car (and the new vacuum cleaner… man, I need one of those), but most of all congrats on this snack cake, because it sounds DELICIOUS. I want the entire pan, to myself, and for everyone to just keep their distance while I devour the whole thing. Please and thank you.



  26. Choc Chip Uru on November 8, 2013 at 5:32 pm

    Cranberry snacking cakes are the perfect way to go (officially decided after seeing your delicious photos :D)

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru



  27. emma on November 11, 2013 at 9:07 am

    Our car just exploded too. If I wasn’t paying copious amounts each month for my stupid truck, I’d go get another car no problem. But I think we’ll be car-free for some time :/



  28. Kathie aka iHeartQuilting on November 21, 2013 at 3:26 pm

    Just happened to find your recipe on Pinterest, it looks wonderful. We’ll have a full house this weekend, so the timing is perfect and I’ve already got both apples and cranberries in the house. I will double it, because no way will a 9×9 pan be enough for me, I mean us, haha. It may also be useful for Thanksgiving breakfast, methinks. Very funny car story!



  29. The Wimpy Vegetarian on December 2, 2013 at 11:34 am

    I’m not sure which I like best: your snacking cake, photography, or writing. I’m in love with your blog. I need to make this cake so I can nibble on it while reading your posts and savoring the photos.



  30. movita beaucoup on December 28, 2015 at 10:49 am

    Comments on this post are now closed as it was published in October 2013. Thanks for stopping by!