This sweet and moist almond cranberry cake has semolina flour, almond flakes, and dried cranberries. Cardamom and cinnamon give this cake a pleasant fall flavor. It is a good holiday dessert to serve with tea or to give as a gift to family and friends.
When I was growing up, our kitchen was never quiet. My mom wasn’t a “bake occasionally on Sundays” kind of mom — she actually took orders for cakes and cookies, so there was always something in the oven, on the counter cooling, or packed up and ready for pickup. People trusted her baking more than the shops, and honestly… I don’t blame them.
One of her most requested cakes was this cranberry almond semolina cake. It was different from the usual birthday-style cakes everyone wanted — it had texture, flavor, and that unmistakable aroma of semolina and almonds baking together. Whenever someone called and said, “Can you make that cranberry cake again?”, we instantly knew which one they meant. The dried cranberries were always the star, adding that little pop of tart sweetness that kept people coming back.
Now I make it in my own kitchen, and every time I stir in the cranberries, it takes me straight back to those afternoons watching my mom work effortlessly — measuring by instinct, mixing without fuss, and somehow turning simple ingredients into something people loved enough to order again and again. And funnily enough, dried cranberries are still our family’s favorite mix-in, so this cake feels like a little piece of home every single time I bake it.
Why you’ll love this cake?
- Rich, moist semolina cake is loaded with cranberries and almonds. It is soft and moist with a tender crumb.
- Using my simple and easy butter-based vanilla cake as a base that takes 10 minutes to mix and 50 minutes to bake.
- Most of the ingredients in this recipe are easy to find or pantry staples.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Semolina – A coarse purified wheat middlings of durum wheat, used to make pasta and couscous. You can find this in most baking aisles these days. And you can also find it in Asian, Middle-Eastern, and Indian shops.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt. If salted butter is all you have, use it and omit the salt in the recipe.
- Cranberries – I love the combination of almonds and cranberries, and yet you can use other dried fruits just as well.
- Almond meal – This is ground almonds and you can make this at home. To prevent it from getting too oily in the food processor, add a few tablespoons of flour from the recipe.
- Almond flakes – These are just chopped blanched almonds. You can chop them yourself at home.
Step-by-step: Semolina Almond Cranberry Bundt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark. Grease and dust with flour a 10-cup bundt pan or one 9-inch square cake pan.
- Dry ingredients – In a bowl, combine the semolina, almond meal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
- Wet Ingredients – In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Flour – Add the flour mixture, along with the sour cream and milk, in three additions. Then add the cranberries and almond flakes.
- Bake – Pour into the prepared baking pan or bundt pan. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 55 to 65 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean
- Coo – Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely. When cooled dust with powdered sugar
Tips for Success
- Substitute other dried fruits if you don’t have cranberries. Try dates, apricots, or dried figs.
- You can also use other nuts instead of almonds. Try pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts instead.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature otherwise, it will curdle
- Ensure the eggs are at room temperature. If the egg curdles the batter just add a tablespoon of flour and that should help.
- The semolina needs moisture so use full-fat sour cream so it can soak up all its richness.
- The texture of the cake is crumbly because of the ground almonds and semolina. If you want a less crumbly texture pulse the almonds until finely ground.
Frequently asked questions
This semolina cake will keep for about 3 to 4 days at room temperature or 6 to 8 days well wrapped in the fridge. You can even freeze it for up to three months.
The best test for cake doneness is to insert a skewer into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean without any cake better, the cake is ready. Additionally, you will also notice that the cake starts to pull away from the edges of the pan.
yes, this cake is the perfect base for other recipes. Try walnuts, dates, apricots, and figs along with pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.
Semolina Almond Cranberry Cake in Bundt Pan
This sweet and moist almond cranberry cake has semolina flour, almond flakes, and dried cranberries. Cardamom and cinnamon give this cake a pleasant fall flavor. It is a good holiday dessert to serve with tea or to give as a gift to family and friends.
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (95 g) All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup (60 g) Almond meal ground almonds
- 1½ tsp Baking powder
- ¾ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp Cardamon powder optional
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg freshly grated
- ¾ cup (125 g) Semolina
- 8 oz (226 g) Butter unsalted
- 4 Eggs large
- 1¼ cup (250 g) Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ tsp Almond extract
- ¾ cup (175 ml) Sour cream
- ½ cup (120 ml) Milk
- 1½ cup (150 g) Cranberries dried
- 1 cup (100 g) Almond flakes or chopped almonds
- 2 tbsp Powdered sugar For dusting (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark. Grease and dust a 10-cup bundt pan with flour.
- Dry ingredients – In a bowl, combine the semolina, almond meal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.¾ cup All-Purpose Flour, ½ cup Almond meal, 1½ tsp Baking powder, ¾ tsp Baking soda, ¼ tsp Salt, ⅛ tsp Cardamon powder, ¼ tsp Nutmeg, ¾ cup Semolina
- Cream – In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and almond extracts.8 oz Butter, 4 Eggs, 1¼ cup Sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract, ¼ tsp Almond extract
- Flour – Add the flour mixture, along with the sour cream and milk, in three additions. Then add the cranberries and almond flakes.¾ cup Sour cream, ½ cup Milk, 1½ cup Cranberries, 1 cup Almond flakes
- Bake – Pour into the prepared baking pan or bundt pan. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 55 to 65 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean
- Coo – Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely. When cooled dust with powdered sugar2 tbsp Powdered sugar
Notes
- Substitute other dried fruits if you don’t have cranberries. Try dates, apricots, or dried figs.
- You can also use other nuts instead of almonds. Try pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts instead.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature; otherwise, it will curdle
- Ensure the eggs are at room temperature. If the egg curdles the batter, just add a tablespoon of flour, and that should help.
- The semolina needs moisture, so use full-fat sour cream so it can soak up all its richness.
- The texture of the cake is crumbly because of the ground almonds and semolina. If you want a less crumbly texture, pulse the almonds until finely ground.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
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Hi, I’m Veena
I’m the recipe developer, baker, and food photographer behind Veena Azmanov Kitchen.
I’ve spent years developing and testing recipes, from everyday meals and homemade breads to cakes and desserts.
I share the practical tips and little details I’ve learned along the way so you can get great results in your own kitchen.
Made this tdy in a bundt pan.
The recipe listed missed out the sour cream so I winged it (added a cup).
Just how much is needed anyway?
Cake was delicious and every one liked it.
Thanks, Suhana – Happy you enjoyed this recipe. There is 1/2 cup sour cream in the recipe. Thanks
Hi! What can be substituted for eggs in this recipe?
Hey Girja. I heard the girls say they substituted with yogurt but I have not tired. Sorry, not sure how this cake would work eggless.
This cake looks amazing!! My stomach literally just rumbled. Although that may be because I haven’t had dinner yet. In any case, I would devour the entire thing if no one stopped me!
Thanks, Cathleen. You will love this cake.
This cake goes perfectly with afternoon tea. It looks absolutely perfect and so delicious. It’s also super easy to make so I’ll be making this very soon.
Thanks, Natalie. I hope you enjoy it.
What a gorgeous cake for the holidays, Veena. I love the combination of flavors and I especially love that you used semolina in this…I have to try this recipe. I’m truly craving a slice of this with a warm cup of tea right now.
Thank you, Catherine. I hope you enjoy it
The flavors in this are so warm and welcoming, perfect for a fall cake. I bet the texture of the semolina is lovely in this as well.
absolutely Jenni. Very fall flavors.
This coffee cake sounds heavenly! I love cherries and almonds together in any kind of baked goodie, and the pile of them in your cake is divine! I can just imagine how good this is with a cuppa tea on a cool Fall day <3
Thanks, Melissa. This s cranberries not cherries but cherries would work just as well.
I do try to have afternoon treats every day. In fact, if you ask me what is my favorite type of afternoon treat I would say coffee cake without a doubt! Great recipe!
Mine too, April. I love coffee cakes.
Oh my goodness this Cranberry Almond Semolina Cake look absolutely amazing! It truly looks delicious! Yummy! This made me drool. Cannot wait to try this. Thank you for a great recipe!
Thank you, Dan.
Semolina cakes are very Italian also!! I love them but I haven’t made them in years. You are inspiring me to make this for the holidays!! Love the addition of cranberries along with the almonds. Yes! I can see me snacking on a piece with my afternoon tea. YUM!!
Thank you, Marisa. I love semolina cakes. I hope you make this for the holidays.