There is nothing like a delicious, refreshingly tart and sweet Mimosa. Whether you prefer yours with a splash of cranberry juice or orange juice, you’re bound to have a good time and enjoy every sip. Turning one of my favorite beverages into a cake was just bound to happen.

This cake is filled with fresh squeezed orange juice and zest, tart cranberries, and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. Each bite is so moist and packed with the perfect amount of zing from the fresh ingredients. This will make for the perfect brunch centerpiece or Holiday morning breakfast.

Fresh Cranberries v.s Frozen Cranberries

Fresh Cranberries – The benefit to using fresh cranberries are in their texture. They’re slightly firmer and have a bit more crunch to them. This helps give each bite that burst of tart flavor. They aren’t always available though. That’s the reason why I went with frozen cranberries for this recipe; my grocery store wasn’t selling them yet. Fresh cranberries also sometimes offer a more vibrant hue of red which of course just amplifies your cake.

Frozen Cranberries – Frozen cranberries are another perfectly great option. They do tend to be a bit softer so they may not have as big of that burst of texture in contrast to the texture of your cake BUT they will still ofter that delicious kick of flavor. You can almost always find frozen cranberries so if you’re ever in a pinch and can’t find fresh, frozen will be there for you 🙂 Frozen cranberries tend to lose a bit of their color during freezing but not enough to make a real difference in the end result.

All in all, both options will result in a delicious end result. There is not a large enough difference to make one a lot better than the other. But if you have a preference, then stick to what makes you happier 🙂

Mixing The Mimosa Cake Batter

The cake batter is so light and fluffy and smooth. The champagne adds so much moisture and volume to the cake. Whenever you’re mixing batter or most dough’s, be sure not to over mix. Over mixing can alter the end result texture and make the cake more dense than you want. And always be sure to fold in additional ingredients like chocolate chips, nuts, or in this case, cranberries. Using a silicone spatula to fold in these kind of add ins helps to prevent the batter from being over mixed but also distributes these ingredients evenly.

What Kind Of Pan Should I Use?

This cake makes for a delicious centerpiece as a whole 9″ x 13″ cake but they can also be made into individual muffins. It is totally up to you and how you’d like to serve/ present this cake. I initially used a 9″ x 13″ pan and had some extra batter. So you can either just use a larger pan to prevent the extra batter, or you can make some muffins with the leftovers.

Mimosa Cake

5 from 2 votes

Recipe by Maddison Koutrouba – thesqueakymixer.com

Servings

20-24

servings

Cooking time

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on.

Ingredients

2 cups 2 cake flour
2 cups 2 all-purpose flour
2 tsp. 2 baking powder
1/2 tsp. 1/2 salt
1 cup 1 unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups 1 3/4 granulated sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. 2 1/2 fresh orange zest
2 2 eggs, room temperature
2 2 egg yolks, room temperature
1 cup 1 fresh squeezed orange juice (about 3 naval oranges)
1/2 cup 1/2 sour cream
1/2 cup 1/2 brut prosecco
3 1/4 cups 3 1/4 fresh or frozen cranberries (plus more for topping)
Vanilla Icing
2 cups 2 confectioner’s sugar
3-5 Tbsp. 3-5 water
1/2 tsp. 1/2 vanilla

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with parchment paper and lightly grease. I had extra batter with this size pan so I baked off about a dozen standard cupcake size muffins. You can make this recipe as all muffins, or use a larger pan to fit more batter. Totally up to you!
In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate, large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light, fluffy. About 2 minutes. Mix in the orange zest.
Add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time mixing between each addition.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix until JUST combined.
Add in the orange juice and sour cream and continue to mix until just combined. Add in the prosecco.
Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until the batter is nice and smooth and fully combined.
Fold in the cranberries until they are evenly distributed.
Transfer the batter into your prepared pan, cupcake pan, or muffin pans (whichever method you prefer to go with). Top with a few cranberries on top of the batter.
If you’re baking this cake in a 9″ x 13″ pan you will have some extra batter and this will bake for 45-50 minutes to bake. If you’re baking these as muffins, they will bake for 15-20 minutes.
The cake should be lightly golden on top and should not jiggle when finished. To be sure, use a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake to check that it’s finished.
Allow the cake to cool completely before icing.
If you make the icing ahead of time be sure to seal it tightly or cover with a damp rag to prevent it from crystalizing on top.
To make the icing, combine the confectioner’s sugar, water (one tablespoon at a time), and vanilla. Mix until nice and smooth.
Drizzle and spread the glaze on top of your finished product, the glaze will naturally spread on its own so don’t go too close to the edges.
Top the end result with more orange zest.
Enjoy!
Storing Mimosa Cake
This cake can be kept out at room temperature for about 2 days but is best enjoyed fresh. You can also make this cake ahead of time and store covered in the fridge for up to a week. If you decide to freeze the cake to preserve it, seal it in an air tight container or baggie and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.