Gluten Free Cranberry Cake with Cake Mix
Whether you’re planning Thanksgiving dinner or a Christmas celebration, having a few gluten free desserts on your menu is a great idea! But just because you’re making homemade treats doesn’t mean they have to be difficult to prepare! With this easy gluten free cranberry cake, you can use cake mix and canned cranberry sauce to whip up a delicious holiday treat.
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You’re going to love how quick and easy this simple gluten free recipe comes together with the help of a boxed yellow cake mix. But even if you prefer making your gluten free cake from scratch, you can still prepare this simple poke cake following the instructions below.
And since this recipe is so simple to make, it’s a great idea for gluten free party food. Prepare this quick dessert for your next holiday get together for a flavor-packed end to a delicious meal.
Gluten Free Cranberry Cake
Everyone who tries this easy cake is going to love the delicious combination of ingredients — from the creamy whipped topping to the sweet and tangy cranberry sauce in every bite.

But you’re going to love how easy this dessert is to prepare! And since it’s so simple to make, you only need a few ingredients to bake it. To make your own gluten free cranberry poke cake, you’ll need:
- Gluten free yellow cake mix. You can use your favorite gluten free cake mix for this part of the recipe or prepare your own yellow cake from scratch.
- Cranberry sauce. Use up leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving or grab a can of sauce from the store! I used whole berry sauce, but jellied cranberry sauce would also make a great addition to your poke cake.
- Whipped topping. Help the cranberry sauce shine through by adding a light topping to your dessert. Whipped topping is a great option because it’s quick and easy to add to your finished cake.
- Dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. Decorate your cake with a little bit of extra flavor by adding some dried fruit and nuts to the top before serving.
Best Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
Finding the best gluten free ingredients is essential to baking an amazing dessert. So if you’re wondering what is the best gluten free yellow cake mix, I have you covered!
My favorite brand of yellow cake mix has to be King Arthur gluten free yellow cake mix. It has the best flavor and texture of all the GF cake mixes I’ve tried.
But if you can’t get your hands on a box of King Arthur cake mix, I have found these other brands to be a great alternative:
How to Make Gluten Free Cranberry Cake
Making poke cake is a quick and easy process, which means it’s perfect for a last minute get together. You can whip up this simple dessert with just a few minutes of prep work. After that, all you have to do is wait for it to chill!

Start by adding some warm spices to the boxed cake mix to take the flavor up a notch. Add some cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk the dry ingredients together until they’re well combined.

Then, prepare your gluten free yellow cake mix according to the recipe instructions. And bake the cake in a 9×13 pan. Once the cake is finished baking, allow it to cool completely.

After that, you can use the handle of a wooden wooden spook to poke holes all over the cake. The holes will allow all your cranberry sauce to soak directly into the cake, adding even more flavor to every bite!

Once all the holes are poked, it’s time to start adding your toppings. First, spread the cranberry sauce all over the cake, making sure to push it into the holes with your spatula.
After that, place the cake in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour to give the sauce plenty of time to soak into the cake.

After the cake has chilled, remove it from the fridge and spread the whipped topping evenly over the top. Then, place some plastic wrap on the top of the cake and put it back in the refrigerator. Chill the cake for another one hour or up to overnight.

When you’re ready to serve your cake, top it with some dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. After that, you can slice, serve, and enjoy your cranberry sauce poke cake!
Gluten Free Cranberry Cake Recipe Ideas
See how simple it is to make your own gluten free cranberry sauce cake? And once you try this recipe, you’re going to want to make it over and over again for all of your holiday celebrations.

With the help of these recipe adjustments and variations, you can prepare an amazing cranberry dessert for any party!
- Use traditional cake mix. This cake is a delicious gluten free dessert. But if you’re not concerned about gluten, you can prepare the recipe with traditional yellow cake mix instead. Simply follow the instructions on the box to prepare the cake, then follow the instructions in the recipe to decorate.
- Add more toppings. You can easily adjust this simple recipe with different decorations! In addition to using dried cranberries, you can also top your poke cake with finely chopped fresh cranberries or dollops of cranberry sauce. You can also use chopped pecans in place of walnuts to finish decorating your dessert.
Gluten Free Cranberry Cake Recipe
Dress up boxed cake mix with canned cranberry sauce to make this quick and easy gluten free cranberry cake for all your holiday parties.
Ingredients
- 1 box gluten free yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare it
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 can whole berry or jellied cranberry sauce
- 16 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pour the gluten free cake mix into a bowl and add the cinnamon and sugar. Whisk to combine the dry ingredients, then add remaining ingredients and prepare according to the instructions on the box.
- Allow the cake to cool completely, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes in the cake.
- Spread the cranberry sauce over the top of the cake and into the holes. Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
- When ready to serve, spread the whipped topping over the top of the cake and sprinkle dried cranberries and chopped walnuts on top. Chill until ready to serve, up to overnight.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 316Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 263mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 2gSugar: 36gProtein: 2g
More Easy Recipe Ideas:
Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce Little Smokies
Easy Gluten Free Banana Pudding Cake
Emily is a midwestern mom of two boys. She loves all things DIY — from home renovations to kids birthday party planning. Whether she’s making a new farmhouse craft for her home or helping her kids with a cool activity, you can bet she’s in the middle of some kind of DIY project (or three) right now!

This looks gorgeous and absolutely worth trying.
This sounds and looks delicious! There are a few of us that are gluten-free in the family, so this recipe will come in handy!! I may have to make this either for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Who knows, maybe both lol. So glad I came across your recipe on SSPS 338! Pinned for later.
Thanks for sharing!!
That looks yummy!
This sounds just delightful. Thank you for popping by and sharing your post at the #HomeMattersParty. I hope to see you again next week, I will be featuring your post.
Thanks so much for the feature!