During the holiday season, I stay making my Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake. As the queen of pound cakes, I keep the base super moist and soft but fill it with a balanced amount of orange and fresh cranberries. The bomb flavor combo of tart and citrus works just perfectly in this recipe. Couple that with a simple yet delish glaze, and you gonna have the holidays and winter seasoned turned up.
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“I’m a cake snob, and it’s my birthday today so I baked my own cake: this one—a guarantee I won’t be disappointed, and neither will the ones I share it with. I’ve made cranberry pound cakes before but this one takes it up a notch. Thank you for helping me celebrate 74!”
—CHRIS M.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
Step 1: Beat the butter for a minute on high using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer. Add the granulated sugar gradually and continue to cream them together until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy. This process will take about 5 more minutes. Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, ensuring each is well combined before adding the next. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
Step 2: Slowly add the 3 cups of flour in two batches, followed by the salt and baking soda if you want to use. Make sure to use the lowest speed setting and be mindful not to overbeat at this stage.
Step 3: Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, orange extract, and orange zest to the bowl.
Step 4: Mix only until just combined and then turn off the mixer.
Step 5: Toss the cranberries in the remaining two tablespoons of flour and add to the bowl. Gently fold them into the batter.
Step 6: Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake your cake for 1 hour and 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the slightly cooked cake onto a serving plate. Let it cool to room temperature before serving.
Step 7: Add the powdered sugar and orange juice to a bowl.Stir with a whisk until smooth. You can adjust the consistency with more sugar or juice as needed. It should be thin enough to drizzle but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Step 8: Drizzle the icing over the cooled cake, allowing it to cascade down the sides. Slice, serve, and savor the burst of cranberry and orange in every bite!
Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter 2 1/2 sticks, room temperature
- 2½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups cake flour plus 2 tablespoons sifted, separated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda optional
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
For the Icing:
- 1⅓ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Liberally prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan with the nonstick method of your choice.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on high speed.
- Slowly add the granulated sugar. Cream together for an additional 5 minutes, until very pale yellow and fluffy.
- Add the eggs 1 at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed and slowly add the 3 cups of flour in 2 batches. Add the salt, baking powder and baking soda. Be careful not to overbeat.
- Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, orange extract and orange zest. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter until just combined. Turn off mixer and toss cranberries with remaining 2 tablespoons with flour then carefully fold cranberries into cake batter.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Let cool to room temperature and serve.
For the Icing:
- Whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. If it is too runny, add a bit more sugar or if it is too thick, add a little bit more orange juice. You want to consistency to coat the back of a spoon but slide off easily.
- Drizzle on top of cooled cake and serve.
Notes
How to Store Cranberry Orange Pound Cake
How long will cranberry orange pound cake last?
Cool the cake completely and then add to a cake dome. Store the cake at room temperature but someplace that’s cool and out of the sunlight for best results. It tastes great served up the next day at room temperature or you can warm it up individual slices in the microwave for a few seconds.Can I freeze orange cranberry cake?
Yep for sure! It works better freezing it without the glaze. If you’re baking the cake in advance you can wrap it in plastic wrap and then in foil and store the whole cake in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw it out on the countertop and then add the glaze just before serving. If you freeze leftovers, you can freeze an intact section of the cake or individual slices. Wrap them in plastic wrap and then place them in an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to three months.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Room Temperature Ingredients. Make sure your butter and eggs are room temp so the batter ends up smooth boos.
- Creaming the Butter and Sugar. Take your time during the mixing of the butter and sugar, also known as the creaming period. This is how I add air to the batter.
- Don’t Over Mix Your Cake. When you add the dry ingredients be sure you only mix until the ingredients are just combined so the cake doesn’t get tough.
- Tossing the Cranberries in Flour. This helps keep them from sinking to the bottom when baked in the batter!
- Prep Your Pan. To avoid the cake sticking be sure you use my cake release.
Ingredient Notes
- Cake Flour: If you don’t have cake flour in the kitchen you can make cake flour with two simple pantry ingredients — flour and cornstarch.
- Fresh Cranberries: Fresh cranberries are the best for making this cake but they’re not available year-round. When you can’t find them fresh you can use frozen instead. There’s no need to thaw them out. Toss the frozen berries in the flour and stir into the batter.
- Sour Cream: Swap in plain greek yogurt.
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Recipe Help
Listen use a little gravy. Let the cake cool a little in the pan so that the cake sets up a bit more. After ten minutes or so, place a plate upside down over the top of the cake. Then flip it over together and let the cake sit inverted on the plate while it’s still inside the pan. You can give it some gentle shakes and taps to make it fall out.
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Hello, thank you for sharing your amazing and delicious recipes. I do have a question , fresh cranberries aren’t avilable year round. Ì always have some in the freezer. Can I use frozen , in this recipe? Should I thaŵ them 1st? Thank you…
Yes, you’ll want to thaw them first and make sure they are at room temperature.