Cranberry Orange Cake Recipe

This Cranberry Orange Cake is a deliciously moist, flavorful and perfect winter pound cake which is a dream to make all season long. It’s one the best holiday cakes you’ll ever bake!  If you love winter dessert recipes like this, definitely check out my Blueberry Orange Bundt Cake, Gingerbread Cupcakes, Red Velvet Marble Cake and Eggnog Buttered Rum Cake

Disclosure: I partnered with Pyrex for this Cranberry Orange Pound Cake recipe post, but all opinions expressed here are my own. I am grateful for authentic partnerships like this.

The Most Delicious Winter Dessert: Cranberry Orange Cake!

Baking with my mom during the holidays always reminds me of all the times I was in the kitchen with her growing up.  I remember the recipes I would try as she would lovingly supervise and share tips and advice as I would grow into the baker I am now.  She first taught me how to make the 7 up pound cake, which was the first cake I ever learned to bake.  I can recall that day like it was yesterday.  

I can vividly see all of the incredible Pyrex dishes in our kitchen that we used for ingredients and storage.  Pyrex has been a mainstay in my family’s kitchens for decades.  Whether we moved or visited other family in various states, I could always count on seeing Pyrex for food storage.

Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake

Because I love classic winter flavors, this Cranberry Orange Pound Cake recipe was perfect for sharing with others as a gift truly from our hearts.  The flavors are perfect for the season.  The tartness of the cranberries is perfectly offset by the citrus and sweetness of the orange flavor.  

The ingredients that truly make this recipe stand out are the following:

• Butter
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Flour
• Leavening
• Sour Cream
• Orange & Cranberry Flavor

The butter for this recipe is unsalted and should be at room temperature.  Most bundt cakes and pound cakes begin with the “creaming method” which really means that the butter and sugar are mixed together on a high speed until they dissolve into each other and become light and fluffy.  This process requires that you start with softened butter so it is much easier to mix.  This process also adds a lovely amount of air to your cake.

This cake also has a large amount of eggs.  It helps to add both fat and stability.

For the flour, I use cake flour here.  I prefer it for most pound cakes because it doesn’t make them taste heavy.  It also doesn’t result in a lot of gluten being mixed in if you happen to overmix the cake a bit.  I add two leavenings here: Baking Soda and Baking Powder, so you get that lovely height you see in the photos here.

Finally my moisture ingredient is sour cream!  Gosh I love sour cream based bundt cakes. If you want an original one, try this sour cream pound cake!  You can basically add anything to it, and it turns out wonderfully.

To really amp up the orange flavor here, I add a mix of orange extract and orange zest.  You can imagine how incredible this smells as it bakes in your oven and as you cut into it and serve your first slice.  It really adds a beautiful citrus flavor throughout.  For the cranberries, I add whole cranberries.  They are delicious and look so gorgeous speckled throughout the cake.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

Here are a few quick tips to remember when making this pound cake recipe.

Tip 1: Make sure your butter and ingredients are room temperature. This will help for them to melt into each other while mixing.

Tip 2: Take your time during the mixing of the butter and sugar, also known as the creaming period. This will add a lovely lift of air and lightness to your cake and also ensure that your ingredients start off well mixed.

Tip 3: When you add dry ingredients, only mix until just combined. Don’t overmix and risk additional gluten being added.

Tip 4: Toss cranberries in flour to help them from sinking to the bottom when baked in the batter!

I’m so grateful for products like Pyrex that preserve our heritage and family recipes in a way that I can truly count on.  Through the years and through all of my memories, it has always been there and continues to be there for making new holiday memories each year.

If you Love This Cranberry Orange Cake, Try These!

If you want more great holiday cakes like this cranberry orange pound cake, you’ll love these:

• sour cream pound cake
• lemon pound cake
• chocolate pound cake
• sock it to me cake
• cream cheese pound cake
• Want more wonderful pound cake recipes, click HERE

And if you love Cranberry orange flavors, try my Cranberry Orange Chex Mix and my Cranberry Orange Smoothie!

Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

This Cranberry Orange Cake is a deliciously moist, flavorful and perfect winter pound cake which is a dream to make all season long. It’s one the best holiday cakes you’ll ever bake!

4.33 from 28 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Southern

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 546kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 2½ cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 6 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 3 cups cake flour plus 2 tablespoons sifted, separated
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 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

US Customary - Metric

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

Remember to toss your cranberries in a little flour to ensure they don't sink to the bottom of batter while baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 546kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 745IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 0.8mg

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