Cranberry Bundt Cake Recipe

A cranberry bundt cake on a platter with a couple slices cut and laying over on the side.

5 from 2 votes

Cranberry Bundt Cake Recipe

This cranberry bundt cake is made with tart cranberries, raspberries, and a buttery sour cream base. It bakes up with a built-in cranberry topping, no frosting needed.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 514kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Equipment

Ingredients

Berry Top

3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar divided
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ¼ cups fresh raspberries
1 ¼ cups fresh cranberries

Cake

1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature 3 sticks
2 ¾ cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs room temperature
3 cups cake flour sifted
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting optional

Swirl

3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam melted
3-4 drops red food coloring

Instructions

For the Top

Preheat your oven to 325ºF. Prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan with the nonstick method of your choice.
Add the melted butter to bottom of the Bundt pan. Cover the butter with 3/4 cup of the brown sugar and the cinnamon.
Evenly spread the raspberries and cranberries over the brown sugar, covering the entire area. Carefully pat down the berries inside the pan.
Cover the berries with the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Set aside.

For the Cake

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the butter and beat on high speed for 1 minute. 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 side and bottom of the bowl as needed.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed and slowly add the flour mixture in 2 batches. Be careful not to overbeat. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.

For the Swirl

Remove 1 cup of the batter from the mixing bowl and add it to a separate small bowl.
Stir in the melted raspberry jam and red food coloring and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

To Assemble

Evenly pour 1/3 of the plain batter into the Bundt pan over the berries. Add 1/2 of the swirl batter on top. Add another 1/3 of the plain batter and the remaining swirl batter on top. Then add the remaining 1/3 of the plain batter on top.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the top of cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven. Let cool for only 5 to 7 minutes, then carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate to finish cooling. If any berries stick to the pan, carefully use a butter knife to remove them and place them back on top of the cake. Lightly cover the cake with foil or plastic wrap so it does not dry out. Let the juices settle (to speed this process, you can refrigerate).
If using, garnish with a small sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar. Serve.

Notes

How to Store

Room Temp: Keep the cake wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. The fruit juices settle into the cake as it sits, so the flavor actually gets better!
Fridge: Refrigerate the wrapped cake for up to a week.
Freezer: Freeze the fully cooled cake by double wrapping it in plastic wrap, then foil. It will keep for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter and serve at room temp. The topping gets a little stickier after freezing, but the cake itself holds up great.

Nutrition