Super moist cranberry orange Bundt cake is dotted with cranberries and drizzled with a simple orange glaze. Each slice boasts a buttery brown sugar orange crumb—a welcome addition to any holiday party!
If you’re tired of Christmas cookies, today’s your day. And if you’re not tired of cookies, stick around because this Bundt cake is a must make this holiday season!
We’re taking a break from Christmas cookies and diving headfirst into this simply stunning cranberry orange Bundt cake. We’re combining tart cranberries, a thick cinnamon swirl, and sweet orange glaze to create a dessert that’s perfect for every holiday celebration!
Cranberry & Orange Flavors
Peppermint and mocha. Pumpkin and spice. Butter and pecan. Ginger and molasses. Mint and chocolate. There’s no doubt this time of year is home to some of the most delicious and irresistible flavor combinations. But there’s one duo that’s completely underrated; it stands up to even the most decadent peppermint, eggnog, or gingerbread treat. Tart cranberry and sweet orange—oh, what a marriage!
I love this flavor duo year round, but especially during the holidays (hello, Thanksgiving cranberry sauce!) when we could all use a little pop of sweet/tart flavor in between chocolatey and rich desserts. Don’t get me wrong, this cranberry orange Bundt cake is definitely decadent—and I love the flavor profile this cake adds to the holiday season. A few other crannie and orange recipes I love? Orange cranberry bread, cranberry orange scones, cranberry orange icebox cookies, and cranberry orange muffins.
Behind the Recipe
This super-moist glazed orange Bundt cake is dotted with cranberries and has a thick cinnamon swirl nestled inside. Chai cinnamon swirl Bundt cake is the starting point for this recipe. It’s honestly one of the best cakes I’ve ever made, even without the chai cinnamon swirl inside. It’s insanely buttery, moist, and dense without being too heavy.
With a quality base recipe like that, the options are endless. (Try my rum cake next!) I knew that’s where I wanted to start when crafting a holiday inspired cake.
Ingredients in Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
Because they’re so large, Bundt cakes have a tendency to dry out. Not this one! We’re using lots of power ingredients for mega flavor and texture.
Let’s review:
- Flour: We use sturdy all-purpose flour as the base of this Bundt cake. It’s strong enough to hold up the cranberries and all the liquid ingredients.
- Baking Powder: 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder is more than we use for a typical cake, but it’s needed to help this hefty cake rise.
- Salt + Vanilla Extract: Both salt and vanilla extract add flavor.
- Butter: This is a very buttery cake so we use lots of butter. I never said this was diet food! 🙂
- Sugars: Paired with orange, cranberry, and cinnamon, brown sugar is clearly the way to start! We use brown sugar as the primary sweetener, with just a touch of granulated sugar.
- Orange Juice + Zest: Can’t have a cranberry orange cake without flavor from real oranges. We use both orange zest and juice for added flavor and moisture. I don’t recommend store-bought OJ because it’s too thick and I found it made the cake too wet.
- Eggs, Sour Cream, + Milk: 5 eggs, sour cream, and milk add moisture. It’s a lot of volume but remember, we want a mega moist cake with a buttery crumb. This combination works wonders in my coconut Easter cake also.
- Cranberries: Use fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries—I tested the cake with both fresh and frozen. If using frozen, no need to thaw. Dried cranberries work just as well. See my recipe note below. A pop of cranberry here, a pop of cranberry there. Just under 2 cups is the magic spot.
Cinnamon Swirl Filling
Layer the cinnamon swirl between the cake batter—half of the cake batter on the bottom, half of the cake batter on the top. There’s no need to actually swirl it, the oven will take care of that. The weight of the cake batter rises and falls as it bakes, moving the cinnamon swirl along with it.
Easy Orange Icing
I love making icings and glazes with fresh citrus juices—a little tang with a little sweet is always a good idea! You’ll notice that the icing is a little thin, but it will “set” on top of the cake. For an alternative, try the brown butter icing used on my peach Bundt cake or the cream cheese frosting used on my chocolate gingerbread Bundt cake.
Before You Bundt
- Bundt Pan: Call me boring, but I always use the same Bundt cake pan. It’s the best. It’s nonstick, but I still always grease it just to be safe. The Bundt cake releases so easily. Plus, the shape is so pretty!
- Curdled Ingredients: The wet ingredients will look somewhat curdled before you add the dry ingredients—this is due to the ranging temperatures of the ingredients. It’s normal. The butter may be warmer than the eggs, the sour cream may be colder than the butter, etc. It will all come together when the dry ingredients are added.
If you’re feeling ambitious, serve with the sparkly sugared cranberries that I also use to garnish pumpkin pie. And if you can’t get enough of cranberries this season, be sure to try my cranberry Christmas cake, too.
Print
Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Super moist and deliciously flavored cranberry orange Bundt cake with a thick cinnamon swirl inside!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) packed light or dark brown sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- zest from 1 orange (about 2 Tbsp)
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) full fat sour cream, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh orange juice*
- 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw if frozen)*
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Orange Glaze
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3–4 Tablespoons (45-60ml) fresh orange juice*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 10-inch Bundt pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment beat the butter, 1 cup (200g) brown sugar, granulated sugar, and orange zest together until creamed, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla and beat on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The mixture will look curdled; that’s ok—it will come together when you add the dry ingredients.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add the milk and fresh orange juice, and beat on medium speed it all until the batter is completely combined. Beat or stir in cranberries. Batter is thick, yet silky.
- Make the swirl: Mix the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.
- Pour half of the cake batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan. Sprinkle the swirl ingredients evenly on top and pack down slightly—it will be a thick layer of swirl! Cover evenly with remaining cake batter.
- Bake for 55-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with just a couple lightly moist crumbs. This is a large, heavy cake so don’t be alarmed if it takes a little longer in your oven.
- Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2Â hours inside the pan. Then, invert the slightly cooled Bundt cake onto a wire rack or serving dish. Allow to cool completely.
- Make the icing:Â Whisk confectioners’ sugar and 3 Tablespoons of orange juice together. Add 1 extra Tablespoon of juice to thin out as needed. (Alternatively, add an extra Tablespoon or 2 of confectioners’ sugar to thicken, if desired.)Â Drizzle icing over cake before slicing and serving.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the entire cake ahead of time (before topping with icing). Cover cooled cake and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before icing and serving. Baked cake can be frozen up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature (if desired) before icing and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 10-inch Bundt Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Sour Cream: You can use 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Just as moist and delicious!
- Orange Juice: Use fresh orange juice. You’ll need an orange for the zest anyway, so use up that juice in the cake and icing. The cake tastes MUCH better with fresh juice than with store-bought OJ.
- Cranberries: 1 and 3/4 cups of fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries work.
- Optional Garnish: I added some sugared cranberries for garnish.
Wow this cake is divine!!! I didn’t have cranberries but I had frozen rhubarb and it worked so great!! Next time I would pack down the cake a bit more as there were some minor gaps but still super delicious!! I’m making this again for sure!! Used fresh mandarins for the juice and zest! Yum!!
Are you able to use this recipe in a loaf pan for a smaller cake
Hi Steph, the batter as written is enough for 2, 9×5-inch loaf pans. Or, you can halve the recipe for one loaf or use this cranberry orange bread recipe instead.
Hi, it’s after Christmas now & no fresh cranberries to be found! I have frozen raspberries from my garden-would those work?
Hi Amy, that should work just fine! No need to thaw the raspberries, but bake time may be just a few minutes longer since raspberries give off more moisture than cranberries. Hope you enjoy the cake!
We made this recipe with a 1-1 gluten free flour, and it turned out so good! I made it for my husband because he hardly get to enjoy the treats at Christmas. He loved it, and so did everyone else. It was incredible! Thank you for this recipe!
Made this for Christmas. The family loved it so much.
This was amazing. Followed the recipe exactly. It’s moist and flavorful. Could probably skip the glass and reduce the sugar overall
Wow. Made this for Christmas. It was delicious!
Can I put half of this recipe in 8×8 alum pan and bake shorter time
Hi Deborah, We haven’t tested this recipe in a square pan but here is a helpful post on Cake Pan Sizes and Conversions that should help you figure out how much batter you would need for different size pans.
I made this a few weeks ago. Absolutely amazing. I plan to make it for breakfast Christmas morning. I mean, why not? Yum! Thanks for another great recipe!
Has anyone tried halving this in a loaf pan? Wondering if the swirl would hold up or if the cranberries would sink
Hi Krisha, half this recipe should work well in a loaf pan!
Can I substitute the sour cream and milk for buttermilk?
Hi Beccs! Yes, that should work well.
Can I use mascarpone, which I have on hand, instead of sour cream? This looks so good and has one of my favorite flavor combinations. Thank you!
Hi Tracy, I’m unsure. I haven’t tested it myself. The only sour cream substitution I have tried in this particular cake batter is plain yogurt and it works wonderfully.
Hi Sally,
I was very excited about this recipe with all of the yummy ingredients. I followed the instructions exactly and it baked up beautifully however, I am not able to get it out of the pan. Any suggestions?
Hi Lou-Anne, is the cake fully cooled yet? Waiting until it is cooled may help. For next time, make sure to heavily grease your pan to ensure it comes out easily!
Great recipe! I toasted some walnut pieces & added them to the cinnamon mixture. This recipe is a keeper for sure!
Can you add pecans or walnuts?
Hi Susie, absolutely. I’d go with 1 cup (around 120-130g) chopped nuts. Pecans or walnuts would be wonderful.
Can I use frozen cranberries for this recipe and if so what kind of adjustments need to be made? Like for instance, should I cut back a little liquid due to the frozen berries?
Hi Heather, you can use frozen cranberries—do not thaw before using. Bake time may be just a few minutes longer. No other changes needed!
I checked my cake at 55 minutes and every 5 minutes after that until it was done at 70 minutes in the oven and a skewer inserted in the middle came out clean. However, my cake still seemed underbaked, with a very dense texture almost like pudding cake, and noticeably doughy areas around the cranberries. What went wrong?
Hi Rosemary, this sounds like an issue of the wet to dry ingredients being off. Did you replace any ingredients, or accidentally mis-measure anything? If you try the recipe again, you can add a little more flour such as an extra 1/4 cup (around 32g) to help soak up some moisture.
Oh. My. Gosh. This cake is absolutely amazing! The flavors blend together perfectly. It is like a delicious classic old-fashioned Southern poundcake. (People from the South will know exactly what I mean, LoL. Southern pound cakes are like a work of art.) I don’t often leave reviews, but I had to leave one this time! I will be making this cake again and again and again. I did not have any fresh oranges so I used dried orange peel and bottled juice. Other than that, I made it exactly as written, and it is wonderful.
I just finished making your chocolate gingerbread Bundt cake and am this one and the buttered rum cake, too! I absolutely love your recipes and have learned so much about how and why ingredients and techniques work by reading your blog! Question about baking ahead- would it be better to refrigerate or freeze a Bundt cake if it’s being served the next night? (It would be about 30 hours or so.) I want to be sure it stays super moist and doesn’t dry out!
I was a little apprehensive about this cake, as most similar recipes I’ve tried were dry. OMG, this one is moist and perfectly delicious! I made mini-Bundt cakes for gifts and am on my second batch now. All gift recipients raved about the flavor and moistness! Thank you for a “keeper” recipe!!
How long did you bake the mini Bundt cakes
Just made the cake. It stuck where the brown sugar mixture touched the pan. It was very crumbly. I live at an altitude of 5000 should I make an adjustment. But it tastes fantastic anyway just couldn’t take to my event didn’t look so nice
Try using high altitude flour
Lovely recipe! I just entered it into our workplace holiday baking competition and won “Best in Bread!” Loved the cinnamon swirl, especially, and a coworker told me that it tasted like the “best Sunday breakfast.”
The only thing I added was a little chopped crystallized ginger on top to add a little sparkle, and i think it complemented the flavors well.
Thanks for a great recipe! It was a definite hit!
Hi, Sally! This cake looks wonderfully scrumptious, and I’d like to make it as a Christmas gift cake for my daughter who lives in Olympia, WA, whereas I reside in Fort Mill, SC. Would this cake endure distance traveling from one coast to the other as UPS travel? If so, how would you recommend packaging it?
Hi Dionakaye, we find the cake stays well at room temperature for up to two days, and afterwards in the refrigerator for up to a week — something to keep in mind when selecting shipping times. If it’s tightly wrapped and stored in a container that would prevent it from getting damaged, we imagine that should work. Hope it’s a hit!
Would this recipe work if I wanted to make mini bundt cakes? If so, what would you suggest as an estimated bake time?
Hi Lindsey, Yes you can divide this batter between mini Bundt pans. The bake time would depend on the size of the pans, but bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with just a couple lightly moist crumbs. Enjoy!
Delicious! Released from pan after 15 minutes, was intact. The cinnamon sugar layer was a great balance for the tangy taste of cranberry. Very moist texture to the cake! I have never made anything with cranberries other than cookies. This was great!