Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake Recipe
A simple and festive Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake filled with fresh orange zest, tart cranberries, and warm holiday spices. Moist, tender, and topped with a sweet orange glaze, it’s the perfect cake for Christmas gatherings, winter brunch, or cozy holiday baking.
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 391kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar packed, light or dark brown
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup full-fat sour cream room temperature
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil like vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk room temperature
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 ¾ cups cranberries fresh or frozen (do not thaw if frozen)
Orange Glaze
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
- 3-4 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 10 to 12-inch Bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and orange zest together until light, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, sour cream, cooking oil, and vanilla on medium speed until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, along with the milk and orange juice, and beat on medium speed until the batter is combined. Fold in the cranberries until they're evenly distributed. The batter will be thick and silky. Transfer to the prepared Bundt pan.
- Bake for 55-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with just a few light and moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully inverting the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the icing: Whisk confectioners’ sugar with 3 Tablespoons of orange juice. Add 1 extra Tablespoon of juice to thin out as needed or add additional confectioners' sugar to thicken if needed. Drizzle icing over the 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.
- 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.
- Garnishing: I love adding sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs. Bring 3/4 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Let cool 5 minutes before pouring over 1 cup of cranberries and rosemary sprigs. Let sit 5 minutes before transferring (with a slotted spoon) to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let dry for 1 hour, then toss the cranberries and rosemary with an additional 1/2 cup of sugar. They will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 689IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2mg