Indulge in the perfect balance of tart and sweet with this beautiful, festive Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake, featuring a beautiful cranberry swirl in a cranberry studded sweet orange cake.
Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake
This delicious, festive, and beautiful Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake is bursting with the flavors of tangy cranberry and sweet orange.
This gorgeous dessert features a sweet orange cake studded with tangy cranberries and a homemade cranberry sauce swirled into the center, drizzled with an orange cream cheese icing. The sparkling sugared cranberries add a beautiful touch and make it the perfect dessert for any holiday celebration.
What Makes Up an Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake
While the ingredients in this cake are pretty straight forward and what you would expect in an orange cranberry cake, it does include several components that, when brought together, turn this cake into festive dessert heaven.
- The Cake - This orange cake has the perfect crumb. It's moist and soft and delicately citrus-flavored with orange. Plus, it's studded with tangy, fresh cranberries.
- The Filling - The filling, a.k.a. the cranberry swirl, is made with a homemade cranberry sauce that's easy to make. Then it is swirled right into the cake batter before baking.
- The Glaze - This orange-infused cream cheese frosting is thin enough to drip down the cake and coat it, giving it a full extra layer of sweetness, as well as a boost of fresh orange flavor.
- The Garnish - Sugared cranberries adorn this beautiful cake, making a literal crowning jewel. I also like to top mine with orange zest to include the bright orange color as well.
Can I Use Frozen Cranberries?
Frozen cranberries can be used for the cake batter and for the cranberry swirl. The baking time for the cake will likely increase a bit due to the coldness of the cranberries, just a few minutes. There is no need to thaw them.
Fresh cranberries must be used for the sugared cranberries, as the cranberries are soft and wet when they thaw, and that texture will not allow the sugar to stick and sparkle.
How to Keep Your Cake from Sticking to the Pan
The best way to keep bundt cake from sticking in the pan is to coat the whole inside with butter, being extra careful to make sure the top and all of the little corners are buttered if you have a decorative pan.
Once buttered, add about ¼ cup sugar and roll the pan around to fully coat all the sides in sugar. Add more sugar if necessary.
And lastly, be sure to invert the pan when the recipe says (for this recipe 2 hours). Waiting longer to invert allows the cake to settle into the pan, and therefore stick.
More Cake Recipes You'll Love
- Cranberry Bliss Bars - These orange bars studded with dried cranberries are topped with an orange frosting. Every bite improves your holiday spirit!
- Turtle Poke Cake - Super gooey, sweet, and delicious. A chocolate cake soaked in caramel and topped with a decadent chocolate frosting, with on top for the whole experience.
- Kentucky Butter Cake - A simple, buttery, moist bundt cake drenched in a buttery vanilla glaze.
- German Chocolate Cake - A sweet chocolate cake topped with the most decadent coconut pecan frosting.
- Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes - Simple vanilla cupcakes filled with vanilla custard and topped with decadent chocolate ganache.
Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake Video
Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Swirl
- 1 bag (12 ounces) fresh cranberries (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup apple juice
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup sugar
For the Orange Cranberry Cake
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups unsalted butter (3 sticks) room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- Zest from 1 orange (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)
- 5 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1¾ cup fresh cranberries (about 6 ounces, or ½ package)
Sugared Cranberries
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 6 ounces fresh cranberries (remaining half package from the batter)
For the Orange-Infused Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon orange extract
- ½ teaspoon orange zest (plus more for garnish)
Instructions
Cranberry Swirl Sauce
- Add cranberries and apple juice to a large pot.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- When cranberries begin to burst, add maple syrup and sugar. Stir to combine.
- Return to a simmer, and continue cooking for about 20 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly.
- Set aside to cool slightly.
Orange Cranberry Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch bundt pan with butter. Then coat in a dusting of sugar (dump out any sugar that doesn't stick). Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar, sugar, and orange zest until creamed, light, and fluffy, about 2-4 minutes.
- Add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and orange extract and beat on medium speed until combined. (The mixture will look curdled but will come together when you add the dry ingredients.)
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Add the milk and orange juice and continue beating until combined.
- Gently fold in cranberries.
- Pour half of the cake batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan.
- Gently spoon in the cranberry swirl sauce, and gently swirl with a toothpick.
- Cover evenly with remaining cake batter.
- Bake for 70 to 80 minutes (an 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 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 2 hours inside the pan. Then, invert the slightly cooled Bundt cake onto a wire rack or serving dish. Allow to cool completely
Sugared Cranberries
- In a medium saucepan, combine water and ¼ cup sugar. Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 3 minutes.
- Stir in cranberries to fully coat in the syrup. Remove from heat and continue stirring for 1 minute.
- Remove cranberries to a parchment lined baking sheet or metal rack to allow cranberries to dry out for 1 hour. Do not let the cranberries sit in puddles, and try to spread them out as best as possible.
- After an hour, place remaining sugar in a small bowl. Roll cranberries in sugar to coat. Set aside to decorate cake.
Orange-Infused Cream Cheese Glaze
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and continue beating until combined.
- Add remaining frosting ingredients and beat until smooth (if frosting feels gritty, keep beating. It means the sugar hasn't fully incorporated yet)
- Warm glaze in the microwave until pourable.
- Pour over cooled cake.
- Garnish with sugared cranberries, orange zest, and orange slices.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Make the cake with no frosting. Allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before glazing and serving.
- Storage: Cover and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezer Directions: Baked cake can be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before icing and serving.
Nutrition
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