This Cranberry Bundt Cake has a soft and moist crumb and is surprisingly easy to make. It’s the perfect Christmas cake covered in a simple orange glaze and studded with Sugared Cranberries.
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Easy Cranberry Cake Video Tutorial:
If you loved our Cranberry Orange Scones you already know it’s an irresistible flavor combination. This cranberry cake recipe is everything you love about a classic Cranberry Orange loaf but is so festive baked in a bundt pan.
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Why we love Bundt Cakes:
Bundt cakes are probably the easiest kind of cake to make, but it looks super impressive. It’s baked in a single bundt cake pan, and there is no layering or frosting required. A simple glaze is usually all you need.
Bundt cakes typically have a heavy batter that bakes into a rich, moist crumb. It is such a satisfying cake and keeps really well so you can make it ahead.
Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake:
This bundt cake has staple baking ingredients and a generous amount of fresh cranberries. You’ll love that juicy burst of fresh cranberry flavor in every bite.
- Eggs and Buttermilk – add moisture and balance sweetness (make sure they are room temperature)
- Flour – all-purpose works best. Be sure to measure flour correctly.
- Butter – creates a moist, rich crumb
- Oil – use light olive oil or canola oil
- Vanilla Extract – we use homemade for the best flavor
- Leavening: Baking powder gives the cake perfect rise while baking soda neutralizes and is activated by the buttermilk
- Orange zest – from 1 whole orange for the cake and glaze
- Fresh cranberries – rinse, pat dry, and toss these in 1/2 Tbsp flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom.
- Sugared Cranberries – an edible decoration which makes this cake look and taste like Christmas morning.
The Best Glaze for Bundt Cakes:
Most glazes are a simple combination of powdered sugar and some liquid like milk or water. Using orange juice and a bit of orange zest takes this glaze to the next level. We used a similar glaze on our Blueberry Lemon Muffins and they were a hit.
How to Make Cranberry Bundt Cake:
A homemade bundt cake is easier than you think. You can make this cake with a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.
- Prep: generously butter a bundt pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Beat eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl on high speed until pale (3 minutes).
- Wet ingredients: Add oil, butter, and vanilla, mixing between each addition, then mix in buttermilk.
- Dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix to combine.
- Add cranberries and zest: Toss cranberries with 1/2 Tbsp flour and fold them into the batter along with 1 Tbsp orange zest.
- Bake: Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake at 350˚F for 55-60 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in pan then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before drizzling with orange glaze.
Common Questions:
Bundt pans come in all shapes and sizes. I use a non-stick bundt pan to ensure the easiest release. Our go-to is a 10″ diameter 12-cup bundt pan which is a standard size.
If using a smaller 10-cup bundt pan, you will need to adjust the ingredients proportionally. We have a tool in the recipe card to adjust ingredient amounts (click on the serving size).
If using dried cranberries, soak them in some orange juice for at least 15 minutes to plump and moisten them up. Drain well before using.
Frozen cranberries work great and there is no need to thaw.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out mostly clean with some moist crumbs.
Once the bundt cake is out of the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes then place a wire rack over the bundt cake and carefully invert using oven mitts (the pan will be hot). You can tap the pan over the rack to help release it.
The most likely culprit is not buttering and flouring the pan sufficiently. A non-stick bundt pan also helps. Under-baking or turning the cake onto a rack without resting can also cause the cake to break.
Bundt cakes are so easy to make but they always look impressive. This cranberry orange bundt cake is the whole package – it’s beautiful and the flavor and texture are excellent.
More Christmas Cakes and Desserts to try:
If you love this Cranberry Bundt Cake, then you won’t want to miss these Christmas cakes and our most popular holiday treats.
- Tiramisu Yule Log – this cake log will impress everyone
- Pomegranate Christmas Cake – elegant and delicious
- Baklava – can be made ahead for easy entertaining
- Cherry Christmas Cake – a simple, and darling cake
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad – a potluck favorite and our #1 holiday dessert
- Classic Tiramisu – this is always a hit at holiday gatherings
Cranberry Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Orange Cake:
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (not hot)
- 1/3 cup light olive oil or canola oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp orange zest, from 1 orange, plus more for glaze
- 2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed, dried and tossed with 1/2 Tbsp flour
For the Orange Glaze and Topping:
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, or to reach desired consistency
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 cup sugared cranberries, optional garnish
Instructions
How to Make Cranberry Bundt Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F with a rack in the center of the oven. Generously butter and flour a bundt pan, tapping out excess flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and sugar for 3 minutes on high speed, until pale in color.
- Add olive oil, then melted butter, and finally vanilla extract, blending between each ingredient then mix in buttermilk until well blended.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt then mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients on low speed until no flour streaks remain.
- Toss cranberries with 1/2 Tbsp flour and fold them into the batter along with 1 Tbsp orange zest.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake at 350˚F for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with some moist crumbs. Cool 15 minutes in pan then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before drizzling with orange glaze.
To Make the Orange Glaze:
- In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, freshly squeezed orange juice, and a bit of orange zest. Stir together until smooth. You should have a thick pourable consistency. Add more orange juice to thin out the glaze and more powdered sugar to thicken it up.
Nutrition Per Serving
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My dear Natasha, I tried this recipe tonight, followed all the instructions, and I have to tell you, I never ever eat a Bundt cake as delicious as this one! I took it out of the oven, waited 15 min, remove it from the pan, waited another 5 minutes, and had a taste: melted in my mouth, with the help of my husband and son, half of it was gone. No glaze, no sugared cranberries! Maybe next time, if we can wait enough time to cool down! Thank you for this wonderful, easy and delicious recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Mona!
P.S. The the sugared cranberries turned out perfect, I used them to decorate the second Bundt cake I baked today, as a present, and also I used them to decorate a velvet cake, also meant to be a present! Your recipes are wonderful, Natasha!
Yay, I’m so happy to hear that, Mona. Thank you for sharing!
It must be something about this pandemic, or because here in So. Calif. we are on lockdown AGAIN, but I seem to make everything with a coordinating booze. Great recipe, since we have sooo many navel oranges I used the zest from 3 for the cake, 1 tsp. of orange extract, 2 tsp. of orange oil and 1/4 cup of Grand Marnier. I also use the Saco dry buttermilk all the time with excellent results. I’m too late to respond to the other gals question about it, but it’s fantastic to have on hand so you can make ‘fresh’ buttermilk anytime. The recipe on the container says to use water, but I always use milk. No clue why I do that. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, MaryJo. Thanks for sharing that with us and I’m glad too that you liked this recipe.
Hi,
Nat, i first time doing the cake, all was very good, but my sugar cranberries didn’t look as perfect a yours, and from some of them the sugar fell? any suggestion? thanks for the recipe,
Hi Esther, try to spread them apart and separate as they are drying on either parchment paper or a wire rack that way when you separate them later to roll in sugar they won’t lose their coating. Also, avoid over-drying them as the sugar won’t stick as well.
Yes, i did all the opposite!
But, i made it, was delicious, brought it in to Church to cut it with my Pastor and family, also, i bought a Vanilla ice cream, every body was impressed with the Cake! Got 2 pkg of cranberries frozen, so, two more cakes to come!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! That’s so awesome!
Hi ! this is the second time in making this bunt cake! it is delicious, family loves it and so pretty, thank you for the recipe .
Hello Inessa, I’m glad your family loved this recipe! Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback.
Hi Natasha, I made this tonight for Christmas tomorrow. My kitchen smelled wonderful while it was cooking. However it looks like one side fell or it didn’t rise like the other side. The top is not even. Can you tell me what I might have done wrong. Help!
HI Deborah, I haven’t had that happen. Was it spread evenly in the pan before it went into the oven? Also, did you whisk the flour with the rising agents? This helps them get evenly distributed. Finally, if your oven has hot spots that produces uneven baking, you might rotate your pan halfway through baking.
HI Deborah, I haven’t had that happen. Was it spread evenly in the pan before it went into the oven? Also, did you whisk the flour with the rising agents? This helps them get evenly distributed. Finally, if your oven has hot spots that produce uneven baking, you might rotate your pan halfway through baking.
Made this tonight and it is delicious! I used two loaf pans since I don’t have a bundt pan. Thank you for this great recipe! My entire family loved it.
I’m glad to hear that you loved the result, Ana!
Good evening Natasha. I have made this recipe a couple of times and it is a favorite! I made some mini ones today and they sure are pretty with the sugared cranberries. Thanks for sharing this great recipe with us.
You are most welcome, Jodi. I’m glad that this recipe has become one of your favorites! Thanks for your great feedback.
Hi Natasha,
I made this recipe on Sunday (haven’t baked in years). It was so much fun to make and tasted amazing, I think I may have thinned the glaze a bit more that I should but it worked out well.
I wanted to know how this receipe might work as muffins? Have you tried this?
Hi Sherry, I haven’t tried this as muffins, but I imagine that may work if a few adjustments are made.
How in advance can I make the cake and where should I store before adding decorations. Thanks!
Hi Margie, I keep the cake stored in the refrigerator. The cranberries can get a little soft if covered in the refrigerator for too long. I would decorate with sugared cranberries the same day it’s being served.
Hi Natasha, I need to make 160 mini bundt cakes for this Saturday and thinking of using this recipe. do I need to do anything extra or different to make sure they turn out good? thank you
Wow! That’s quite the order! I would be sure to take each step and make sure you are measuring your ingredients properly! Best of luck!
Do I need to make any alterations for high altitude? I live 6,000 feet above sea level and I’ve had a lot of issues with baking since moving here. This looks amazing and I really want to make it, I just don’t want a flat cake!
Hi Danielle, I haven’t tried baking this in high altitude but these tips on High Altitude Baking can help.
My family loves it
Awesome, so glad to hear that, Stella!
I made this today but substituted the cranberries for blueberries and the orange zest for lemon zest… IT WAS A HIT! loved it. Also my first time using a bundt pan and it came out perfect ! Thanks for the wonderful recipes!
Very nice, Liz. Great job and thanks for sharing your awesome feedback with us!
Hello Natasha,
I wanted to try this recipe,was just wondering if I could use vegetable oil?
I use canola oil or light olive oil but I imagine vegetable oil will work too
If Fresh and frozen cranberries are not available, can I use dried cranberries?
Hi Vickie, I have only tried it with fresh, but I imagine dried cranberries may work. If you experiment, I would love to know how you like that.
Hello Natasha. Can I use other type of berries if I don’t have cranberries?
Hi, that should work with a different kind of berry also. It’s a great base.
Made this!! And its soooo goooood!!! Will def make again and again!! I used 1.5 cups sugar, because ran out of sugar. And its perfect too! Thank you so much for perfect recipe and your hard work!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Hi,Natasha. Can I use a tube pan instead of a bundt pan?
I don’t have a bundt pan but I do have a tube pan.
Hi Abigail, I haven’t tried it in a tube pan to advise but I imagine it would work similarly to a bundt pan.
How to make buttermilk?
You can make your own buttermilk at a ratio of 1 cup whole milk to 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Combine and let it sit 10 minutes to curdle then stir and use.
Made this with modifications (used Craisins soaked in OJ and did not put any berries on top). This cake turned out PERFECT. A simple cake that looks Christmas-elegant. Awesome cake texture with the moist inside and sugary lightly crunchy outside. Adding this to our Christmas morning grazing! Natasha explains everything you need to know about making the recipe work for you in high detail, which I definitely appreciate, while she also makes it easy!
That’s so great, Lillian! Thank you so much for sharing that wonderful review with me!
Can this cake be made in advance et freeze? Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Hi Nelly, we have only made this fresh. If you happen to experiment, I would love to know how you like that.
Just made this last night and it was a huge success! Everyone LOVED it! I am not a huge fan of cranberries, but my husband is….and after this cake so am I! I didn’t change a thing other than adding almost a cup more of cranberries since I didn’t want them to go to waste (wasn’t sure what else to do with a cup of cranberries :-)). Thank you for this super easy recipe! Will make this again for a friend for Christmas, too.
You’re welcome, Pauline! I’m so glad you all enjoyed this recipe! It sounds like you found a new family favorite!
You could have frozen them for the next time.