This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake is incredibly moist, buttery, and bursting with fresh cranberries and bright orange flavor! Finished with a sweet orange glaze and sparkling sugared cranberries, it’s a beautiful holiday dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make. Perfect for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or whenever you’re craving a delicious homemade cake!
Why You’ll Love This Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
- Great for making ahead: You can bake the cake a day in advance and glaze it before serving.
- Incredibly moist and tender: A combination of butter, oil, and yogurt makes a soft, rich cake that stays moist.
- Bursting with flavor: Fresh cranberries add little pops of tartness, while orange zest brings a bright, citrusy flavor.
- Easy but impressive: No complicated layers or frosting! A Bundt pan gives the cake its beautiful shape.
- Perfect for the holidays: The orange glaze and sugared cranberries make it a stunning centerpiece for your Christmas dessert table.
Bundt cakes as we know them today are satisfying, filling, and they keep remarkably well so you can make one ahead of time. The glaze also helps keep them moist for longer!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This cranberry orange Bundt cake is made with simple baking staples, fresh cranberries, and plenty of orange zest. Here’s what you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch: Make a soft, tender cake crumb.
- Butter and vegetable oil: Butter adds richness and flavor, while oil helps keep the cake moist.
- Eggs: Provide structure and help the cake rise.
- Yogurt and milk: Add moisture and tenderness. Use room-temperature ingredients for the best results.
- Sugar: Sweetens the cake and balances the tart cranberries.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Help the cake rise.
- Salt: Enhances the other flavors.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and complements the citrus.
- Orange zest: Gives the cake its fresh orange flavor. Don’t skip it!
- Fresh cranberries: Add tart, juicy bursts of flavor. Toss them with ½ tablespoon of flour before folding them into the batter.
- Sugared cranberries: An optional festive topping that makes the cake extra pretty.
Tip: Fresh cranberries work beautifully, but frozen cranberries can also be used without thawing.
Easy Orange Glaze for Bundt Cake
This simple orange glaze is the perfect finishing touch! Made with powdered sugar, fresh orange juice, and orange zest, it’s sweet, citrusy, and delicious with the tart cranberries.
For a thicker glaze, add a little more powdered sugar. For a thinner, more pourable consistency, add orange juice a teaspoon at a time.
Make sure your Bundt cake is completely cool before drizzling the glaze over the top, or it will melt and run off.
Love citrus desserts? Try my No-Bake Orange Cheesecake for another easy, orange-flavored treat!
Helpful tips
- Grease the Bundt pan thoroughly. Get into every ridge and crevice to prevent the cake from sticking.
- Use room-temperature ingredients. Eggs, yogurt, and milk blend more evenly into the batter when they aren’t cold.
- Don’t overmix. Mix just until the flour is incorporated to keep the cake tender.
- Dry the cranberries. Pat fresh cranberries dry before tossing them with flour and folding them into the batter.
- Check for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the cake. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- Let the cake cool before glazing. A warm cake will absorb the glaze instead of allowing it to set beautifully on top.
How to Store Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
- Room temperature: Store the cake in an airtight container for up to 2 days in a cool room.
- Refrigerator: Keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let individual slices come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
- Freezer: For longer storage, freeze the cake without the glaze. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before glazing.
- Make ahead: Bake the cake a day before serving, store it tightly covered, and add the orange glaze and sugared cranberries just before serving.
Common Bundt Cake Questions
You want to use a special non-stick bundt cake pan for this. There are many shapes and sizes of bundt cake pan, so it can seem overwhelming, but for this recipe we recommend a 10” diameter 12-cup bundt pan.
Yes, but you’ll need to reduce the batter to fit your pan. A 12-cup Bundt pan works best for the full recipe. Avoid filling a smaller pan more than about two-thirds full, and adjust the baking time as needed.
Yes, although the texture and flavor will be different. Soak dried cranberries in orange juice for 15–20 minutes, then drain and pat them dry before adding them to the batter. Since dried cranberries are more concentrated and often sweetened, use less than the amount of fresh cranberries called for.
Absolutely! Frozen cranberries work well in this recipe. Add them straight from the freezer without thawing to prevent excess moisture and color bleeding into the batter. The cake may need a few extra minutes in the oven.
You can, but dried cranberries alone won’t have the “wow” factor we like here. To plump your cranberries up and get some size on them, take your dried cranberries and soak them in orange juice for fifteen to twenty minutes. Drain them before using and this will work as an effective substitute for fresh cranberries.
You can use frozen cranberries in this recipe, and best of all you don’t even need to thaw them out beforehand.
Take a toothpick and pierce the thickest part of the cake. If the toothpick comes out mostly clean, with a few moist crumbs, your cake is ready to eat. If it comes out with sticky batter, then you need to bake it for a little longer.
Take it out of the oven. Let your cake rest in the pan for about fifteen minutes. Place a wire rack over the pan and carefully – using oven mitts – invert the cake-and-wire contraption. Tap the pan to release the cake and you should have yourself a lovely cake ready to go.
Often, when a bundt cake fails to maintain its structural integrity and collapses on you, it’s because you didn’t adequately butter and flour the pan. Using a non-stick bundt pan also helps prevent this.
Under-baking or turning the cake onto a rack without giving it fifteen minutes’ rest after removing from the oven can also make your cake break up.
More Cake Recipes
If you make this cranberry orange bundt cake be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! We will be happy to hear from you!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour, for coating cranberries
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon orange zest from 1 orange
- 2¼ cups fresh cranberries rinsed and dried
For the Orange Glaze Topping
- 1½ cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 cup sugared cranberries, optional
Instructions
Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan, making sure to coat all the crevices. Alternatively, use a nonstick baking spray containing flour.
- Beat the eggs and sugar: In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on high speed for 3–4 minutes, until pale, thick, and fluffy.
- Add the wet ingredients: Add the melted and cooled butter, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, milk, and yogurt. Mix on low speed until combined.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Make the batter: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Add the cranberries: Toss the rinsed and thoroughly dried cranberries with ½ tablespoon of flour. Gently fold them into the batter using a spatula.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If needed, continue baking until done.
- Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Carefully invert onto a wire rack and allow it to cool completely before glazing.
Orange Glaze
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, orange zest, and 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice. Add more orange juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is thick but pourable.
- Decorate: Drizzle the glaze over the completely cooled cake. Top with sugared cranberries, if desired. Allow the glaze to set slightly before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© CHEF JAR. All rights reserved. All content and images on this website are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission. If you’d like to share this recipe, please link directly to this post rather than copying the content.
This cake was gorgeous and so festive! The cranberry and orange combo was perfect for the holidays.
So happy to hear that, Kelly! It’s one of my go-to holiday cakes too. Thanks for your sweet words!