Every slice of this super moist, ultra flavorful cranberry orange Bundt cake boasts a buttery brown sugar orange crumb, tart juicy cranberries, and a ribbon of cinnamon-sugar. Drizzle with a simple orange glaze for an impressive cake that’s a welcome addition to any holiday party or brunch.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos and additional success tips.
Step aside Christmas cookies because this Bundt cake is a must-make this—and every!—holiday season.
Today we’re combining tart cranberries, a thick cinnamon swirl, and sweet orange glaze to create a dessert that’s perfect for a celebration! It’s also very well loved:
One reader, Emma, commented: “This cake is amazing… I make a cake every week to take to tennis and this was voted my best cake ever and I’ve been taking a cake since 2008! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Sherrille, commented: “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! ★★★★★”
And another reader, Andi, commented: “I made this a few weeks ago. Absolutely amazing. I plan to make it for breakfast Christmas morning. I mean, why not? Yum! ★★★★★”
Cranberry & Orange Flavor Pairing
Peppermint and mocha. Pumpkin and spice. 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 combos. But there’s one duo that’s completely underrated: cranberry and orange.
I love this flavor duo year round, but especially during the holidays (hello, cranberry sauce) when we could all use a little pop of sweet/tart flavor in between chocolatey, spiced, 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 a holiday spread. A few other orange-cranberry recipes I love? Orange cranberry bread, cranberry orange icebox cookies, and cranberry orange muffins.
Behind the Recipe
Chai Bundt cake is the starting point for today’s recipe. It’s honestly one of the best cakes I’ve ever made, even if you skip the chai cinnamon swirl inside. It’s super 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 to ensure the very best flavor, moisture, and texture. Here’s what you need:
Some ingredients notes before you begin:
- Flour: We use sturdy all-purpose flour as the base because it’s strong enough to hold up to the cranberries and all the liquid ingredients.
- Butter: Make sure you use room-temperature butter that’s still cool to the touch. If it’s too warm, the butter and sugar cannot properly cream. Here’s more on how to cream butter and sugar and its importance in recipes.
- Sugars: Use brown sugar as the primary sweetener, with just a touch of granulated sugar.
- Oranges: Can’t have a cranberry orange cake without the 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, this is a big cake!
- Cranberries: Use fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries—I tested the cake with both fresh and frozen. If using frozen, do not thaw. If using fresh cranberries, you can cut some in half or give them a rough chop before adding to the batter; this just gives a little more texture variety, and ensures cranberry flavor in every bite.
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.
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.
Success Tip: When you sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar filling over the bottom layer of cake batter, try to keep it away from the edges of the pan as best you can. If a lot of the cinnamon-sugar layer touches the sides or center of the Bundt pan, the cake is more likely to stick to the pan when you try to invert it.
Easy Orange Icing
I love making icings and glazes with fresh citrus juices, like the topping on these lemon shortbread cookies. A little tang with a little sweet is always a good idea! You’ll notice that the icing is a bit 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 hummingbird Bundt cake.
Before You Bundt
- Bundt Pan: You need a large Bundt pan for this big cake, one that can hold 10–12 cups of batter. I use and recommend this one and this one. Even though they have a nonstick coating, I still always grease the pan generously with nonstick spray, to ensure the heavy cake releases easily when it’s time to invert it onto a platter.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 1 hour, and then invert onto a cooling rack or serving platter/cake stand. Trying to invert the cake too soon or after too long always makes it harder to release; I find that 60 minutes is the sweet spot for this cake.
To really take this cake presentation to the next level of festive, serve it with the sparkly sugared cranberries that I also use to garnish pumpkin pie.
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
Every slice of this super moist, ultra flavorful cranberry orange Bundt cake boasts a buttery brown sugar orange crumb, tart juicy cranberries, and a ribbon of cinnamon-sugar. Drizzle with a simple orange glaze for an impressive cake that’s a welcome addition to any holiday party or brunch.
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 and 1/4 cups (20 Tbsp; 283g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh orange zest
- 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)*
Filling
- 2/3 cup (135g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 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: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment beat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and orange zest together until creamed, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) 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 filling: In a small bowl, mix the 2/3 cup (135g) brown sugar and cinnamon together.
- Pour half of the cake batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan. Sprinkle the swirl ingredients evenly on top, doing your best to avoid sprinkling near the edges. Keep the cinnamon sugar in the center, so it doesn’t bake/get stuck onto the pan, which makes inverting the cake difficult. 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 just 1 hour inside the pan. Then, invert the slightly cooled Bundt cake onto a wire rack or serving dish. Allow to cool completely.
- Make the icing: 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.) 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I just put the cake in the oven and used a 12 inch Bundt. It was almost to the top of the pan. Fingers crossed.
I am just amazed at the number of people that gave negative comments about this recipe. I have been following your recipes for years now. I love them. I found this one to be one of the same, great!
Any recipe by Sally is perfect once just cant go wrong. I do however reduce the sugar to my taste. Thank you for sharing all your recipes with us
Hi! The flavor of this cake is amazing! However, mine basically fell apart right where the cinnamon layer is. Any suggestions? I’d like to make it for Christmas morning, and hopefully have it hold together a little better.
Hi Jacquie, this can happen (though not always) if the cinnamon sugar filling is touching the sides of the pan and if the pan wasn’t generously greased enough. The filling can melt/adhere to it and the Bundt can be split in half. If you try the recipe again, keep the cinnamon swirl just as a center ring that doesn’t touch the sides of the pan.
This is delicious. The crumb is perfect. I added some walnuts in the cinnamon swirl. Hubby loved it too. Not too heavy, but it took a full hour to bake and 90 minutes to cool but popped right out. Perfect for brunch.
Cake is delicious! I used fresh cranberries and the cinnamon brown sugar layer almost caramelized in the middle – I couldn’t get it out of the Bundt pan but it was delicious all the same
Another Winner! I love all of Sally’s recipes I have made. I had the cranberries in the freezer since I didn’t know when fresh ones would be in the market. today was a good day to bake. It really was an easy recipe just more ingredients I have used to. It came out fabulous. Wonderful flavor, not too sweet and I liked the surprise in the middle of the brown sugar and cinnamon. Everyone in the family loved it. I wanted to try it for Thanksgiving so this was a preview.
Hi, Sally. Can’t wait to try this cake. Question – would a can of whole cranberry sauce work? I can’t find fresh or frozen cranberries anywhere and my hubby does not care for dried cranberries but we love the flavors in an orange cranberry cake. Thank you and love the new website design!!!
Hi Karen, We have not tested it but fear cranberry sauce would add too much moisture to this already dense cake. If you would like to try using dried cranberries you can rehydrate them first so that they have a closer texture to fresh berries in the baked cake. Simply soak them in very hot water for a few minutes to rehydrate them before adding them to the cake batter. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hi Sally,
I absolutely love your recipes but i don’t eat eggs. How can I replace eggs in your recipes.
Do I need to rehydrate the dry cranberries? Can I mix fresh, fozen and dried cranberries to make up the 2 cups needed? Cranberries are no longer available in stores and I have only some fresh, frozen and dried cranberries left. If I use only craisins do I need to adjust (lessen) the amount of dried berries used?
Hi Theresa, You can certainly use a mix of fresh, frozen, and dried cranberries. No need to rehydrate the dried berries!
Sally, I made this cake because I had left over cranberries. I decided to divide the batter up in 5×3 loaf pans and bake for about 40 minutes on 325 and they were perfect. I will make this again and again! As always, thank you for sharing your baking knowledge.
Made this cake for the first time today. At the last minute, I discovered my cranberries had gone over, and it’s Christmas so all the stores are closed. Used Craisins instead and OMG — SO GOOD!! Didn’t feel the need for the icing with the extra sweetness of the craisins. I will make this again!!
This looks amazing, gotta try this tomorrow! Do I need to soak my dried cranberries or use straight? Thank you for your reply!
Hi Shawna, no need to soak the dried cranberries. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, I’m baking this now . Didn’t see it needs to cool for 2 hrs until just now. I’m going to take it to a Christmas party. Can I cool it in the refrigerator?
Hi Rose, you can reduce that time to about 1 hour if needed. It can still be slightly warm when you invert the pan to release the cake. Be careful if you put it in the refrigerator while still warm because warmth can alter the temperature in the refrigerator and the rest of the food stored.
Hello,
I am not a big fan of cinnamon. Could I substitute with some kind of jam instead? Would it be too wet? Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Hi Agnes, you can omit the cinnamon or replace it with another similar warm spice instead. We don’t recommend adding jam as it may throw off the texture of the cake with the added moisture.
Made this last winter and got rave reviews. Will be making for Christmas morning brunch.
Hi Sally, thank you for sharing another amazing recipe! Wish you very Happy Holidays! 🙂 The cake turned out great and the flavors were amazing. The texture was more dense than yours though, unsure what would have caused it. Also, I’d suggest adding instructions to the recipe to keep the cinnamon swirl away from the cake pan edges as several folks (including me) made the mistake of spreading it and got a “sliced” cake look.
Hi Sally, I’ve made many cakes and other desserts based on your recipes. I know this is late (2021) but I need to let you know this was the absolute favorite of everyone in my family. What a cake! Thank you!
We’re so happy to read this, Maria! Thank you so much for your sweet comment.
A wonderful morning treat on a winter morning.
Hi Sally! I am wondering if this recipe can be adapted to a different pan, like a loaf pan rather than a bundt? If so, how do I convert?
Hi Jenay! You can use this handy guide to convert the recipe.
I made this cake twice this week. The first time, I followed the recipe exactly and baked it in a 10 cup bundt pan. It seemed like a lot of batter for this pan but it didn’t overflow. I brought it to work and everyone loved it! But honestly, I didn’t think the brown sugar cinnamon swirl went with the cake and it seemed to be a bit underdone in the middle where the swirl was. So I made it again & left out the cinnamon swirl and used a bigger bundt pan and wow! It was perfect! I love the tart cranberries with the sweet brown sugar & orange cake and orange glaze. Simple but delicious! I’ll be making this again!
OMG Sally, this cake tasted amazing. The flavour combinations was absolutely fabulous … my family loved it !
It gives real festive feeling
This cake is delicious! Love the flavors, it came out beautifully. Thank you for sharing your recipes
Hello! This cake is in the oven right now, I think it’s going to be delicious!
Hi Sally,
I love your orange cranberry scones and an eager to make this Bundt. However, I was wondering if it would work well in a mini Bundt pan just decreasing the time of course.
Thanks kindly,
Jen
Hi Jen, 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!
Hi Sally,
I live in Japan where butter is very expensive and of inferior quality, so could I use oil successfully in this recipe?
If yes, would the measurements be the same?
Thank you kindly,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer! You can certainly try creaming room temperature (solid) coconut oil instead of butter, but the flavor and texture of the cake will change.
Your instructions say to grease the bundt pan; should I grease AND flour it?
Hi Darlene– I don’t typically flour Bundt pans. Just generously grease it.
I followed this recipe in every detail. My bundt pan is an excellent brand (William’s Sonoma) and nothing has ever stuck in this pan…….. until now.
Baking is a hobby with me , so I am experienced. My gut said, “flour the pan” even though Sally says she never flours bundt pans.
I’m sorry I didn’t listen to my instincts.
Hi Sally!
Long time fan of yours! This is the first time a bake hasn’t turned out quite right 🙁
I used frozen cranberries but for some reason they all sunk to the bottom of the bundt tin during baking causing the cake to collapse (I think from the moistness from the cranberries) when I took it out of the tin. Is there anything you would recommend for this?
Sophie
Hi Sophie, It could be because the frozen berries – be sure that you do not thaw them before adding them, and that they aren’t coated in ice. If you try it again you can try using fresh cranberries.
I thought this cake was just ok, and I won’t make it again. I found it to be a bit heavy.
Hello Sally,
I love your recipes. This one is looks delicious. Do you think it would be ok if I use a vanilla glaze instead of orange? It’s just a personal preference.
Thank you,
Absolutely! Here is my vanilla icing recipe.
Absolutely amazing! I only had a 5″ Bundt pan so I used the extra batter and made 12 cupcakes/muffins to go with it! Only took about 30 minutes to bake and it made it easy to display 🙂 the little ones loved the little cinnamon swirl surprise in their cupcakes and I also made the sugared cranberries for decoration! Would definitely make again.
If I were to make this recipe in a mini bundt pan (6 x 1 cup servings) how long would you recommend for the bake time?
Hi Christine! That depends on the size of the mini Bundts. I would say start checking them for doneness at 20 minutes.