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
It was a big hit at Sundays Bible study, I will definitely be making again.
I made this and it’s delicious! For some reason my cranberries (fresh) rose to the top during baking. It didn’t change the flavour but does anyone know why?
Hi Sam! Glad you enjoyed it. This batter should be thick enough to keep the cranberries suspended. Did your batter seem as thick as the photos above? Did you make any (even small!) changes to the recipe?
I made this tonight in celebration of Epiphany Eve. I was out of fresh cranberries but had a big bag of dried cranberries to use. I soaked the cranberries in earl Grey tea to moisten them up. I also skipped the cinnamon filling and added chopped pecans, a few drops of orange oil, and fresh nutmeg to the batter. Baked perfectly at 55 min. It wasn’t too sweet and was perfectly moist and dense. It was exactly what I was looking for in a Twelfth Day cake.
I made this Bundt cake for Christmas, and it turned out absolutely delicious. The recipe was very easy to follow. I initially thought there was too much brown sugar filling, so I held a little back, but once I cut into the cake I saw that it folded in perfectly. Next time, I’ll use all of it. I will definitely be making this again!
I made this cake today and when I was turning it onto the cooling rack it slipped out of my hand. I lost most of it to the floor. There was some left on the cooling rack and that was delicious. Will definitely make again. Wasn’t a good baking day for me!!
Haven’t tried this yet, but I’m confused about the amount of butter to use. Recipe states 1-1/2 cups (3 sticks), but the picture of ingredients has 2-1/2 sticks (1-1/4 cups). Can you please clarify? Thanks! It does sound delicious!
Hi Paula, thank you for catching this! We’ve corrected it in the recipe now.
The cake tastes delicious. I made it with my leftover cranberry sauce. I baked it for 65 minutes, the toothpick came clean but once I cut it seems underbake. Is that because of the sauce? Should I left it longer when using cranberry sauce? I have another batch in the freezer. I might try it again. Any other tips besides the tooth pick to ensure the cake comes out fluffy? Thank you!
Hi Maria, using cranberry sauce will add quite a bit more moisture to this already dense cake. Next time, we would stick with fresh or frozen cranberries to ensure it will bake properly! An extra long wooden skewer/cake tester may be helpful for determining doneness of a thick cake like this one!
I baked this cake for our New Years dinner and it did not turn out. I used 11/4 cups of butter instead of the recommend amount, just felt it would be to much. It was so greasy, the butter was bubbling on the top of the cake while it was baking. the cake did rise nicely and was moist but so greasy. What would I have done wrong?
Hi Ann, we’d be happy to help troubleshoot. Did you make any other changes to the recipe? Even small changes?
I made this cake for Christmas and was underwhelmed. One wants an impressive cake like say, a Yule log cake to be the glorious jewel in the crown of dinner. This was a bit ho-hum. Now don’t get me wrong, I’d love this cake at a pot luck or to take to for an after caroling party but as a Christmas dinner dessert, it fell short.
I was quite proud of myself and actually followed the recipe exactly. (Rare for me) I was carefully on baking so it wasn’t overdone but I felt it was a bit too dense and dry. I decided to soak it in an orange juice sop and then frosted it right before serving. If it hadn’t been for the cranberry cinnamon compote I had made for it (from the leftover cranberries) and the ice cream, it definitely would’ve been dry and dense. I saved the cake with the above mentioned.
I doubt I will make this again, particularly for a Christmas dinner! I guess I should’ve stuck to my buche de Noel.
I made this for Christmas and followed the instructions exactly; it came out of the pan beautifully. The only problem I had was all the cinnamon swirl went straight to the bottom while it was baking. When the cake was inverted, all the cinnamon was on the top. It was still delicious, but how do I keep this from happening?
Hi Darlene, how did your batter look? Was it nice and thick? Were there any changes made (even small ones)? A thick batter will help keep the cinnamon swirl suspended in the middle of the batter while baking. We’re glad you still enjoyed the cake!
Hi, Sally! I made this bundt cake several weeks ago, and it was utterly delicious!! However, the cake DID separate and stick to the pan, and I had to scrape parts out and do some serious patchwork to it. I wrapped it up best I could in plastic wrap and refrigerated it overnight which helped the cake mend and stay put as one unified piece. Lots of glaze helped hide its broken appearance, and it still was the rave and sold out quickly!! (I work as a Baker out of a commercial kitchen, and we sell individual servings of our baked items out of a Deli case.)
I want to try making this cake again, and prayerfully, it will remain intact coming out of the pan.
Question: I am considering making your Chai-spiced Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake recipe and saw similar comments regarding the risk of the cake sticking to the pan. I wanted to post a comment there, but there is NO posting opportunity to be able to do so for that particular recipe at this time. Is that intentional or an oversight?
I seek your recommendations on how best to ship THAT cake from the east coast (South Carolina) to the west coast (Washington state). Do you think the Chai-Spiced cake is shippable? It would be part of a care package with a host of baked items for my daughter who resides there. It would take about five (5) days for her to receive the package. Thank you!
Hi Dionakay, we’re so glad you enjoyed this one. We just double checked and the comments seem to be open and working. But we’re happy to answer you here! We recommend a very, very generous layer of cooking/baking spray to ensure an ultra non-stick environment for Bundt cakes. The chai spiced cinnamon swirl Bundt cake is best at room temperature for up to 2 days, but after that we recommend refrigerating, so it may not be the best candidate for shipping (unless you were planning to ship in dry ice). We hope this helps!
Hi Sally, Love your site. Can I make this a rum cake?
Hi Mark, we haven’t tried it that way, so are unsure what to recommend. Let us know if you give something a try!
Can I use the mini bundt pan for this recipe? If so, oven temp and time adjustments if you have to share. TY
Hi Deborah, 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!
I made this for a friend’s gathering and it was a great success! Now I want to make several to gift for Christmas, can this recipe be split into 2 6-cup bundt pans?
Hi Lochy, you can split this batter into smaller pans, but we’re unsure of the exact bake time. Here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
Made this for a potluck at church, and it was very well received; had two recipe requests (thank you, Sally!). It turned out of my “fancy” Bundt pan with only one little portion of cake stuck where I had gotten a little of the cinnamon sugar out of place. I do have a hint that helped to keep the cinnamon sugar away from the pan edges. Make a little Dutch in the batter around the center of the batter. This cake is so beautiful, so moist, so flavorful, I am making it for Christmas dinner next week!
Hi,
If I omit the swirl mix do I have to adjust the sugar in the cake?
Thank you!
Hi Cheryl, you can omit the swirl without any other changes. Enjoy!
I made this last night for a Christmas party and it was a total hit! I made the recipe as instructed, except I punched up the orange with a bit of Triple Sec. The cake was moist and delicious. I used Bakers Joy spray on my Bundt pan and it slipped right out. I wish I could post a pic since it turned out so gorgeous! Thank you, Sally!
Can I make this without the cranberries?
Courtney, yes. The Bundt will be slightly smaller. Or you can use our lemon Bundt cake recipe and use orange juice and orange zest instead.
Thank you for your comment section. They are often so helpful along with your notes in the recipe.
Can this be made in a loaf pan or two? And if yes, how much time should I set for baking?
Hi Karen! You can bake this recipe in two 9×5 inch loaf pans (or halve for one 9×5 inch loaf pan). We’re unsure of the bake time needed.
Hi!
I’d love to make this in my 9-cup Nordicware Holiday Wreath Bundt pan. Do you think it would work to fill to that capacity and bake remainder in muffin tin or ramekins? I’d keep an eye on baking time, maybe reduce by 15 min.
Thanks for the great recipes!
Hi Desiree, that should be fine! Make sure not to fill your pan to the top – it will overflow.
I made this and was delicious. We’ll definitely make it again.
I have fresh cranberries that are frozen.. should I thaw them before using?
Hi Joan, you can use frozen cranberries—do not thaw before using. Bake time may be just a few minutes longer. No other changes needed!
Could I use gluten free flour for this? Maybe King Arthur’s Measure for Measure?
Thanks!
Hi Cristen! Other bakers have reported success using gluten free flour in some of our recipes, but we have not tested it and you should expect a slightly different result using gluten free flour.
Can I use whole milk or buttermilk instead of sour cream?
Hi Angela! If you use buttermilk, we would replace BOTH the sour cream and milk with buttermilk, so 1 cup total.
Scrumptious! I made this recipe for a work event and I followed every step. I struggled with getting it out of the bundt form and did not do the very last (glaze). Everyone loved it!