This Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake is so moist it keeps for a week on the counter, but yours may not last that long as it is sweet, tart, and has a perfect cream cheese glaze!!
This dessert is perfect for the holiday season as it can be served for brunch right to dessert time. Great for an afternoon tea also! The cake can be made ahead and stay fresh for the next day, which makes it a wonderful make-ahead recipe! The gorgeous combination of cranberry and orange is a favorite flavor for the holidays and beyond. Want another great holiday dessert? Try our Amazing Chocolate Mint Pie, or the Best Chocolate Layer Cake, moist and delicious!!
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What is Special About a Bundt Cake?
A bundt cake is different from other cakes as they have a hole in the center from a chimney in the special pan they are baked in.
Generally, bundt pans are also fluted or grooved on the outside, giving the cake also a unique look.
I love making bundts as they are easy and can be made in so many flavors; the sky is the limit, really.
What goes into a Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake?
This bundt cake recipe is simple. I love making bundt cakes as they withstand a moist batter and can handle a lot of eggs giving you a lovely moist and delicious cake.
The cream cheese orange glaze is just an added bonus to this already gorgeous bundt. Just one slice and the cranberry and orange flavors will draw you in for a magical experience.
Ingredients
Cake:
Butter, softened at room temperature
All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Salt
Vanilla pudding mix
Sugar
Orange liquor
Juice from an orange
Zest of one orange
Eggs
Sour cream
Cranberries
Glaze:
Light cream cheese
Icing (confectioners) sugar
Milk
Vanilla extract
How Do You Make a Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake?
Simply made, just follow these easy steps!!
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt 1-2 Tbsp of butter and paint the Bundt pan with the melted butter.
- Add flour and cover all sides, bang out the excess flour, and set the pan aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients, the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and orange zest and whisk together.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar using a paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between the addition of each.
- Add the orange juice and orange liquor and mix to combine.
- Next, starting and ending with the flour, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, ½ the sour cream, another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remainder of the sour cream, and the last third of the flour mixture. Be careful not to overmix.
- Gently fold in the cranberries.
- Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 65 -75 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted comes out clean.
How Do You Frost a Bundt Cake?
- Normally you don’t want to actually frost a bundt cake but rather glaze with a thick or thin icing. I love this cream cheese glaze and have used it before for other bundts. This time I made it orange flavored.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then remove it from the pan and allow to finish cooling on a wire rack. Brush off any excess flour.
- Mix the ingredients for the glaze together and drizzle over the cooled cake before serving. Garnish with the zest of an orange. Sugared cranberries would also make a lovely touch to this dessert for decorations.
How to Prevent a Bundt Cake from Sticking to the Pan?
I have found over the years that first, a good solid non-stick bundt pan is a must.
Next, buttering with melted butter and a brush gets an even coating of butter, and don’t forget to grease the tube too. Next, a thin layer of flour with most of it banged out of the pan is a must too.
You can use cocoa in place of flour for a chocolate cake. I have done that with good results.
Lastly, let the cake cool for 30 minutes in the pan and it will pull away from the sides slightly.
If you have other methods that work, like using sugar or almond flour, then keep doing what you are doing!! I have success with this method, so I am not changing a thing!! LOL
Other Gorgeous Bundt Cakes to Try
Loving a bundt cake and want to try more? I have been making bundts successfully for years and years. It is one of my favorite cakes to make, so I have a few to share with you.
Make these cakes for a special occasion, like a birthday, anniversary, or just every day to enjoy with family or friends.
White Hot Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
Chocolate Chambord Mini Bundt Cakes
Make this Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake recipe a must on your list of treats for the holidays!! You will thank yourself for the festive feel and taste from both the orange and the cranberries in this cake!
Happy Holidays from Noshing With The Nolands!!
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup butter softened, plus more for the pan
- 3 cups flour plus more for the pan
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 – 99 gram box of vanilla pudding mix
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 Tbsp orange liquor
- 1/3 cup juice from an orange
- Zest of one orange
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups frozen cranberries
Glaze:
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 2 cups icing sugar confectioner’s sugar, powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Zest of one orange for garnish optional
Instructions
- 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- 2. Melt 1-2 Tbsp of butter and paint the Bundt pan with the melted butter.
- 3. Add flour and cover all sides, bang out the excess flour, and set the pan aside.
- 4. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and orange zest and whisk together.
- 5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar using a paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
- 6. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between the addition of each.
- 7. Add the orange juice and orange liquor and mix to combine.
- 8. Next, starting and ending with the flour add 1/3 of the flour mixture, ½ the sour cream, another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remainder of the sour cream, and the last third of the flour mixture. Be careful not to overmix.
- 9. Gently fold in the cranberries.
- 10. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- 11. Bake for 65 -75 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- 12. Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then remove it from the pan and allow to finish cooling on a cooling rack. Brush off any excess flour.
- 13. When ready to serve. Whip together the cream cheese glaze by creaming the cream cheese until softened, slowly add the icing sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk for desired consistency. Beat for 3-4 min. on high to remove any lumps. Pour over cake and sprinkle on orange zest if using.
Comments & Reviews
Gloria says
This is an amazing cake! Not too sweet, but tangy and delicious. So good that I’ve been asked to bring it for Easter.
Betty Reed says
Did I miss the cream cheesecake in the glaze?
Tara Noland says
Hi Betty, I had used that thin glaze in testing but in the end, changed it to a cream cheese glaze. The recipe is now corrected, sorry for the inconvenience.