Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake

Learn how to make the best orange cranberry bundt cake with this easy recipe.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 375kcal

Author: Janice Lawandi

Equipment

Ingredients

Orange cranberry bundt cake

375 grams bleached all-purpose flour
7.5 mL baking powder
2.5 mL baking soda
2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
230 grams unsalted butter softened
30 mL orange zest the more you use, the better the flavour!
400 grams granulated sugar
4 large egg(s)
10 mL pure vanilla extract
250 mL sour cream (14% fat)
125 mL orange juice I prefer to use "premium" orange juice from the grocery store which has more flavour
200 grams fresh cranberries or frozen

Glaze

125 grams icing sugar
30 mL orange juice or lemon juice or milk

Metric - US

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165 °C).
Prepare a 10-cup (2.4 L) bundt pan by buttering the inside lightly with softened butter. Make sure the pan is evenly coated and that the butter has reached all the nooks and crannies. Dust the inside with flour, tapping out the excess. Set the pan aside for later.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, the sugar, and the orange zest for at least 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. The batter should be very light and fluffy at this point.
Add the sour cream and vanilla, and beat again to mix it really well.
Add half the dry ingredients and stir on low to incorporate. Mix in the orange juice, and then the rest of the flour. Don't mix it in completely. When there's still some flour not yet incorporated, finish stirring with a spatula or a big wooden spoon, being sure to scrape up what's stuck to the bottom of the bowl. Fold in the cranberries.
Dollop the batter into the prepared pan and swirl and smooth it with a small offset spatula. Bang the pan on the counter several times to make sure the batter settles into all the grooves of the pan. If you are worried, you can even push a knife through the batter to force it into place.
Bake the bundt until it's golden brown on the top and edges. Insert a cake tester or long skewer to check the cake is done in the middle (it should come out clean). It takes about 90 minutes to bake completely and I recommend rotating the pan after about 75 minutes to make sure the front and back bake evenly. Let the bundt cool for about 20 minutes in the pan before inverting on a wire rack to cool completely.

How to make the easy glaze

Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk or juice to form a very thick glaze. The glaze must be thick to adhere to the outside of the bundt without running off.
Pour the glaze over the top of the bundt, giving the glaze a nudge in places to help it slowly drip down the sides a little.

Notes

Use fresh cranberries for the cake or frozen cranberries, but don't defrost them before mixing them into the batter. Or replace them with raspberries.
For the most pronounced flavour, use premium orange juice from the grocery store or prepare some from frozen orange juice concentrate. You can replace the orange juice with lemon juice. Freshly-squeezed orange juice won't yield as much flavour in the cake.
This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
Make sure to properly butter and flour your bundt pan to make sure the bundt cake doesn't stick to the pan. Read about how to prepare a bundt pan for more information.
Let the cake cool slightly in the pan so it is firm enough to unmould. Don't cool it completely in the pan because it will get stuck. If this happens and your bundt cake is stuck to the pan, rewarm the bundt cake in the pan to warm up the edges enough that they may unstick. This works!

Nutrition