Orange Cranberry Cake (Bundt, Round or Loaf Pan)
This orange cranberry cake uses an entire orange (rind and all), is dotted with bright red cranberries and drenched in a sweet (boozy) orange glaze. It will be difficult not to have it disappear quickly!
Another orange cranberry cake?
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Yes, another one; but only because it was soooo good, I just had to share it with you! You may recall I shared a cranberry cake with orange glaze recently.
Well, I did a little twist on the original and honestly, I love both cakes! Even making them in different pans gives them a unique vibe. So let me explain the difference.
My first cake is a round cranberry cake with orange glaze, while this new bundt cake recipe contains a whole orange, so it’s actually an orange cake with cranberries.
I gilded the lily and added a little Grand Marnier to the glaze on this cake, but feel free to omit it. This recipe has much more distinct orange flavor.
Can I Freeze Orange Cranberry Cake?
Of course, this orange cranberry cake freezes marvelously. Wrap in parchment and then aluminum foil, or place inside a freezer bag for best results. Will keep frozen nicely for a month or so. You can glaze the cake and freeze it, or freeze it and then glaze it. Either way will work.
Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Cake?
Glad you asked! I have successfully baked my Sicilian whole orange cake with excellent results using no gluten, so the answer is, yes! Just follow the cake directions for this gluten free orange cake and add the cranberries and glaze as directed in this recipe.
Can I Bake this Cake in Other Pans?
Yes, this orange cranberry cake can be baked in an 8″ springform pan or a loaf tin.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. I just love the flavor combination of oranges and cranberries and, er, Grand Marnier is never a bad addition, either! Grand Marnier is even good in savory orange flavored dishes. Don’t you agree? 😁
Orange Cranberry Cake (in a bundt pan)
Adapted from my Sicilian Orange Cake recipe serves 12
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
Make the cake batter
Prepare a bundt pan (or round or loaf pan) by spraying with oil (or use butter) and dust with flour.
Toss the cranberries (should be washed and mostly dry) in some flour. This will help them not to fall to the bottom of the cake, so don’t skip this step.
Place the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy.
Sift the flour with the baking powder then add to the mixture in the bowl a little at a time along with the softened butter. Continue to mix until completely blended, then stir in the yogurt.
In a food processor, or blender, process the whole orange until it is almost pureed. It should look like this~
Add this orange to the cake mixture, mix well, then fold in the cranberries by hand.
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
Bake the orange cranberry cake
Make sure the batter is evenly distributed in the pan then place in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. It will vary depending on your oven, but mine bakes for about 55 minutes. Use a cake tester to check that the cake is ready before removing it from the oven.
Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan while you make the glaze.
Make the glaze and sugared cranberries
Prepare the glaze by melting the sugar in the orange juice and allow to simmer for a few minutes, just until the liquid has a syrupy consistency. (IF YOU ARE MAKING THE SUGARED CRANBERRIES, put a little glaze in a bowl and coat the cranberries and remove immediately.
Next, toss in a small amount of sugar in a small bowl, then place on a clean plate or board to dry.
Pour the glaze from the plate back into the original pot and add the Grand Marnier, if using.
Decorate the orange cranberry cake
Remove the cake from the bundt pan by shaking to loosen it, and then turn upside down onto a cooling rack. Place a tray or plate below the cake to catch any glaze, then pour and brush the glaze over the entire cake. You can take the glaze that drips below and pour it over the cake again.
Place the cake on a serving plate, cake plate or stand, and add the sugared cranberries and little sprigs of rosemary, if desired.
Let the cake cool completely before slicing.
Yes, it’s hard to wait, but the moist orange cake will cut more easily if it’s cool first.
Enjoy–it’s truly delicious!
Orange Cranberry Cake
A moist and delicious whole orange cake, studded with fresh cranberries and doused in orange syrup.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 ⅛ (250g) sugar
- 1 ¾ (275g) all purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder (or 1 Italian Paneangeli vanilla baking powder)
- ⅓ c (100g) butter, softened
- ⅓ c (100g) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 large organic orange, about (300g), washed and cut into pieces w/o seeds
- (if using plain baking powder add 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 2 ½ cups (285 g) fresh cranberries
Glaze
- juice of one organic orange
- ⅓ c (100g) sugar
- (1 Tbsp Grand Marnier, optional)
Sugared Cranberries
- ¼ c (about 9 to 12) cranberries
- ¼ c sugar
- (fresh sprigs of rosemary, optional, for decoration)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
Make the cake batter
- Prepare a bundt pan (or round or loaf pan) by spraying with oil (or use butter) and dust with flour.
- Toss the cranberries (should be washed and mostly dry) in some flour. This will help them not to fall to the bottom of the cake, so don’t skip this step
- Place the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy
- Sift the flour with the baking powder then add to the mixture in the bowl a little at a time along with the softened butter. Continue to mix until completely blended, then stir in the yogurt
- In a food processor, or blender, process the whole orange until it is almost pureed.
- Add this orange to the cake mixture, mix well, then fold in the cranberries by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
Bake the orange cranberry cake
- Make sure the batter is evenly distributed in the pan then place in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. It will vary depending on your oven, but mine bakes for about 55 minutes. Use a cake tester to check that the cake is ready before removing it from the oven
- Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan while you make the glaze.
Make the glaze and sugared cranberries
- Prepare the glaze by melting the sugar in the orange juice and allow to simmer for a few minutes, just until the liquid has a syrupy consistency. (IF YOU ARE MAKING THE SUGARED CRANBERRIES, put a little glaze in a bowl and coat the cranberries and remove immediately.
- Next, toss in a small amount of sugar in a small bowl, then place on a clean plate or board to dry
- Pour the glaze from the plate back into the original pot and add the Grand Marnier, if using.
Decorate the orange cranberry cake
- Remove the cake from the bundt pan by shaking to loosen it, and then turn upside down onto a cooling rack. Place a tray or plate below the cake to catch any glaze, then pour and brush the glaze over the entire cake. You can take the glaze that drips below and pour it over the cake again.
- Place the cake on a serving plate, cake plate or stand, and add the sugared cranberries and little sprigs of rosemary, if desired
- Let the cake cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Omit the alcohol for a child-friendly cake.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 247Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 163mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 2gSugar: 27gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
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If making day before a party, should I refrigerate or store at room temp?
Room temp is best, Synthia, unless you’re in Australia or somewhere where it’s super hot.
No salt needed in this recipe? Also, how long do you beat the eggs and sugar?
You can add a pinch of salt, but I’ve never missed it. As noted, beat the eggs and sugar until they’re light and fluffy. I cannot tell you 1 minute or 5 minutes because it depends on the type of butter, whether the ingredients are at room temperature (what your temp is), whether you’re beating by hand, a hand mixer or stand mixer and at what speed. There are simply too many variables, which is why “until light and fluffy” is the instruction given. Hope that helps!