Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

Slices of cranberry orange bundt cake leaning against each other on a platter.

Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

Moist pound cake filled with a cranberry filling throughout and topped with an orange glaze.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 405kcal

Author Kate @ I Heart Eating

Equipment

Bundt Pan

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup butter softened
8 ounce package cream cheese softened
2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour properly measured
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
14 ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
½ cup chopped dried sweetened cranberries
¼ teaspoon almond extract optional

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon grated orange zest
3-5 teaspoons orange juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Generously grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until well-combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
1 cup butter, 8 ounce package cream cheese
Add in the sugar, and mix until well-combined, about 2-3 minutes on medium.
2 cups granulated sugar
Mix in the eggs one at a time until well-combined.
6 large eggs
Add the orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla. Mix in until combined.
2 tablespoons orange juice, 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
Stir in just until combined. Don't overmix.
Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
In a separate bowl, stir together the cranberry sauce, chopped cranberries, and almond extract, if using.
14 ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce, ½ cup chopped dried sweetened cranberries, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Spoon the cranberry mixture over the batter. I try to keep it to the center of the batter and avoid the edges of the pan.
Top with remaining 1/3 batter.
Place the bundt pan on a baking sheet.
Bake for about 50-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I start checking around 35 minutes, and then I tent with foil if browning too quickly.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Run a thin knife around the edges to loosen.
Invert onto on a wire cooling rack.
Let cool completely before glazing.
To make the glaze: Mix the powdered sugar, orange zest, and 3 teaspoons orange juice together.
1 cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon grated orange zest, 3-5 teaspoons orange juice
Add additional orange juice as needed to make a glaze with a drizzle-able consistency.
Drizzle glaze over the top of the cooled cake.

Notes

Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe.
Cream cheese: You can use regular, 1/3 less fat, or Greek yogurt cream cheese. I don't recommend using fat-free cream cheese.
Flour: Be sure to properly measure your flour. To do so, either weigh the flour or stir or sift the flour to break it up. Lightly spoon into the measuring cup and level. Too much flour can give you a dry or doughy cake.
Cranberries: I haven't tried using fresh cranberries in this recipe. I use chopped Craisins.
Almond extract: The almond extract in the filling gives it a little extra oomph. If you don't like almond extract or have allergy concerns, omit the almond extract.
Nutrition values are estimates.

Nutrition