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This White Chocolate Cranberry Bundt Cake is so festive and perfect for celebrating the holiday season! Top with sugared cranberries and fresh orange zest for a stunning presentation! Stays fresh for up to 5 days!
Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
Do you have holiday plans? We’re hosting Christmas at our house this year and I couldn’t be more excited! I’m still ironing out the exact menu plans, but dessert? You know I have that covered! In addition to a couple dozen cookies, I’m whipping up some gingerbread cupcakes and this stunning White Chocolate Cranberry Bundt Cake.
Because let’s be real… doesn’t this beauty just scream Christmas?! ↓
Cranberry Bundt Cake
For this recipe, I’ve teamed up with my friends over at Watkins. If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you’re probably aware of the fact that I’m a huge fan of this brand! I’ve used their extracts for years, and have recently become a fan of their spices and natural food coloring. So when they reached out and asked if I would be interested in developing a recipe for them, you know I jumped at the chance! Which brings us full circle back to this white chocolate cranberry bundt cake! It’s supremely moist and flavorful thanks to butter, cream cheese, fresh cranberries, almond extract, and baking vanilla.
Because the cake itself isn’t insanely sweet, it’s topped with fluffy white chocolate frosting and sugared cranberries! This combination is equally delicious and beautiful. And I added a handful of slivered almonds, too. Because why not? After I finished the cake it dawned on me that chopped pistachios would also be stunning, so feel free to try that if you want an extra colorful cake.
Cranberry Bundt Cake Ingredients:
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- unsalted butter
- full-fat cream cheese
- granulated sugar
- light brown sugar
- fresh orange zest (note: do not add orange juice, which will make the batter too wet)
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
- eggs
- fresh cranberries
- confectioners sugar (about 2 and 1/2 cups)
- heavy cream
- and quality white chocolate
I know that’s quite a list! But those ingredients will have you covered for the cake, the frosting, and the sugared cranberries!!!
Equipment You’ll Need
You’ll also need a 12-cup bundt pan, an electric stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, a citrus zester, a whisk, measuring cups, a few large bowls, and a preheated oven. Once you have all of your equipment and ingredients, you’re ready to bake a bundt cake!
White Chocolate Cranberry Cake
Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success:
- To properly prepare your bundt pan you’ll want to generously grease and flour it, or spray with a nonstick baking spray.
- If you’re allergic to almonds, or just don’t care for the flavor, you may omit the almond extract as well as the slivered almonds without making any other changes.
- I know someone is going to ask me about this so I’m going to be proactive and answer now: yes, this cake really calls for 3 sticks of butter! And cream cheese. Trust me here.
- Add in the flour mixture last, and mix ONLY until combined. Over incorporating the flour mixture will yield a dry cake.
- Be sure not to underbake this cake! The top will puff up and look very brown, but it’s not done until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. About an hour and 15 minutes!
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Once you have a completely cooled cake, you may frost and decorate it.
- Because this cake is insanely moist, it will keep for up to 5 days. I recommend storing it in the fridge, tightly covered, then bringing it back to room temperature before serving.
- If you are going to make this ahead of time, I suggest waiting to decorate it until the day you plan on serving it. Otherwise the toasted nuts will become soggy and the sugared cranberries may bleed onto the frosting.
So, have I convinced you to try this cake yet? Say yes! And serve it with coffee 😉 Trust me!
If you try this recipe for Easy Cranberry Bundt Cake, let me know! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your kitchen creations makes my day.
More Cranberry Recipes:
White Chocolate Cranberry Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Bundt Cake:
- 2 and 1/4 cups (273g/9 and 5/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g/12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (170g/6 ounces) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups (397g/14 oz) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (53 g/1 and 7/8 ounces) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tablespoon finely grated orange zest
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Watkins Baking Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Watkins Almond Extract
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups (227g/8 ounces) fresh cranberries
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup (227g/8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 and 1/2 cups (283g/10 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon J.R. Watkins Almond Extract
- 6 ounces (170g) quality white chocolate, melted and cooled for 10 minutes
For the Sugared Cranberries:
- 1 cup (198g/7 ounces) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup (57g/2 ounces) water
- 1 cup (113g/4 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries, if using frozen do not thaw
Decoration:
- Handful of slivered almonds
- Orange zest
Instructions
For the Cranberry Bundt Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Generously grease a 10-inch (12-cup) bundt pan, being sure to coat all of the nooks and crannies. I suggest using a non-stick baking spray that has flour in it, or greasing the pan with shortening or butter, then dusting it with flour. Set pan aside until needed.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk well to combine then set aside until needed.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add in both sugars, then increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the orange zest, baking vanilla, and almond extract. Reduce the speed back to medium, then add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and add in the flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Turn mixer off.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cranberries and flour and toss well to coat. Using a rubber spatula, fold the cranberries into batter until just combined.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 70 to 75 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan, set on a wire rack, for 20 minutes. Then invert the cake onto the rack and cool completely.
For the White Chocolate Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-speed until completely smooth. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add in the confectioners' sugar, beating until all of the sugar is completely combined. Add in the salt, cream, and almond extract and beat smooth. Add in the white chocolate and beat smooth. Once all of the ingredients have been incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for a minute.
- Spread frosting on the top and sides of the cooled cake. Top with slivered almonds, orange zest, and sugared cranberries, if desired. Slice and serve, or store in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 5 days.
For the Sugared Cranberries:
- In a medium saucepan, add 1/4 cup of the sugar and the water and whisk well to combine. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a light simmer, whisking frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the cranberries and stir to coat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries to a wire rack and dry for at least 30 minutes.
- When the 30 minutes are up, roll the cranberries in remaining sugar, working in small batches and tossing until well coated. Set aside to dry for at least 1 hour.
Hi! This looks amazingly moist…I just am not a fan of cranberries. Could I just omit the fruit?
Thanks,
Sarah in Bmore
Absolutely!
I have made this cake three times and t is by far the most excellent dessert I have ever made. Everyone who has tasted it thinks I bought it at a gourmet bakery. If you leave out the cranberries, you miss the wonderfully explosive flavor of the cranberries popping in your mouth and with that delicious icing there is nothing like it. My husband actually thought the sugared cranberries were cherries. The sweet tart flavor is incomparable. Thank you so much for a spectacular dessert that I will make an make and make again and again.
Love this recipe. Nice and moist and full of flavor. I used gluten free flour. Second time making it. Just not sure about freezing with the icing on it but think I will try. Thanks for the recipe.
very beautiful 😛 😛
How can I convert this recipe to high altitude of 4000 ft.
Have you tried making this in a regular cake pan? I was thinking a 9×13” pan for an event I have next week. And, of course, I no longer have a bundt pan ♀️
This bundt is a must!!!. I’ll be baking it for sure this Christmas!!
Thanks for sharing!!
Carmen.
Whatif you don’t have hae vanilla baking extract? How’s much regular vanilla extract would you use?
Hi!!!
Do you have the recipe for the gingerbread cupcakes? I saw the recipe for the gingerbread latte cupcakes, but was wondering if you had one for just gingerbread!?
This bundt cake is absolutely fantastic!!!
This cake is beautiful! I can’t wait to try making this recipe!
Hi! This looks amazing and I really want to try it.
Can extra vanilla extract be substituted for the almond extract?
I’m not the hugest fan of almond extract, and often use vanilla extract instead of almond extract in recipes. Do you think that will be too much vanilla in this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Heather! I would suggest just omitting the almond extract all together, as there’s already a good amount of vanilla in this recipe 🙂
Can i use frozen cranberries for the cake, both stores we went to were out of fresh ones? :/
This was a huge hit for Christmas dinner! Many went for seconds! Very moist and great flavors. I put the cake in the fridge for 5 days, then frosted and did candied cranberries the day of serving.
So awesome to know, Michelle 🙂
My hubby is not a cranberry fan, could I substitute raspberries
I think that should work fine 🙂
This cake was absolutely fabulous! I still can’t get over the white chocolate buttercream frosting — just hand me a spoon, please.
I live in Denver and baking scratch cakes at high-altitude can involve crossing fingers and hoping that they don’t fall. Bundt cakes are usually cooperative, but I still took out 2 tbsp from each of the two cups of sugar. It baked up beautifully and the flavor was to die for.
Thank you for sharing the recipe and all of the helpful hints!
Me and my family love this. Very moist. Will be making this often. Wonderful orange flavor. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Happy New Year’s. Wonderfully delicious. I baked this for Christmas Day and everyone loved it. For New Year’s Day I did a blueberry version and was fantastic. Family and friends loved it and both looked do pretty. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
I’m so happy this was a hit for you! Happy New Year 🙂
This cake is beautiful!
Looks yummy, I need that slice right away!
Hi.
This looks luscious. I can’t wait to try it however, is there a gluten free version? I recently was diagnosed with Celiacs disease and baking has been challenging and the one to one approach doesn’t always work.
Thank you.
Have you tried using Bobs Red Mill GF 1-to-1 Baking Flour? You straight up substitute it for regular flour, it works beautifully!
This cake look beautiful!!!I will definitely try baking this soon. I want to bake in individual mini bunt pan, will the oven temperature and baking time be different or the same as big bunt pan. Please advise. Thanks 🙂
Thank you! I haven’t attempted this recipe using mini bundt pans, but I suggest decreasing the bake time by 20 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them 🙂
Could the cream cheese be substituted with something else? Maybe sourcream or greek yogurt?
Hi Tay! I tried subbing it once with sour cream and it didn’t work out.
If you don’t have baking vanilla how much vanilla extract can you use?
2 teaspoons 🙂
Hi! I accidentally used salted butter for the cake. Will it be a complete failure?
I accidentally used salted butter in the cake batter. Would you know if this is going to be okay still?
CAN I USE DRIED CRAIN BARRIES?
Can you use 9 inch pans inside of Bundt pan?????
I made this cake for my mother and it was a huge hit! I will definitely be making this again! Yummy!
How much regular vanilla would I use in this recipe?
Ashley, I want to make this cake for Christmas eve. I do have several bags of frozen cranberries in my freezer. Have you ever used frozen cranberries in this recipe? I have re-read all the notes & reviews thinking this question may have been asked & answered but I did not find anyone asking. Thank you!!
Dear Ashley, as usual your recipes are perfection.. this cake is genious and made me look So Good! Everyone enjoyed even my husband who hates white chocolate and almonds!! he didn’t noticed, not because it didn’t tasted like but because it was that good it was impossible for Him to not love it!!
So delicate and well balanced .. the cranberries and that almond extract work beautifult.. I don’t remember making a buttercream so delicious and glossy..
You are my favorite blogger! Happy Holidays!! Joyeuses fêtes!!!
Sincèrement
Vick
I can’t wait to try this recipe but I do not like white chocolate. What other frosting would you recommend that would go well with this cake?
Thank you!
Wish I knew how to post a picture. Made this today and it turned out beautiful and yummy. Definitely w
Oils make again.
This was a great recipe. The cake turned out so good! We skipped the cadied cranberries because we just ran out of time! But I did sprinkle slivered almonds and fresh orange zest on top and it still looked so pretty. We had to take the cake over an hour away so to prevent any damage to a beautiful cake, I finished it at the destination. I had a crowd of people watching with forks in hand just dying for a piece as I was icing! So rich and so moist and still refreshing when done!
This is by far the most delicious and beautiful cake I have ever made! Just perfect for Christmas! My family raved about it and my husband said it was the best cake I have ever made. He really liked the frosting! I definitely will be making this again. Thank you so much for sharing it.
This is by far the most delicious and beautiful cake I have ever made. I made it for Christmas. My family raved about it and my husband said it was the best cake I have ever made. I will definitely be making it again. Thank you so much for sharing.
Amazing
Anyone tried this with cake flour rather than all purpose?
Hi do you melt the white chocolate for the topping or just incorporate small pieces with the mixture
Mine is in the oven as I type! One question…I won’t be serving til Christmas Eve. Can I make the frosting today and refrigerate, then bringing it to room temp to frost? Or should I make it the same day?
Wow. Just wow! I made this last night to enjoy at my friend’s house for Christmas Eve. Everyone was oo’ing and ahh’ing about how pretty it looked and how festive it looked. There were lots of other desserts but everyone just wanted to try my cake. So, we served it up and some of the comments were ‘this is the best cake I have ever had’ and ‘I think I just orgasm’d twice’ lol. Several people wanted the recipe. It was by far the hit of the night. I followed the recipe except I left out the almond extract and almonds. So delicious! Thank you. I will make it again next year for sure.
Hahaha your comment cracked me up, Stephanie!!! So happy this cake was such a hit 🙂 Happy holidays!
I made this wonderful cake for Christmas, but put a little twist to it. I had made cranberry liqueur a few weeks prior and had not yet strained the cranberries out of the liquid, so I used those fabulous, boozy cranberries to make this cake. I picked out only the whole ones and let them dry out on paper towels somewhat. Those that went in to the cake batter I tossed with flour, those I used as garnish, I tossed in sugar. I also turned my cake out a bit early and brushed it with about 3/4 of a cup of cranberry liqueur while the cake was still hot. It was Absolutely delicious! I did omit the orange zest garnish on the frosting, as I thought the liquored cranberries would give it enough bite.
I made this wonderful cake for Christmas, but put a little twist to it. I had made cranberry liqueur a few weeks prior and had not yet strained the cranberries out of the liquid, so I used those fabulous, boozy cranberries to make this cake. I picked out only the whole ones and let them dry out on paper towels somewhat. Those that went in to the cake batter I tossed with flour, those I used as garnish, I tossed in sugar. I also turned my cake out a bit early and brushed it with about 3/4 of a cup of cranberry liqueur while the cake was still hot. It was Absolutely delicious! I did omit the orange zest garnish on the frosting, as I thought the liquored cranberries would give it enough bite. It was a big hit and is going in my favorites file. Loved, loved, loved the white chocolate buttercream frosting!!
Oh my, Peggy! That sounds delightful! Thank you for sharing your twist and glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
I made this for my mother’s birthday. I used the Nordic Ware Magnolia pan and opted not to frost it because the pan is so beautiful. Instead, I cut the amount of cranberries in the batter to 170 grams and added 100 grams white chocolate chips. Since it is a 10 cup pan, I was able to make a small six inch cake for home. Bake time for both was one hour. What a wonderful recipe! The flavors melded perfectly and she loved it.
So happy this was a hit for you, Steph!
Do you think you could use raspberries to make this a “spring” cake? I made ithe recipe for Christmas and it was a huge hit.
I would suggest checking out this recipe 🙂 https://bakerbynature.com/lemon-raspberry-bundt-cake/
I made this amazing cake over the holidays for a friend’s birthday and it got rave reviews!! It was so moist and flavourful and so so so delicious!! Several people literally said it was the best cake they’d ever had! I hated to leave it at their house but I couldn’t very well take her birthday cake away from her! LOL! So now I’m just dying to find another excuse to make it again!!!
We make a similar recipe in our cafe in Uzungöl
Wow, does this cake ever look lovely? I’m definitely not a good cake maker. This cake is definitely delicious and perfect for Christmas… Definitely can see it making an appearance on my table. Thanks for the recipe!
Made this twice last Holiday Season and both times it was absolutely perfect— everyone loved it, and we were rationing the leftover to make it last as long as possible. I was hoping to send one to my family up North this year, but shipping would require it be frozen solid. Haven’t been able to find any info on if this cake freezes well… anyone tried that? I know freezing fresh fruit is a no-no most of the time… but maybe w/ this one it would be okay as long as I’m only freezing the un-frosted/un-decorated cake part? I’ll also be making this for myself and a customer in the South, so this would be good to know how far ahead I can get these ready. Thanks for the amazing recipe—we all love it so much
DE LI CIOUS!!!!! Made this today and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! Moist, delish fluffy cake everyone loved it in my house thank you for sharing this delicious recipe ☺️
Can this cake set out at room temp or does it have to be refrigerated?
I made this cake for Christmas and it was delicious. I used regular vanilla extract and almond extract and the flavor was still amazing. I had already made a three layer cranberry cake with white chocolate icing so I topped this one with an orange glaze instead and I think it was a good call. The cake itself has so much flavor that the glaze was just enough sweetness to compliment the tart cranberries while not overpowering the flavors in the cake.
I made this cake a week and half ago, and I am making it again this afternoon. It’s amazing!
I am not a frosting lover in general, so I added a thin layer and put extra on the side for the family.
They all loved it!
The cranberries are not chopped?! I too wonder about using frozen cranberries.
Hi Linda. Correct, they are not chopped. But feel free to chop if you’d like to try that! And frozen cranberries work great!
This cake was SO good!!! The texture was a little more dense than I expected, but flavor was delicious and I loved the sugar cranberries on top! My family loved it!!
Can’t wait to try it. Can it be made in a normal tin rather than a bundt tin?
Can I use dry cranberries instead of fresh as fresh cranberries aren’t available where I live?
Made this cake for our annual Christmas party and it was amazing! Followed the directions exactly and it was perfect. Everyone loved it!!! Would certainly make again for a holiday/festive occasion.
Definitely need to make this one thanks
Has anyone had problems getting the sugar to stick to the cranberries?? Help! I don’t know how to resolve this.
Wonderful in every way. Lots of compliments and recipe requests.
I loved this cake! I used frozen cranberries and it turned out great. I think I over-creamed my butter and sugar a bit, so my cake deflated some as it cooled and I had some gummy streaks, but the taste was still 10/10. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t like almond flavor, because this buttercream might be the best frosting I’ve ever made. Wow, so good!