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.
Christine says
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.
Courtney says
Can this cake set out at room temp or does it have to be refrigerated?
Carolina says
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 ☺️
Emma says
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
Mercer Lynda says
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!
Uzungöl says
We make a similar recipe in our cafe in Uzungöl
Jennifer says
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!!!
Wanda Kather says
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.
bakerbynature says
I would suggest checking out this recipe 🙂 https://bakerbynature.com/lemon-raspberry-bundt-cake/
Steph says
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.
bakerbynature says
So happy this was a hit for you, Steph!
Peggy Oloumi says
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!!
bakerbynature says
Oh my, Peggy! That sounds delightful! Thank you for sharing your twist and glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂