Cranberry Pound Cake with Orange Glaze
This Cranberry Pound Cake is wonderfully dense, moist and loaded with fresh cranberries. Topped with a simple orange glaze, it’s perfect for the holidays.
Do you have your Thanksgiving desserts finalized yet?
You’ll get no judging from me if you haven’t finished your menu yet, because I realized LAST WEEK that Thanksgiving was THIS WEEK. I only look at my Google calendar 50 times a day, so I’m just going to go ahead and chalk that up to having a newborn and being sleep-deprived. I truly have no other explanation. My failure to keep up with the calendar led to a frantic search for our Thanksgiving turkey since I usually order it weeks in advance. Oiy.
But I digress… let’s talk about dessert, specifically this cranberry pound cake. I’ve always loved the simplicity of a really fantastic pound cake, and I’ve taken a wonderful recipe and loaded it up with fresh cranberries and an orange glaze.
I have such an adoration for Bundt cakes… they are incredibly easy to prepare and bake, quite forgiving, and they have both the simplicity and elegance that suits a casual weeknight dessert, as well as a holiday dessert table.
Bundt pans are one prettier than the next, with their intricate and elaborate designs (I’d love to start a collection!); while this makes for some eye-catching cakes, it also means that there are a lot of creases and crevices. That can spell disaster if the pan isn’t prepped properly (there’s nothing worse than cake sticking to the pan!). I swear by greasing with good ol’ Crisco and then dusting with flour. I have never had a Bundt cake stick to the pan with this method (I actually use this for all of my cake pans and find it foolproof).
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
I started using a cream cheese-based pound cake recipe a few years ago and I’ve never looked back. It adds just a touch of tang and a little extra creaminess, which is the perfect canvas for a myriad of flavors depending on your mood and the time of year. I’ve wanted to bake with fresh cranberries for ages, and this cake provided the perfect opportunity to let them shine.
In lieu of a traditional sugar and water or sugar and milk glaze, I opted to swap in orange juice, as I love the combination of cranberries and orange (originally fueled by a cranberry orange bread my sister buys from a local bakery and that I recreated a couple of years ago). It goes together like peanut butter and jelly!
This cranberry pound cake is the perfect opportunity to showcase seasonal flavors other than pumpkin; I promise your family will love it!
More Amazing Holiday Cakes
- Homemade Rum Cake
- Eggnog Bundt Cake with Rum Icing
- Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
- Russian Pound Cake
Cranberry Pound Cake with Orange Glaze
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups (250 g) King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour, sifted
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5 ounces (141.75 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup (100 g) fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
For the Orange Glaze:
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan (I used the Party Bundt pan from Nordic Ware).
- Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until combined and soft, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl once or twice, until the mixture is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each one is completely incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, reduce the speed to low, and gradually add the flour until it has all been combined. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. In a medium bowl, toss the cranberries with the powdered sugar, then fold into the cake batter.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and gently spread to the edges of the pan in an even layer.
- Bake for 1¼ to 1½ hours, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Orange Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, orange juice and vanilla extract until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable; if it needs to be thin at all, whisk in a very small of orange juice at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Place the cake on a serving plate and slowly pour the glaze over the top of the cake. Allow to set for 15 minutes prior to serving. Leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Could I use frozen cranberries? Or would they be too mushy?
This cake has become a must have every Christmas, and this year I’be been asked to make two extra for the in-laws.
I have however struggled to find fresh cranberries previously and wondered if I could use frozen in their place?
Thanks for the ongoing supply of fabulous recipes :-)
P.s. My apologies if I have missed the answer to the above in the post
I’ve been making this cake for special occasions or a weekend treat for years and it always turns out fabulously. I use whole, fresh cranberries and they pop with each warm bite. I’m making it again tonight for a Thanksgiving meal at my husband’s office tomorrow and I’m excited to present it. Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes and blog!
I’m planning to try your recipe this weekend to make holiday treats for my co-workers.
I’d like to use disposable mini loaf pans (4″x2″x2″), but I’m not sure how to estimate the volume or weight of batter from your cake to adapt to my baking containers.
Is this something you can share with me?
Amazing, best cake I’ve made in a long time. Following directions makes it turn out perfectly..
Pretty much a disaster. Carefully followed the recipe but made two smaller loaves and baked for an hour. Skewer came out clean but as soon as I tried to take them out of the pan I noticed that the crispy top had pulled away from the cake and just crumbled to pieces when I turned it out. So I have two topless pound cakes. The cake itself is a little weak. Too fluffy and not dense like a pound cake should be.
Absolutely delicious, beautiful and easy to make. I will make again. Definet go to receipe.
How did you het the glaze so pretty? I’m going to try this recipe this week and I want it to look just like yours lol.
This recipe is perfect. The King Arthur flour made all the difference between cakes I have made in the past. Well worth spending the money to purchase the flour. I put some orange zest on the top. So moist. Thanks for the recipe.
I have made this cake twice and every one loved it. It is so easy to make.
This recipe is incredible! Or as my neighbor put it when I gave her some, it is out of this world! I garnished this with candied cranberries and orange peel. It was so pretty! I will add some orange zest to the glaze next time I make it to increase the orange flavor and minimize the powdered sugar taste, but other than that, everything was perfect.
Just made this and it turned out amazing- fluffy, sweet, but tangy!
Thank you for this recipe will definitely be making it again!
Very easy to make and not too heavy. I made the cranberry for Thanksgiving to send to friends. I made them in mini bundt pans and theu turned out great.
For Xmas I’m subbing the cran with dried cherries macerated in grand marnier and added the zest and juice of a meyer lemon.
This is one of the best cakes I’ve ever made! I love the sweet cake with the tart cranberries, the cream cheese flavor, and the light fluffy cake texture. Will add orange zest to the glaze when I make it again very soon!
Made this tonight using a baking pan that has four individual loaves which cut the baking time a bit. I was afraid it would be too sweet (2 cups of sugar!), but the balance of the tart cranberries complimented beautifully. I couldn’t wait for the cakes to cool completely and tried a small slice… pure joy!!! I am surprised at how moist and light the cake is considering that it looks dense when you slice it. The aroma is also wonderful… my house smells amazing. Not sure if I’ll be glazing or icing it, it’s THAT good. Definitely making this for the holidays.
Thank you for sharing….. your recipes never disappoint.