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This Cranberry Orange Cake turns a box of yellow cake mix into a delicious and festive dessert. With a cream cheese filling, cranberries, and orange zest, it’s an already incredible cake, and then it gets topped with decadent cream cheese icing. The result is a moist cake with sweet, tart, and tangy flavors.
Table of Contents
I’ve been making this Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake for the holiday season for years now. It’s become a tradition in our family, and for good reason.
The great thing about this orange cranberry cake recipe is how it dresses up a regular cake mix. Adding the cream cheese, cranberries, and orange zest makes it taste homemade, but it’s still really easy to put together. For more easy bundt cakes with a cake mix, try my Banana Bundt Cake and my Blueberry Bundt Cake!
I usually bake this cake the day before I need it. It stays moist, and the flavors actually get better overnight. When it’s time to eat, I like to warm up a slice and have it with coffee.
The cream cheese icing on top is my favorite part – it’s sweet but not too sweet, and it creates the perfect flavor combination with the tart cranberries and orange flavor from the zest.
What goes into this Recipe
- Yellow Cake Mix: This is the base of our cake. It saves time and gives a consistently moist texture. Any brand will work fine for this recipe and my other yellow cake mix recipes.
- Sour Cream: Adding sour cream to the cake mix makes the cake extra moist and gives it a slight tang that goes well with the tartness of the cranberries.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: Using store-bought frosting for the icing is the best way to save time. If you have extra time, you could make your own cream cheese frosting instead.
- Dried Cranberries: These add bursts of tart flavor throughout the cake. You could use fresh cranberries if you prefer a stronger, more tart flavor. They also work great in this Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookie.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make an Orange Cranberry Cake
To make the cake batter, combine a yellow butter cake mix, melted butter, eggs, water and sour cream in a large bowl. I always use a hand held mixer but you can always mix it by hand.Pour about 2/3 of the batter into your prepared bundt pan. Keep the other 1/3 of the batter reserved for the top.
Begin making the filling by mixing together the softened cream cheese and sugar {I use an electric mixer or a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment} in a separate bowl. Once it is smooth, add the egg and fresh orange juice. Combine and then add fresh orange zest and cranberries.
Spoon the filling over the batter in the prepared pan. Leave a little bit of an edge on each side of the batter. The goal is to create a pocket of cheesecake filling inside the cake. Then use the reserved cake batter and cover the cheese cake filling. Use a spoon or spatula to be sure it is completely covered.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick or cake taster inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a cake plate or wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled it is time to add the icing on the cake…literally. You can make your own, I have a recipe here but I like to use a can of cream cheese frosting. You can put it into a microwave safe bowl or keep it in the original container {be sure to remove all of the foil} and microwave it for about 20-25 seconds. It should be just soft enough to pour over the top and let it drip down the sides of the cake.
To keep the orange and cranberry theme going, add some orange zest to the icing for an orange cream cheese frosting. You could even decorate the top of the cake with orange slices and fresh cranberries topped with a dusting of powdered sugar for a snowy effect that looks perfect on a holiday table.
Expert Tips
- Grease and flour the bundt pan well. This helps ensure the easy cranberry orange cake comes out cleanly after baking.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix just until the ingredients are combined to keep the cake tender.
- Layer the batter and filling carefully. This creates a nice swirl effect when you cut into the cake.
- Cool the cake completely before icing. If the cake is warm, the icing will melt and run off.
- Zest the orange before juicing it. It’s much easier to zest a whole orange than trying to zest it after it’s been cut and juiced.
- Soften the cream cheese at room temperature. This makes it easier to mix and creates a smoother filling.
Storage and Freezing
Store: Once the cake has cooled completely, cover it with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days. The cream cheese icing may soften a bit over time, but the cake will remain moist and flavorful. To serve, you can eat it cold or let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Freeze: This cranberry orange cake recipe freezes well for up to 2 months. Let it cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil before freezing. For best results, freeze the cake without the icing and add it after thawing. To thaw, place the wrapped cake in the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed, you can add the cream cheese icing before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use fresh cranberries. Chop the juicy cranberries into smaller pieces and use the same amount as the dried cranberries. Keep in mind that fresh cranberries are more tart, so you might want to add an extra tablespoon of sugar to the filling.
If you don’t have a bundt pan, you can use a 9×13 inch baking dish. The baking time might be slightly different, so start checking for doneness around 35 minutes.
Yes, you can skip the filling if you prefer. Just pour all the batter into the pan and bake as directed. The cake will still have a nice orange-cranberry flavor from the zest and dried cranberries mixed into the batter.
Do you like bundt cakes? Try these recipes…
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Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box yellow butter cake mix, {13.25 ounces}
- 1 ¼ cup water
- ⅓ cup butter , {melted}
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup sour cream
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese , {softened}
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon orange juice
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- zest 1 orange
Icing
- 1 can prepared cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and flour. Set aside.
- To prepare cake batter: Combine cake mix, water, melted butter, eggs and sour cream to medium bowl and stir either by hand or with a hand held mixer until well combined. Pour 2/3 of the prepared batter into a greased bundt pan.
- To prepare the filling: combine softened cream cheese and sugar and. Mix with a wooden spoon or hand held mixer until creamy and smooth. Add egg and orange juice and mix. Stir in dried cranberries and orange zest by hand. Spoon filling over the middle section of cake batter in a bundt pan {leaving some room between the filling and the edge of the pan on both sides} and top with remaining batter. Use a spatula to completely cover the filling with batter.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto a cake plate and cool completely.
- Frosting: Remove frosting from the container and put into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 20-25 seconds or until the frosting is thin enough to pour. Using a spoon, pour frosting over your bundt cake and serve or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
