Real ingredients make holiday foods better. This fresh cranberry cake recipe is an example of that. The cranberry sour cream bundt cake features fresh cranberries and organic sour cream & butter.
This Fresh Cranberry Cake recipe is a fun and festive that makes a pretty presentation with easy decorating.
The fresh cranberries in this Cranberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake really pop with color when the cake is sliced.
While I do enjoy the seasonal delights of pumpkin pie and cookies, I really love a dessert with a bit of zing. This is especially true after a rich holiday meal. The fresh cranberry cake recipe I'm sharing with you today fits just that bill. Fresh cranberries nestle in a delicious sour cream bundt cake. The colorful cranberries add fresh and festive flair to the cake and sour cream brings great flavor and moistness to the holiday cake.
Sour cream is also used in my Banana Bundt cake, if that is more to your taste.
The fresh cranberries on the top of this bundt cake are simply glazed in thinned down icing to add shine. I also dusted this with dried unsweetened coconut, becauce I liked the snow like effect it creates on the cake.
Fresh Cranberry Cake (Preparation)
Here is a quick visual walk-through of the making of the Cranberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake. This fresh cranberry cake recipe is actually quite easy to make. Full recipe below.
After preheating the oven and preparing the bundt pan, cream the sugars and softened unsalted butter together with electric mixer.
Mix together the salt, orange juice and vanilla extract, then beat in eggs. Set aside.
Add one cup of sour cream to the creamed butter mixture, and mix. Next, add the beaten egg mixture and mix well.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add to the rest of the batter mixture and mix until smooth.
Chop the cranberries.
Toss in flour and confectionery sugar, then fold into the batter until evenly distributed.
Scoop batter into bundt pan and smooth out top. Bake, then cool on baking rack. Once cool, trim the bottom and plate.
Prepare the simple icing and spread around top, allowing the icing to drip down. Glaze the cranberries and place on top. Sprinkle on a little dried coconut or sugar if you like.
Need something that is in individual servings? Try my Cranberry Orange Donuts or Mini Banana Bundt Cakes with Vanilla Caramel Glaze.
Can I use Frozen Cranberries?
I don't recommend using frozen for this recipe. They will discolor your cake and give it an unattractive bluish gray tint. Stick with fresh, unless you are in a pinch and don't really care what it looks like.
Cranberry Bundt Cake Recipe with Sour Cream
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 tbs orange juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ¾ cups flour 2 ½ in batter, ¼ to dredge cranberries
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder preferably aluminum-free
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 2 tbs confectionery sugar
Icing
- 2 ¼ cups of confectionery sugar
- 3 tbs sour cream
- 2 tbs orange juice
Glazed Cranberries
- 16 fresh cranberries
- 1 tsp orange juice
- Icing left on sides bowl
- **optional** dried unsweetened coconut or sugar to sprinkle over cake to finish with a snowy effect
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bundt pan.
- Cream the butter, sugar and light brown sugar together. Then mix in the sour cream.
- In another bowl, mix the sea salt, orange juice and vanilla extract together. Then add eggs and beat well. Then add egg mixture to the butter blend and mix well.
- Sift together the flour and baking powder, then add to the batter. Mix until smooth.
- Chop the fresh cranberries, then add ¼ cup of flour and the confectionery sugar. Toss to coat, then fold the cranberries into the batter.
- Scoop the batter into the bundt pan and smooth out the top with silicone spatula or spoon.
- Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a pick pulls clean from center.
- Allow to rest a few minutes, then place cooling rack over bundt pan and flip over to release. Let the cake fully cool, then trim the bottom so it will lie flat in plate. Place on cake plate.
- Mix the icing ingredients together in medium sized bowl. Spoon half the icing on top of the cranberry bundt cake evenly. Wait a few minutes then spoon on the rest.
- Add a tsp of orange juice to the icing remnants in the bowl. Whisk to make a thin icing, then add the cranberries for decoration and toss to coat. Place them on top of icing to decorate, taking care they are not to wet, which will make icing run.
- Sprinkle with dried unsweetened coconut or sugar if you like, for a snowy effect.
Nutrition
Janet E. says
Boy - I blew it Printed the recipe and going to make for party tomorrow - started creaming and have everything ready on the counter, reading the directions again AND WHAT HAPPENED To THE EGGS? They're in the directions and that's all. Going to treat this as a pound cake and add 3 or 4. Please send me a corrected copy. Thanks and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!
Robin Gagnon says
Sorry about that. It is corrected now. I used 3, so it looks like you were right on track anyway.
JoAnne says
Your recipe does not specify the number of eggs needed. Please correct!!!
Robin Gagnon says
It has been updated
Diane says
How many Eggs???????????????????????????
Robin Gagnon says
3 eggs, updated in recipe