Cranberry Orange Butter Cake

This classic pairing of orange and cranberries is delightful in this Cranberry Orange Butter Cake. It begins with a dense creamy butter cake which owes part of its sweetness to the condensed milk in the batter. A splash of vanilla and orange add a pop of flavor. Fresh tart cranberries are gently folded into the batter with freshly grated orange zest to complete the flavor profile. After cooling the cake, a creamy citrus glaze is drizzled on top with a sprinkle of fresh orange zest. One piece is never enough.

Easy Cranberry Orange Butter Cake Recipe

I could literally skip for joy when I see fresh cranberries show-up in the produce section of my local market. I can neither confirm or deny if that has ever actually happened. Perhaps it’s the cranberry flavor which I do sincerely love, or the fact that it’s associated with the holiday season and all the baking, entertaining and fun times with friends and family that are sure to come. Combine that with my love of butter cakes and this cranberry orange sensation was bound to happen. How to make easy Cranberry Orange Cake Recipe:

• Flour – All purpose flour works perfectly.
• Leavening – Baking powder, salt and large eggs give the cake it’s rise.
• Cranberries – Fresh cranberries should be rinsed, dried and picked over prior to adding to the batter. Remove any with blemishes or soft.
• Milk – The texture of this cake is dense due to using sweetened condensed milk in the batter.
• Orange – Fresh orange juice is needed for the glaze and freshly grated orange zest to give the batter a pop of citrus flavor.
• Orange Extract – Orange extract has a more concentrated flavor than fresh juice. It cements the flavor of this scratch made cake.
• Glaze – Powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest and heavy cream will give the glaze more body than using OJ alone. I also like to add orange extract to concentrate the flavor.

How to Make the Best Cranberry Orange Butter Cake Recipe

The sweet butter cake batter while glorious all on it’s own, is balanced beautifully by the tartness of the cranberries. It’s worth every single calorie that comes with it.

• Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Cranberry Orange Butter Cake: All purpose flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, butter, vanilla extract, orange extract, fresh cranberries, orange zest, sweetened condensed milk and large eggs.
• To make the creamy glaze you’ll need: Heavy cream, powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest and orange extract for extra punch of flavor.
• Kitchen gadgets you’ll need: A stand mixer or a hand mixer, a large bowl, a medium bowl, a whisk, measuring cups and spoons, a citrus zester and a bundt pan.
• The purpose of adding orange extract to the cake batter and the glaze is to give it a more intense citrus flavor.
• It’s important to toss the cranberries with a small amount of flour to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake batter. It’ doesn’t mean that some won’t, but they are more  equally distributed when doing this step.
• This cake with a creamy orange glaze but if preferred, you can simply dust with powdered sugar and call it a day.
• I typically bake my butter cakes in a springform pan and then serve them cut into wedges as a single layer cake. That said, this cranberry orange butter cake texture is slightly different due to the amount of cranberries and added liquid they release into the batter while baking and I find that it bakes more evenly in a bundt pan.
• Store leftover Cranberry Orange Butter Cake chilled in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• You can also freeze this cake for up to 2 months. When freezing, I recommend waiting to glaze the cake after thawing.

More Cranberry Dessert Recipes to Make

This homemade Christmas cranberry cake is bound to be the crowning jewel of your holiday dessert table. More cranberry dessert recipes you may also like to try:

• Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies are a seasonal favorite.
• Cranberry Orange Yogurt Bread for mornings or afternoon snacking with a steamy cup of tea or coffee.
• Cranberry Apple Fruit Chutney is a delicious option for your Thanksgiving side dishes.
• Don’t just stop there, whip-up a batch of these Cranberry Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies for your neighborhood cookie swap.
• Start your day with these Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Scones or a freshly baked batch of Cranberry Muffins.
• You may also like this recipe for Cranberry Salsa from Favorite Family Recipes.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Bundt Pan
• Stand Mixer
• Mixing Bowls
• Silicone Spatulas

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5 from 9 votes

Cranberry Orange Butter Cake

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Cooling time4 hours hrs

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry-cake, cranberry-cake-recipes, cranberry-orange-butter-cake

Servings: 16 pieces

Calories: 396kcal

Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
• 1⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp pure orange extract
• 4 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 Tbsp divided
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 12 oz fresh cranberries rinsed, dried and picked over
• 2 Tbsp fresh orange zest
• Glaze:
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp pure orange extract
• Juice from zested orange to thin
• Fresh orange zest for garnishing

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a Bundt pan or spray liberally with baking spray. Set aside.
• Using an electric mixer cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and orange extracts. Beat for 3 minutes on medium-high speed stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl periodically.
• Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt.
• Lower the speed of the mixer and add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the sweetened condensed milk beginning and ending with flour.
• After all has been added beat for 30-45 seconds.
• In a bowl toss the cranberries with 2 Tbsp flour.
• Use a large spoon or spatula to fold the cranberries and orange zest into the batter until evenly distributed. Pour evenly into Bundt pan. Bounce to settle the batter..
• Place into the oven and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean. Check at 40 minutes and lay a piece of aluminum foil on top to prevent over browning, if needed.
• Cool in the pan for 15 minutes then carefully invert onto a cooling rack.Cool completely.
• To glaze, mix together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, orange extract and enough orange juice to thin to drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake.
• Garnish with additional orange zest. Store chilled until serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 116mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 493IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

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