cookies may rule the baking scene this time of year. but, let's not forget about all the delicious cakes! this cranberry orange blossom bundt cake is a fun, fresh twist on a classic holiday cake. it's fresh, fragrant, full of holiday spices and citrus. start a holiday breakfast or end a holiday dinner with this delicious cake. either way, this cake is a wonderful addition to your holiday baking plans.
this bundt cake is
so many delicious words! just to name a few:
- sweet
- floral
- tart
- spiced
- fragrant (aka, your house will smell wonderful)
- buttery
- moist
- cake like crumb
- familiar, with a fresh flavor twist
let's talk ingredients
to make this cranberry orange blossom bundt cake you will need:
- cake flour
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- ground cinnamon
- ground cloves
- salt
- superfine granulated sugar or caster sugar
- oranges
- unsalted butter
- olive oil or canola oil
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- orange blossom water
- buttermilk (see recipe notes for diy version)
- frozen cranberries (frozen preferred, but fresh can be used)
- powdered sugar
- honey
from these ingredients you will make the cranberry orange blossom cake and the orange blossom honey glaze.
baking tools
this cake can be divided into other baking pans. but, to make this recipe as written, you will need:
- 10-12 cup capacity bundt pan
- non stick baking spray
- electric juicer ( highly recommend this if you like to use fresh citrus!!)
- zester ( also highly recommend for baking with citrus )
tips, tricks + substitutes
substitutions for this recipe:
- a bundt pan has a capacity of 10-12 cups (2.8 liters), make these swaps if you don't have a bundt pan
- (2) 10" round cake pans
- (2) 9" square pan
- 9-10" springform pan
- (2) 9X5" loaf pans
- 9" tube pan
- 11X7" - 10X15" baking pans (9X13" cake pan included)
- baking times will change based on the pan used. for the pans listed above, start to check the cake around 20-25 minutes. most likely the cakes will take around 30-40 minutes.
- look for the signs the cake is finished:
- golden brown across the top
- edges pulled slightly from the edge of the pan
- a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs
- press the center of the cake. when it's done the cake will quickly spring back
- orange blossom water: no exact substitute for this. however, you can use the zest from an extra orange in the cake (zest from two oranges). for the glaze, use 1:1 orange extract in its place
diy ingredients for this recipe:
- diy cake flour: to make this version, you will need all purpose flour and cornstarch
- measure out 2 c all purpose flour (by weight or the spoon scoop method)
- remove 4 tbsp (1/4 c, 30g) flour
- replace with 4 tbsp cornstarch
- sift the mixture together 4-5 times
- diy buttermilk: to make this version, you will need milk and lemon juice
- measure out 2.5 teaspoons lemon juice in a measuring cup
- fill the measuring cup to 3/4 c (180ml)
- allow about 10 minutes to curdle
tips and tricks for the best cranberry orange blossom bundt cake:
- use a non stick bundt pan
- lightly grease the pan
- non stick spray or butter + sugar
- bring cold ingredients to room temperature
- keep the cranberries frozen
- toss the cranberries in flour
- this prevents the cranberries from sinking to the bottom (or top for this cake)
- mix the dry ingredients in to the wet by hand
- don't over mix the batter
- do not leave the cake in the pan for more than 15 minutes
- wait for the cake to cool before applying the glaze
- glaze the cake on the serving plate OR
- glaze the cake on a cooling rack with a piece of parchment paper under the rack
- less mess to clean up
- allow the glaze to fully set before slicing
check out these delicious cakes
- Red velvet bundt cake
- Citrus glazed gingerbread loaf cake
- Cardamom pear loaf cake
- Maple pumpkin coffee cake
- Blood orange loaf cake
cranberry orange blossom bundt cake
Equipment
- 10-12 c capacity bundt pan
- stand mixer with whisk attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
Ingredients
orange blossom cranberry bundt cake
- 2 c (252g) cake flour see notes for homemade version
- 1 c (120g) all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp (10g) baking powder
- 1 tbsp (8g) ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp (2g) ground cloves
- 1 tsp (6g) salt
- 2 c (400g) superfine granulated sugar
- 2-3 tbsp orange zest (~ one medium-large orange)
- 1/2 c (113g) unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature
- 1/4 c (59ml) olive oil or other neutral oil like canola
- 4 (228g) large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
- 1 tsp (5ml) orange blossom water
- 1/4 c (59ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
- 3/4 c (180ml) buttermilk, room temperature see notes for homemade version
- 2 c (260g) frozen cranberries
- 2 tsp flour
orange blossom honey glaze
- 1 c (120g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp orange blossom water
- 2 tbsp (30ml) freshly squeezed orange juice or to preferred consistency
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 10-12 cup capacity bundt pan with non stick baking spray. Alernatively, use butter to coat the pan. Scatter a light coat of sugar on top of the sugar. Shake around the pan to fully coat. Pour out the excess sugar. Set aside. If using a homemade version of buttermilk, add the lemon juice to the milk now.
- In a medium size mixing bowl. Whisk the flours, baking powder, spices and salt together. Set aside.
- In the mixing bowl you will use to mix the wet ingredients, add the sugar and orange zest (zest directly into the sugar). On low speed, whisk the zest into the sugar until it resembles wet sand (about 30-60 seconds). Pour the orange sugar into a seperate bowl.
- Beat together the oil and butter on medium speed until smooth and well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly stream in the orange sugar while beating the butter/oil mixture on low-medium speed. Beat well for about 1 minute.On low- medium speed, beat in each egg for about 20 seconds before adding the next.Beat in the vanilla extract and orange blossom until well combined. Beat in the orange juice. The mixture may look slighly curdled. It will come together!
- In a small mixing bowl, toss the frozen cranberries with the 2 teaspoons of flour until all the cranberries are coated with flour. Set aside.
- On the lowest mixing setting or by hand (preferred), stir the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet ingredients in this order: dry, buttermilk, dry, buttermilk, dry. Stir each addition until JUST incorporated before adding the next. A few flour or liquid streaks is fine. Fold in the coated cranberries.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. This should reach almost to the top of the pan, with about 1/2" to spare. Do not fill all the way to the top! Bake the cake in a 350F oven for about 55-65 minutes. The cake edges will be pulled slightly from the pan. The cake will be golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the sides will come out clean of with a few moist crumbs. (60 minutes was perfect for my cake/oven during the development process.)
- Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. To remove, place a plate or cooling rack on top of the bundt pan. Carefully invert the pan to rest on top of the plate or rack. Using a butter knife or metal spoon, tap the pan on all the sides. Carefully lift and remove the pan. Cool the cake on the plate or cooling rack until it reaches room temperature. Pour the glaze on top. Allow the glaze to fully set, about 30-45 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
orange blossom honey glaze
- Whisk all ingredients together until smooth and well combined. Add more or less liquid to achieve your preference for the consistency of the glaze.
Notes
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Make sure to tag me on instagram @olivesnthyme. For more delicious dessert ideas follow me on pinterest
make sure to tag me on instagram @olivesnthyme. for more delicious dessert ideas follow me on pinterest.
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