This Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake is a favorite holiday dessert. Made with sugared cranberries and a box cake mix, you are going to love how fast and simple this cake recipe is! Treat yourself and your guests with this cranberry bundt cake!
Stop stressing over the holiday desserts and just make a plan with this one. The bundt cake is perfectly fluffy and paired with the orange sauce, every bite is balanced with sugary goodness.
Bundt cakes are always good on their own but adding in the fruit flavors literally “takes the cake”!
Make sure to look at my Orange Cake, Blueberry Bundt Cake and my Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars for more fruit flavors that will pair perfectly with the holiday dessert table. Then, if you just can’t get enough bundt cake, add this Cake Mix Rum Bundt Cake to the mix, too!
Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake with Cake Mix
It’s hard to say what I love most about this cake recipe. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s fast to make, maybe it’s that there are mini bursts of flavor with every bite, or maybe it’s that everyone who has ever tried it literally asks for the recipe immediately.
Those are all pretty good reasons to make this fruity and delicious bundt cake, right? No matter if you’re looking for a weekend cake recipe at home or the perfect bundt cake recipe to share with family and friends, you can’t go wrong by cooking up this cranberry orange cake.
INGREDIENTS
Bundt Cake Ingredients
- yellow cake mix
- vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
- milk
- butter
- grated orange peel – Check out how to grate an orange below!
- eggs
- fresh or frozen cranberries
Orange Sauce Ingredients
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- orange juice
- butter
Sugared Cranberries Ingredients
- water
- granulated sugar
- fresh cranberries
How To Make Orange Cranberry Cake
1. Preheat
Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan, or spray with baking spray with flour.
2. Mix ingredients
In a large bowl, beat cake mix, pudding mix, milk, softened butter, orange peel and eggs with an electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Fold in cranberries. Add to prepared pan.
3. Bake
Bake 57 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4. Make the sugared cranberries
Prepare sugared cranberries while the cake cools. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 3 minutes.
5. Coat with syrup
Stir in the cranberries to fully coat in the syrup then remove from heat and stir for 1 minute.
6. Let the cranberries dry out
Remove cranberries with a slotted spoon and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet or a metal rack to let cranberries dry out for 1 hour.
7. Roll the cranberries in sugar
Roll cranberries in batches in the remaining 1 cup sugar to coat.
8. Prepare the Orange Sauce
In a 1-quart saucepan, cook sauce ingredients over medium heat for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Allow to cool and pour over cake.
9. Add toppings
Top with sugared cranberries.
FAQ
Should I thaw out my cranberries before adding them to the bundt cake?
No, don’t thaw them out. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries in the recipe but if you do use frozen, add them in that way.
What is the difference between grated orange peel and orange zest?
There is actually a difference! Orange zest is when you just zest off the colored orange portion of the orange peel and a grated orange peel is when you use the colored orange portion and the white portion underneath!
How do you keep bundt cake fresh?
Keeping the air out of the bundt cake is key. You need to store the cake in an airtight container. This doesn’t have to be stored in the fridge so room temperature will work just fine.
More Delicious Cake Recipes You’ll Love
Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
- 1 yellow cake mix
- 1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 tsp grated orange peel
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped (do not thaw frozen cranberries)
Orange Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 T all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup butter
Sugared Cranberries Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 3 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and dried
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan, or spray with baking spray with flour.
- In large bowl, beat cake mix, pudding mix, milk, softened butter, orange peel and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Fold in cranberries. Add to prepared pan.
- Bake 57 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Prepare sugared cranberries while cake cools. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the cranberries to fully coat in the syrup then remove from heat and stir 1 minute.
- Remove cranberries with a slotted spoon and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet or a metal rack to let cranberries dry out for 1 hour.
- Roll cranberries in batches in the remaining 1 cup sugar to coat.
To Prepare The Orange Sauce:
- In 1-quart saucepan, cook sauce ingredients over medium heat about 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Allow to cool and pour over cake
- Top with sugared cranberries.
Made this for my hospital family and another for my gluten free members, just used a gluten free cake mix. Raves all around!
That’s so kind of you, Peggy. We’re so glad it was a hit!
I have made this cake twice now using 1-1/2 tsp of orang extract in the cake mix- adding dry cranberry’s to the mix and this is delicious. I also use the organelle extract in the organelle sauce, candied the dried cranberries and it works out well for those that can not tolerate the acid of the orng zest and juice. 😉
We’re so glad you’re able to make it work for you and hope you’re enjoying it!
Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever had a cake that was so moist. It is so yummy and amazing. I used freshly squeezed orange juice and added some of the orange sections to both the cake and the glaze. Thank you.
We’re so happy to read this! Thank you for trying it out. We’re glad you enjoyed it. 😊
Could I do less butter and add applesauce instead?
We haven’t tried it but think it should work!
This is ABSOLUTELY delicious! Super easy to make. I have actually made it 3 times this month for various holiday gatherings. I can’t seem to get my glaze to look like the picture but still tastes great. I also add a splash of orange juice (fresh or bottled) to the cake to give a little extra orange flavor. Definitely a keeper.
Thank you so much, Jaime! We’re so glad it’s been such a hit. 😊
This was easy, delicious and very festive looking. My husband loved it!!
Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you for trying it out, Pat! We’re so glad it was a hit. 😊
I bought two sizes of pudding mix, but I still don’t know what size to put in the mix. Can anyone comment on what to do. Thanks
Hi Darla,
You’ll want a standard 3.4 oz box! Apologies for any confusion. We have updated the recipe card. 😊
Recipe does not say what to do with the milk It also says add water to cake mix but no water listed as an ingredient for cake, only for sugared berries
Thank you for catching that, Pam! We have updated the recipe.
Recipe does not say what to do with the milk
Thank you for catching that! The recipe has been updated.
so yummy…and easy…made it with my granddaughter…
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Christiane!
Which size box of pudding does the recipe use: six, half cup servings (5.1oz) or four, half cup servings (3.4oz)?
will make this but can I use a Orange cake mix
Which size box of pudding does the recipe use: six, half cup servings (5.1oz) or four, half cup servings (3.4oz)?
In cake ingredients it states – Milk.
In directions, it mentions “water” not “milk”…
I have used milk only.
I love this cake during holidays especially! sometimes add chopped pecans.
Is adding the boxed vanilla pudding necessary?