Cranberry Orange Pound Cake Recipe - Belly Full (2024)

Published: November 17, 2021Updated: August 25, 2022Author: Amy

This Cranberry Orange Pound Cake is rich and buttery, with a layer of cranberry sauce inside, and a bright orange glaze. Perfect flavor combination and festive for the holidays!

Can’t get enough pound cake recipes? Us too! Don’t miss our classic kentucky butter cake, vanilla pound cake, chocolate pound cake, and lemon pound cake.

Wonderful Holiday Pound Cake Recipe

Aaaah oranges and cranberries! They definitely love one another and are a perfect pair in this pound cake recipe. It has a tender, rich, and buttery crumb texture, with a layer of cranberry sauce inside, and a bright orange glaze. Baked in a fluted tube cake pan gives it a festive presentation. While you absolutely can make this cake year-round, it is perfect for holiday time.

What You’ll Need

This pound cake calls for pretty common ingredients, but each one serves an important role. The results are a marvelous crumb that you can’t get enough of! Here’s what you’ll need:
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

• Unsalted Butter: Butter is the base of pound cake. We use unsalted butter, so the cake doesn’t end up too salty.
• Eggs: Eggs provide structure and a necessary ingredient in pound cake.
• Cream cheese: This keeps the cake moist and adds tanginess.
• Sugar: For sweetness and to properly cream the butter.
• Flour:Cake flour renders the best results. It’s lighter than all-purpose flour and produces the most light, delicate crumb. However, you can totally use all-purpose flour, if that’s what you have on hand.
• Baking powder and Baking soda: These are leavening agents that give the cake lift.
• Salt: Boosts the other flavors.
• Vanilla extract:A little bit of vanilla extract adds a nice touch of flavor.
• Orange juice and zest:For a bright, citrusy flavor.
• Cranberry sauce: We use our homemade cranberry sauce for best flavor, but a can of whole-berry cranberry sauce is fine.
• For the glaze:powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest.

Tips for Success

Making pound cake is very easy, but follow these tips for optimal results:
(To make this cranberry cake recipe, scroll down to the printable recipe card for details and don’t miss the video below.)

• Spoon and level the flour:By scooping, you could end up using too much, resulting in a heavy, dry cake. Make sure to spoon and sweep the flour.
• Butter, cream cheese, and eggs should be room temperature:The butter, cream cheese, and eggs should all be at room temperature before starting. This allows everything to incorporate better and results in a fluffier baked good.
• Don’t over-mix:Over-mixing can make the cake dense and tough.
• Butter and flour the bundt pan:This way the cake won’t stick to the pan once cooled, and will have a quick release.
• Careful spreading the cranberry sauce: When adding the cranberry sauce on top of the batter, try not to spread it to the edges – this will help prevent the cake from sticking to the pan after baking.

How to Store Pound Cake

• Storing leftovers:Any pound cake that isn’t eaten keeps well at room temperature, covered tightly, for up to 3 days.
• To freeze:Wrap baked and cooled cake in 1-2 layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil, and transfer to a freezer-safe bag. It can stay frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before slicing and serving. We recommend freezing without the glaze and adding that after thawing.

More Cranberry Recipes:

• Cranberry Fluff
• Cranberry Hand Pies
• Apple Cranberry Crisp
• Upside-Down Cranberry Cake
• Cranberry Honey Butter

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full onTikTok,Facebook,Instagram,Pinterest, andYouTube!