Cranberry Bundt Cake Recipe

A beautiful Cranberry Bundt Cake is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday parties. Made with Greek yogurt, cranberry sauce, and coconut oil for a light, rich cake finished with a delicious almond glaze and topped with sugared cranberries for the perfect winter themed dessert.

Bundt cakes are a popular dessert during the holiday season. Well loved for the nostalgic style, bold flavors, inclusion of fruits, and the ability to decorate them to fit the theme of your event. They make the perfect sliceable cake and look beautiful amongst the decor of the wintery season.

Cranberry bundt cake can be dressed up or down to suite your personal preference. We love this cake as a beautiful centerpiece dessert drizzled with a scrumptious almond glaze, wearing a wreath of sugared cranberries, lemon slizes, orange curls, or sprigs of rosemary.

Making the best bundt cake

Bundt cakes are very similar to pound cakes which is why they make such fantastic slices for crowds to enjoy. The tighter crumb keeps the mess down while delivering a decadent texture filled with flavor. Here are some of our best tips for how to make the very best cranberry bundt cake.

• It begins with the right batter. Bundt cakes are similar to pound cakes and require a dense, tight texture that will hold together and bring that mouthful of cake that we all love. Leavening agents need to be kept to a minimum, oils work best for added moisture, while additions such as sour cream or Greek yogurt will bring a rich fullness to the cake.
• Keep air bubbles to a minimum. Mixing the batter as little as possible so that air bubbles are not incorpoorated into the batter is important. Using the correct recipe and ratio of ingredients for the cake batter, and banging the pan on the counter before baking to pop as many air bubbles as possible are all best practices.
• Grease the pan properly. The beauty and strength of bundt cakes rely on the cake releasing easily from the bundt pan. This means the pan needs to be thoroughly greased with lard or good quality cooking oils. We don’t recommend using butter because the milk fats could cause the cake to stick to the pan.
• Remove the cake from the pan at the right time. Too soon and the cake will be warm, delicate, and prone to sticking and breaking. However, if you wait too long the cake will be fully cooled and more solidified, this can also cause the cake to stick to the pan making it difficult to remove and risking breakage.

Why coconut oil?

Coconut oil adds a wonderful flavor to most baked goods, while delivering a high heat stable oil that will not go bad during the baking process. It is important to select a good quality organic coconut oil. The use of oils in baked goods will also keep the texture and crumb moist, light, and even in texture.

If you prefer to not use coconut oil, avocado oil is another great option. Heart healthy avocado oil is stable at very high heat both in the oven and on the stove which means it keeps its healthy properties when baked and adds no noticeable flavor to baked goods. This article compares the different pros and cons of oils.

What can I substitute?

Non-fat Greek yogurt provides lightness and great flavor, to baked goods. Adding healthy oil and Greek yogurt enhances this recipe and increase its nutrients, texture and flavor. If you prefer, you can opt for a vegan yogurt or sour cream, but it is recommened to use ingredients that are as similar as possible otherwise the texture and crumb of the cake will be greatly affected.

The cranberry sauce adds even more flavor to this recipe. Whole cranberries, especially organic, make a wonderful homemade cranberry sauce that has no processed sugar. If you prefer a lighter flavor or cake you can omit the use of cranberry sauce in the batter. Simply add fresh cranberries and top the cake with scrumptious sugared cranberries for that wonderful winter berry flavor.

What can I add to this cranberry bundt cake?

In our recipe we don’t use vanilla extract, but it can absolutely be added to the cake batter, especially if you are using less cranberry and prefer more of a vanilla pound cake flavor.

Fresh lemon juice and zest can be introduced to the batter for a bright citrus note that everyone enjoys.

Cranberry and orange are a very popular and well loved flavor pair during the holidays. If you want to bring even more interest to this cake make it an easy cranberry orange bundt cake by infusing fresh orange juice and zest into the cake batter and glaze.

If you really want to bring this cake up a level in the dessert world, consider finishing it with a rich white chocolate frosting. The sweet depth of white chocolate paired with cranberry and almond brings this cranberry bundt cake into the flavor realm of the delicious cranberry bliss bars made popular by Starbucks.

Slivered almonds, walnuts, or pecans can be enjoyed with the cake too! Bundt cakes present the perfect canvas for fruit and nut toppings.

How can I garnish my cranberry bundt cake?

Bundt cakes can be kept simple and straightforward, or decked out to fit the theme of your event. Here are some ideas to get you going.

• A dusting of powdered sugar is a traditional garnish for bundt cakes, and works beautifully for a wintery finish
• Delicate citrus zest or curls bring pops of color and flavor
• Sugar or syrup glazes will keep the bundt cake as the visual focal point, while adding extra sweetness and shine
• White chocolate curls or bits can be used
• A rich frosting can be used in place of a glaze for a rich finish and snowy look
• Nuts and sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme can be added

Can I make cranberry bundt cake ahead of time?

Yes, bundt cakes can be made a day or two before your event and kept fresh for the occasion. We recommend waiting to glaze or dress them until right before you are ready to serve for the best freshness.

You can make this cranberry bundt cake and store in an airtight container or wrapping. Keep it in the fridge and bring it out to warm slightly before adding the glaze and toppings. It makes a wonderful take-along dessert that you can bring to a holiday party as bundt cakes are easy to travel with.

Cranberry Bundt Cake Recipe

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