Cranberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake
If you’re looking for a show-stopping dessert for your holiday table or to impress your guests at Christmas brunch, this Cranberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake is the perfect thing. Bursting with the tartness of fresh cranberries and the zesty tang of lemon juice, this cake a sweet/tart dessert lover’s dream come true!
Ingredients needed for Cranberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Lemon zest
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- Sour cream
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- 16 oz bag of fresh cranberries
- Lemon juice (you could sub orange juice here too!
- Powdered Sugar
Supplies needed for Cranberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake:
Supplies needed for Cranberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake:- Large bowl
- Electric mixer
- 9-10 cup bundt pan
- Rubber spatula
How to make a Cranberry Bundt Cake:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and generously grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan to ensure your cake doesn’t stick to the sides. (I like to use a pastry brush to make sure I get butter or oil into every nook and cranny.)
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, use your hands to rub the sugar and zest together for a minute or two. Add the eggs to the bowl with the sugar mixture and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and creamy. With the mixer running, stream in the oil, then add the sour cream and finally the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredient mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Begin and end with the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to over mix, as this can result in a dry, dense cake. Finally, gently stir the fresh cranberries into the batter
Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Give the pan a few gentle taps on the counter to release any air bubbles and ensure the batter settles into the corners of the pan.
Bake the cake in the preheated oven for about 55-60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remember that baking times may vary, so keep an eye on it. Once done, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning it and transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, make the glaze.
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar and enough lemon or orange juice to make a pourable glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to cascade down the sides. This will add a touch of sweetness and an enticing sheen to your creation.
Now, all that’s left to do is to slice and enjoy this cranberry delight. The cake’s moist crumb, the burst of tart cranberries, and the delightful citrus flavor will make it a favorite among your family and friends. Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or a side of fresh berries for an extra special touch.
For storage, keep the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap and then into a freezer-safe container. When you want to eat, take one slice out to thaw at room temperature.
Why Sour Cream?
The addition of sour cream in this cake keeps the texture moist and tender. You can sub greek yogurt or even buttermilk in a pinch.
Want to make this into a Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake?
If an Orange Cranberry Cake is of interest to you, sub the lemon juice and zest for lots of orange zest and orange juice for a sweet orange glaze. If using this combo you can also sub vanilla extract for almond extract which will add a nice contrast to the citrus.
If you’re interested in exploring more bundt cake recipes here are a few favorites:
Cranberry Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
Cranberry Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake Author: Audra
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 2 cups plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon meyer lemon zest*
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 16 oz bag of fresh cranberries
- For the syrup
- ½ cup meyer lemon juice
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- For the glaze
- ¾-1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons meyer lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of meyer lemon zest for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously butter (or spray,) and flour a 9-inch bundt pan. Set aside.
- Whisk 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, use your hands to rub the sugar and zest together for a minute or two. Add the eggs to the bowl with the sugar mixture and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and creamy. With the mixer running, stream in the oil, then add the sour cream and finally the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined.
- Toss the cranberries with 2 teaspoons of flour and then gently fold into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cake cool on a wire rack before inverting onto a cake stand or platter. (You can speed the cooling process up a bit in the freezer.)
- While the cake is baking, make the syrup: Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then continue to simmer for 1 minute.
- When the cake has been cooled and inverted, prick the top with a fork all over and brush it generously with the syrup.
- To make the glaze:
- Stir the powdered sugar and lemon juice together adding a tablespoon of the juice first, and then a bit more if needed until the glaze is a thick but pourable consistency.
- Drizzle glaze generously over the cake, and sprinkle with zest if desired. Allow cake to set before serving.
Notes
* Regular lemon juice and zest can be subbed in this recipe no problem!
can you skip the syrup and just glaze the cake
I really suggest using the syrup. It makes the cake !!
Ohhhhh this cake is GORGEOUS! I got to try it this weekend and my mouth is still watering just thinking about it. It’s moist, not too rich, the cherries are sweet and the lemon zest gives it a wonderful little sparkle on the tongue. HEAVEN! :)
In your first set of directions you say to cream the butter “In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with the lemon zest until light and fluffy, using either a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or an electric mixer. ”
You don’t mention butter in either of your ingredient lists. I have all the ingredients ready to go to make this and now I’m confused if I need butter and how much and if I leave it out will this be a bust and I’ve wasted all of the ingredients :/ sigh
I am so sorry for that error! I updated the recipe recently and discovered I prefer the texture of oil vs. butter in this cake. I forgot to update that paragraph. I apologize. The recipe card is correct though!
I happened to have everything for this cake on hand and whipped it right up. I absolutely loved it! A little sweet, a little sour – just the way I like it. This is going to be a holiday staple for years to come.
James there are no cherries in this cake . its cranberries. I tried a poke cake and it was so wet inside maybe i will try the syrup but not the whole amount. do you think this would be okay Audra
Ha James is a friend I brought this cake to on a Saturday- he must have just been confused :)
This is much different than a poke cake- mine was really moist but not “wet” at all! Either way you can use as much or as little as you’d like :)
Bah! My mistake. I meant cranberries. Either way, YUM YUM GIMME SOME! :)
is a 9 inch bundt pan the standard 12 cup bundt pan. oh so its not a real poke cake. wow that slice was actually wet when i made the poke cake a few months ago. also the cake was hot when you poured in the syrup. yours say to cool first that probably makes a difference too. cant wait to make it friday. i get the meyer lemons at trader joes.
I feel like I always see cranberry and orange together but cranberry and lemon sounds so much better to me!!
is 9 inch bundt the standard bundt size. should the syrup go on a cooled cake
Nice Cake. :-)
Hi Audra,
This cake looks wonderful! It’s hard to come by fresh cranberries where I live, how do you think dried will do?
Thanks :)
I just used frozen cranberries and they worked perfect
Hi Audra, have just made your cake this weekend for our Monday morning tea club at work in Christchurch, New Zealand. Wrong time of year for cranberries so substituted blueberries – it came out great. Love your work! Regards, Angela
Chicago weather is dipping below the 20s. Craving this lemon cranberry cake…and so are our neighbors. Off to the kitchen!
Hi there. Fresh cranberries aren’t common where I live, outside of Christmas season. Would frozen ones work? Or would you recommend fresh raspberries or blueberries instead? Thanks!
I didn’t realize my cranberries had gone bad, and had already started to make the batter, so I went to our Meyer lemon tree and decided at that moment to make and bake a Meyer lemon bundt cake. Just substituted the cranberries with 2 Meyer lemons, (peeled, thinly sliced and dredged in flour). The best bundt cake I’ve ever eaten! Thank you for my now most favorite cake ever.