The Ultimate Showstopping Cranberry Bundt Cake

This cranberry bundt cake combines the rich, buttery flavor of a traditional pound cake with cranberries and raspberries. Each bite is infused with a sweet and tart flavor that’s divine and ribbons of pink swirls dance through the cake.

This Cranberry Bundt Cake recipe is a hit y’all! It combines the rich, buttery flavor of a traditional pound cake with cranberries and raspberries, infusing it with a balanced sweet and tart flavor that’s divine. Cranberries are baked right in the top of the cake, giving it that fresh pop I’m known for.

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The cranberry bundt cake recipe with slices cut out of it and leaning over on the platter.

They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:

“Your cake was seriously aaaaaaaamazing and on top of that, it’s beyond gorgeous!!!!”

—JULIANNE

This Cranberry Cake is one of my fave original creations. I remember testing this recipe about 10 times in the span of 5 days. My husband ate a lot of this cake, and let me tell you, he adored it. At a certain point, he got sick of it but I’m sure you won’t boos. It’s a legit hit for the holiday season.

What makes this special is its an original creation that has a beautifully festive topping of caramelized cranberries and raspberries. The inside is the real beauty, thanks to the gorgeous berry swirl design that dances through the entire cake. The best part is eating it! The tender pound cake has hints of cinnamon and vanilla and a tart, sweet, and fruity flavor that’s out of this world.

The Lowdown of This Cranberry Bundt Cake Recipe

Closeup of Jocelyn in pink dress smiling

Cuisine Inspiration: Southern Vibes

Primary Cooking Method: Baking

Dietary Info: Can be made gluten-free with some ingredient swaps.

Key Flavor: A classic buttery, rich pound cake with prominent cranberry flavor throughout.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Ingredients to Make a Cranberry Bundt Cake

Ingredients to make cranberry bundt cake on the table in glass bowls.

Unsalted butter: Butter adds so much richness to the cake and the fruit topping that bakes into the top of the cake y’all.
Sugar: Use light brown sugar to sweeten the fruit topping for the cake while granulated sugar beaten into the butter tenderizes and sweetens the cake. Add some powdered sugar over the top for a simple garnish.
Cinnamon: This spice adds perfectly balanced warmth to the cake and fruit topping.
Fresh raspberries and cranberries: Fresh berries with brown sugar and butter cook into the top of the cake creating a natural fruit topping.
Eggs: This cake uses quite a few eggs giving the cake its structure and stability. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before mixing.
Cake lour: This recipe keeps things light with cake flour. I recommend sifting it so it mixes easily into the cake batter.
Salt: A bit of salt brings together all the flavors and balances everything out.
Sour cream: The key (and my secret ingredient) for making moist pound cakes.
Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best aromatic flavor boos!
Raspberry jam: Used to create the pink swirl seen in the cake. Seedless works best so that it blends smoothly into the cake batter.
Red food coloring: Gives the swirl portion a bit more vibrant color.

How to Make Cranberry Bundt Cake

Flipped cranberry upside down cake on wire rack on white countertop

Remove

the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for only 5 to 7 minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate to finish cooling. If any berries stick to the pan use a butter knife to remove them and place them back on top of the cake.

A wrapped cranberry bundt cake recipe on a wire rack

Lightly

cover the cake with foil or plastic wrap so it does not dry out. Let the juices settle. If you want to speed up this process you can place the cake in the refrigerator.

What to Serve with Cranberry Pound Cake

Recipe Substitutions

Salted Butter. Baking with unsalted butter is best because you have more control over the amount of salt. But honestly, you can still grab salted butter and use it. Just omit that salt boos.
Fresh Cranberries. Fresh cranberries are only available in the fall months but you can easily swap them for frozen if that’s all that’s available. However, I’d recommend sticking with fresh raspberries as frozen raspberries generally contain a lot more water.
Raspberries: Swap in some strawberries here if you want. It will still taste amazing.
Brown Sugar: If you don’t have any lying around, make your own brown sugar with granulated sugar and molasses.

Recipe Variations and Additions

Add Some Nuts. Stir in chopped pecans or walnuts into your cake batter or add them along with the fruit in the pan.
Gluten-Free: Swap in your fave 1:1 ratio gluten-free baking flour here. The texture may change slightly but it will still taste bomb y’all.
Citrus Zest. Add some grated lemon or orange zest to the fruit topping and cake batter for a burst of citrus. It sings y’all.
Use Different Berries. Swap the cranberries or raspberries with any berries you enjoy. This gives you lots of flexibility for seasonality. Larger berries such as blackberries and strawberries can be cut into smaller pieces.

A cranberry bundt cake on a white platter on the table with a knife to the side and plates stacked in the background.

Expert Tips and Tricks for Making the Best Cranberry Pound Cake

Room Temperature Ingredients: The eggs, butter, and sour cream should all be at room temperature before mixing the cake together. It’s a game changer. This allows for the ingredients to mix together properly and smoothly, ensuring the cake cooks up with the desired outcome. We want that crumb to be popping.
Take your time will creaming: If you ain’t got time to devote to creaming, you ain’t got time to make this cake. This is not a place to save time. Make sure you cream the butter and sugar long enough for it to be light and fluffy. Creaming the butter and sugar adds air to them and contributes to the height of the cake.
Don’t Over Mix the Batter: Once you add the flour to the batter it’s important to only mix long enough to bring all the ingredients together. Over-mixing may make your cake a bit dry and tough. We don’t want no dry cake.
Grease It Up: Because we have an upside down topping, make sure you really grease it up. My cake release is the best thing to use.
Cool in the Pan for a Short Time: The butter, sugar, and fruit mixture will get sticky as it cools which may make it harder to get the cake out of the pan. Cool in the pan for 5-7 minutes to give it time to set and then invert the cake to let it finish cooling.
Bake in Preheated Oven: A preheated oven is essential to even cooking and the outcome of your cake. A good 15-20 minutes or so will usually do the trick.

How to Store Cranberry Bundt Cake

The flavors of this cake do tend to improve as the cake sits as the juices from the fruit soak into the cake. I recommend making this cake no more than one day in advance for the best presentation.

Here’s how to store your cake to ensure it keeps fresh as long as possible. Cool the cake completely and then wrap it in plastic wrap. Keep it at room temperature, but someplace that’s cool and away from sunlight for up to three days. For longer storage, place the wrapped or covered cake in the refrigerator. This can extend its freshness for up to a week. However, refrigeration can dry out the cake.

How long will cranberry bundt cake last?

At room temp, the cake will stay fresh for 2-3 days.

Can I freeze cranberry pound cake?

Yep boos, you can! Once the cake is completely cooled double, wrap it in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Store it in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw it out on the counter and serve at room temperature. The fruit topping may be a bit stickier and messier after freezing, so this is only recommended for preserving the cake.

A straight shot of the cake cut with piece missing to show swirled inside.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you avoid this pound cake sticking to the pan?

Bundt cakes on their own are a bit tricky when it comes to removing them from the pan, but the baked fruit adds another element to consider. It’s important to grease and flour your pan properly before adding the fruit and batter. This keeps the cake from sticking. You will also want to cool the cake in the pan for about 5-7 minutes and then invert it. Don’t let it sit in the pan longer as it may be more difficult to get it out.

Why is my cranberry pound cake not cooked all the way?

Oven temperatures can vary and often may have spots that cook unevenly. Use the timing in the recipe visual clues as a guideline only. The best way to tell if your cake is ready is to insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the cake. If it comes out clean or with only a few crumbs sticking, your cake is ready.

How do I make sure my cranberry bundt cake topping doesn’t stick to the pan?

Make sure you grab a great non-stick bundt pan by a reliable brand. I also like to make sure that baby is greased really well. If you want, you can try my homemade cake release for a little extra help.

A cranberry pound cake on a platter with a little bowl of cranberries and stack of plates to the side.

Let me tell you something about this Cranberry Bundt Cake boos – it’s not just a cake, it’s a showstopper! Each slice is a little piece of heaven with those zingy cranberries popping with tartness, all cozied up next to sweet, sweet raspberries. And baby, that pink ribbon swirl? It’s not just delicious, it’s a whole mood. Trust me, this one’s going to have everyone talking!

More Best Pound Cake Recipes

Cranberry Bundt Cake

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

For the Top

Preheat your oven to 325ºF. Prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan with the nonstick method of your choice.
Add the melted butter to bottom of the Bundt pan. Cover the butter with 3/4 cup of the brown sugar and the cinnamon.
Evenly spread the raspberries and cranberries over the brown sugar, covering the entire area. Carefully pat down the berries inside the pan.
Cover the berries with the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Set aside.

For the Cake

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the butter and beat on high speed for 1 minute. Slowly add the granulated sugar. Cream together for an additional 5 minutes, until very pale yellow and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time. combining well after each addition and scraping down the side and bottom of the bowl as needed.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed and slowly add the flour mixture in 2 batches. Be careful not to overbeat. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.

To Assemble

Evenly pour 1/3 of the plain batter into the Bundt pan over the berries. Add 1/2 of the swirl batter on top. Add another 1/3 of the plain batter and the remaining swirl batter on top. Then add the remaining 1/3 of the plain batter on top.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the top of cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven. Let cool for only 5 to 7 minutes, then carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate to finish cooling. If any berries stick to the pan, carefully use a butter knife to remove them and place them back on top of the cake. Lightly cover the cake with foil or plastic wrap so it does not dry out. Let the juices settle (to speed this process, you can refrigerate).
If using, garnish with a small sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar. Serve.

To melt the raspberry jam, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 20 to 30 seconds until it is runny and thin.
To catch any juices that may drip while the cake bakes, add a sheet of parchment paper or foil on a shelf below the Bundt pan.
The eggs, butter, and sour cream should all be at room temperature before mixing the cake together. This allows for the ingredients to mix together properly and smoothly ensuring the cake cooks up with the desired outcome.
Make sure you cream the butter and sugar long enough for it to be light and fluffy. A stand mixer makes this more simple than an electric mixer but isn’t required. Creaming the butter and sugar adds air to them and contributes to the height of the cake.
Once you add the flour to the batter it’s important to only mix long enough to bring all the ingredients together. Over-mixing may make your cake a bit dry and tough.
The butter, sugar, and fruit mixture will get sticky as it cools which may make it harder to get the cake out of the pan. Cool in the pan for 5-7 minutes to give it time to set and then invert the cake to let it finish cooling.
A preheated oven is essential to even cooking and the outcome of your cake. A good 15-20 minutes or so will usually do the trick.