Cranberry Pound Cake tastes like Christmas morning decided to crash your afternoon coffee break. Buttery, tart, and flavored with orange zest, it's the kind of cozy, old-fashioned bake that fills the kitchen with nostalgia and the neighbors with envy. Every slice is dense, moist, and full of bright cranberries that burst like little holiday fireworks in your mouth. Perfect for holiday gift giving!
Table of Contents
- 🎄 Why old-fashioned cranberry pound cake deserves a spot on your holiday table
- 🧾 You'll need these ingredients for this holiday pound cake
- 📖 Recipe
- 💫 How to make cranberry pound cake from batter to bragging rights
- 👩🍳 Your cranberry pound cake questions, answered
- ❤️ If you liked this, you'll love these
- 💬 Comments
🎄 Why old-fashioned cranberry pound cake deserves a spot on your holiday table
Think buttery crumb, tart-sweet cranberries, and that hint of orange that smells like Christmas morning. Perfect with coffee after church or wrapped up for the neighbors who still haven't returned your Tupperware from Easter.
Pro tip: Drizzle a simple orange glaze and scatter sugared cranberries on top for bakery-level presentation.
🧾 You'll need these ingredients for this holiday pound cake
Nothing fancy here-just good, honest ingredients doing their best work. Real butter, tart cranberries, and a kiss of orange zest come together like a Christmas carol you actually want stuck in your head.
- Flour - The backbone. Holds the butter together like a good Southern aunt at a family reunion.
- Sour cream - Keeps the crumb moist, rich, and impossible to share politely.
- Butter - Real butter, y'all. Margarine is a sin and I will not negotiate.
- Cranberries - Tart little troublemakers that make the cake sparkle and your counters pink.
- Sugar - Balances the sass from the cranberries. Sweet, but not desperate.
- Orange - The zest gives that whisper of citrus that says, "Yes, I do own matching Christmas pajamas."
- Eggs - For structure, shine, and moral support.
- Baking powder - Lifts the loaf just enough to make you look like you know what you're doing.
- Vanilla - Smooth operator. Brings the warmth and depth like a good Motown chorus.
- Salt - Because even dessert needs boundaries and balance.
💾 Grab the Cranberry Pound Cake cheat sheet!
All the cozy know-how, none of the scrolling. This quick PDF has the best tips, swaps, and serving tricks to make your Cranberry Pound Cake shine-perfect crumb, no guesswork, zero chaos.
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Pound Cake
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1-½ cups butter, soft room temperature
- 2 -½ cups sugar
- 6 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature, don't use reduced fat or fat free
- 1-½ cups cranberries, chopped
- zest of 1 orange
Optional orange glaze forr cranberry pound cake
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice, may need a little more
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
Instructions
- Grease and flour (or use baker's release spray) a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Gather the ingredients and make sure they are at room temperature before beginning.
- Cream butter and sugar with the mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add eggs to butter mixture, one at a time, beating well after each.
- Beat in vanilla and orange zest.
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- With the mixer running on low speed add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream.
- Beat on low speed until you have a smooth, thick batter but don't over-mix.
- Stir in cranberries.
- Spoon into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake at 350F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 65-70 minutes for a bundt pan or 40 -50 minutes for loaves. It will read about 210℉ on an instant read thermometer when perfectly done.
- Remove from the oven and let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Carefully run a knife down the sides of the pan to separate the cake from the pan.
- Turn the pan over and let the cake slip out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Dust with powdered sugar.
Optional orange glaze
- Mix until smooth and pour over cooled cake.
- Sprinkle dried cranberries on top and gently press in while glaze is wet.
Notes
- I always pop several bags of cranberries in the freezer when they are available. I love that tangy bite they give to scones, breads, and cakes all year long.
- To prevent the cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake, lightly coat them in flour in a medium bowl before folding them into the batter.
- Allow the pound cake to cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to the wire rack. The hot cake will crumble if you try to remove it from the pan immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
💫 How to make cranberry pound cake from batter to bragging rights
You're about to turn a bowl of batter into something worth humble-bragging about at brunch. Follow these steps, don't rush the butter, and let the oven work its magic while you pretend it was effortless.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl like you mean it. Medium speed, about five minutes-fluffy enough to make angels jealous. Then beat in the eggs and vanilla, pretending you're hosting your own cooking show.
- Add the dry to the wet, alternating with the sour cream, like a polite waltz-flour, cream, flour, cream-no sudden moves or the batter gets grumpy.
- Fold in the cranberries and orange zest with a gentle hand. You're coaxing them into friendship, not starting a bar fight.
- Spoon that glorious batter into your prepared pan and bake until your kitchen smells like Christmas and self-control becomes theoretical.
👩🍳 Your cranberry pound cake questions, answered
Whether you're wondering about frozen cranberries, bundt pans, or how not to eat half the loaf while it's cooling, I've got you covered. More questions? Be sure to download the cranberry pound cake kitchen cheat sheet for extra tips on freezing, glazing, and staying out of the batter bowl until it cools.
Absolutely. You don't even need to thaw frozen cranberries before adding them to the cake batter-just toss them in!
I don't like it that way. You need to use fresh fruit in this recipe because it provides a burst of tart juice in every bite and helps make a moist crumb. Dried berries can make your cake taste too dry. Feel free to sprinkle some dried cranberries on top of the cake, though!
You know cranberry pound cake is ready when a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
To be more precise, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the cake. The cake is done baking when it reaches an internal temperature of 210 degrees F.
❤️ If you liked this, you'll love these
Once you've charmed the crowd with this Cranberry Pound Cake, keep that oven working overtime. My Classic Cranberry Bread brings old-school holiday flavor with pecans, orange zest, and a glossy orange glaze. Buttermilk Pound Cake is pure nostalgia-dense, moist, and unapologetically rich. And if you're craving something snackable for cookie swaps or late-night nibbling, Cranberry Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies deliver chewy, buttery magic that tastes like Christmas desserts should-sweet, cozy, and just a little indulgent.
I always pop several bags of cranberries in the freezer when they are available. I love that tangy bite they give to scones, breads, and cakes all year long.
Cranberry Pound Cake is proof that simple ingredients can still feel downright fancy. It's buttery, tart, and just citrusy enough to make you look like you planned ahead instead of panic-baking at midnight. Wrap up a loaf for friends-or don't. Nobody needs to know how good your kitchen smells right now.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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