Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Bundt Cake

An easy treat for the holiday season! Perfect with a cup of tea this cranberry orange sour cream bundt cake is the gift that keeps on giving!

This post is updated from 2018. The recipe and story remain the same, but the post has been updated with additional info and FAQs*

In the recent couple of weeks, my immediate and head first dive into the Christmas spirit was alive and well. But constant plagues of ear infections for our tiny tot has slowly chipped away at my once merry holiday spirit and really put us all through some serious highs and lows. Baking has always been a place to disconnect and bring me slightly back to center, so I made one last holiday treat to help try and de-stress and usher in the Christmas spirit that has been eluding me as well go through rounds of urgent care visits (the most recent was Monday night!), six rounds of 5 different antibiotics, audiology appointments, ENT consults and now finally have Emmett’s tubes surgery scheduled.

If you see me face deep in an entire bundt cake, you will now know why.

But I know that sharing is caring, and this is going to be one that is a keeper in our house for the holidays to come. It’s a quick recipe, and the perfect gift to give if you can’t bear to make a bunch of batches of Christmas cookies. This cranberry orange sour cream bundt cake will be a bright star among a sea of glittering cookies.

It’s hard seeing your babies sick. But for the last 30 calendar days, Emmett has been fighting a nonstop, unconquerable ear infection that has weighed very heavy on all of us. Our once cheery boy is reduced to tears, with bouts of laughter, and then colds that he just can’t fight off. The worst is feeling utterly helpless when every course taken thus far had not been successful, and only prolonging the inevitable for him to get tubes. But between the time that tubes were recommended and us getting to see the specialists we needed, another round of infections had set in and three different antibiotics were prescribed to try to mitigate this scourge that has plagued my baby boy.

Ben was able to get Emmett to the audiologist where we found out that with the prolonged nature of Emmett’s infections, he’s got some hearing loss. At fourteen months! The rational side of me knows that it will likely come back and is only a result of the current blockages in his ears. But the mom-side, and sometimes far less rational, and far MORE emotional, is defeated fearing it might be permanent.

Monday night was one of the worst nights on record, with Emmett waking up screaming in pain, writhing around, going stiff as a board, and completely inconsolable, to where Ben and I agreed I would take him into urgent care, fearing that his ear drum was rupturing. By 1 am on Tuesday when Emmett and I returned home, he was so completely exhausted, we only got a couple more hours sleep before we had to pack up again to go to his follow up pediatrician appointment where the doctor was shocked that the ENT, a few days prior, as well as the ER doc, had not treated Emmett for the infection that was clearly still present and the bulging ear drum he had. Finally, I felt heard.

So he and I formulated a plan, which meant a stronger, less available antibiotic, taking no chances, and both of us calling the ENT who had thus far not called us to schedule Emmett’s tubes procedure. Our diligence finally paid off and we are scheduled for the week of Christmas.

Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Bundt Cake

These are easy to find ingredients that make a beautiful dense tea bread type batter and bake in to the most Christmassy of cakes. The sour cream adds to the tang and moistness, while the tart  cranberries and orange zest give it the distinctive Christmas flavor.

• All Purpose Flour
• BakingPowder
• Salt
• Ground Nutmeg
• Granulated Sugar
• Butter, softened to room temperature
• Oranges
• Vanilla Extract
• Almond Extract
• Eggs
• Sour Cream
• Chopped Fresh Cranberries

Knowing that we finally have this on the books has been a huge relief for me, and allowed me to finally sleep and breath. Now that we are in the final stretch to Christmas, I hope that I can regain that faining spirit and now focus on enjoying it. It will be the first Christmas Eve and Christmas that Ben will have had off work in five years, and for that I am so thankful that we will get to spend it entirely as a family of three (okay, four with Huck.) We will get to take a morning walk, open gifts, have a simple Christmas dinner, and enjoy the things that we might have normally missed.

And hopefully, Emmett will be responding well to the antibiotics and be his happy self, curious and smiling. That will give me the ultimate Christmas cheer. In the meantime, give me a slice of this cranberry orange sour cream bundt cake and tea!

Directions for Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12 cup bundt cake pan with non stick spray, and then finish with flour. Tap out the excess flour.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, bakingpowder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, or hand electric mixer, beat together the sugar and softened butter until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. Into the butter mixture, add in one egg at a time, beating it in completely for 20 seconds before adding the next. Add in the orange zest, vanilla, and almond extract and incorporate completely.
4. Add in the flour mixture, one third at a time, alternating with adding in the sour cream. Lastly fold in the chopped cranberries.
5. Spread the mixture into the bundt pan, smoothing the top lightly, and bake for 65-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, or with just a couple moist crumbs. The top will be a rich golden brown. Let it rest in the pan for 15-20 minutes, and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Slice and serve with tea!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a glaze for the top instead? 

Yes, this cake goes great with a sweet orange glaze! Start with 1 cup of powdered sugar (aka confectioners’ sugar), that has been sifted and thin with a tablespoon of orange juice. Adjust a little more or less to get the correct consistency. Add in a tiny pinch of salt to deepen the flavors. Pour and smooth it over the Bundt cake. 

What is the best way to grease a bundt Cake Pan?

I use this how to tutorial on how to prepare cake pans. Butter or non stick spray, and then a thin coating of flour is my favorite. Non stick spray works best for Bundt pans that have more delicate details. You can also find specific non stick spray for baking that includes the flour already in it!

How Can I Store Bundt Cake?

The best way is in an airtight container. With the residual moisture from the cake, if you sift powdered sugar over the top it will likely melt into the cake. Just be aware, prior to serving after its been tucked away, you may need to reapply the powdered sugar.

Inspired Homemade Recipes To Try

Easy Eggnog Bundt Cake

Cranberry Holiday Jam

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

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