Cranberry Pound Cake
If you’re looking for the perfect holiday dessert, this Cranberry Pound Cake recipe is a festive favorite that’s hard to resist.
It features a rich, buttery pound cake bursting with tart cranberries, offering a delicious balance of sweet and tangy flavors.
Whether you’re hosting a holiday gathering or just enjoying a cozy evening at home, this cake pairs wonderfully with a warm cup of tea or coffee.
This delicious cake is easy to whip up, making it a go-to Christmas recipe for the holiday season! Everyone in the family will love this classic holiday treat!
How to Make a Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake
- Start by bringing your butter, eggs, and milk to room temperature for a smooth batter.
- Toss fresh cranberries in flour before folding them in to keep them from sinking.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients until just combined to avoid a dense texture.
- Grease and flour your bundt pan well.
- Bake for 60–75 minutes, covering with foil if browning too fast.
- Let it cool before removing from the pan.
- Store at room temp, in the fridge, or freeze for later!
Absolutely. No need to thaw—just toss them in flour and fold in frozen.
Yes! Soak them in warm water or orange juice for 10–15 minutes before adding to the batter to keep them moist.
Yes! A simple orange glaze or vanilla icing works beautifully. Mix powdered sugar with a small amount of milk or citrus juice (like orange or lemon juice). Drizzle it over the cooled cake for added sweetness and flavor.
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Plan your Christmas Dessert Menu with these festive favorites!
If you’re loving the flavors of cranberry, be sure to try delicious Panera Cranberry Orange Muffins, Cranberry Orange Cupcakes, Cranberry Poke Cake or the showstopping Cranberry Layer Cake — each recipe is perfect for bringing extra holiday cheer to your table!
Cranberry Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 12 oz cranberries
- 1 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and soften butter.
- Mix together sugar and eggs.
- Add vanilla and butter.
- Slowly beat in flour and baking soda.
- Mix in milk
- Fold in cranberries.
- Pour into a prepared bundt pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let your cranberry cake cook and then lightly dust with powdered sugar.
Oh no! I forgot all about picking up some extra bags and freezing them! I would love to make this delicious looking cake. it looks so festive and perfect for the holidays
That looks so good! Cranberry is one of those fruits that doesn’t get enough love in desserts. I can’t wait to try this.
How yummy! I’ve had cranberry in muffins and dressing of course, but I’ve never had them in a cake. This sounds really delicious.
six ingredients or less? Sign me up for that! I can make this easily for guests or for breakfast.
This looks so yummy. I’ve never had cranberry cake but this looks like a must try.
OH wow! This looks so delicious! I will have to try this for our upcoming Christmas party in a few weeks!!
Wow this recipe is so simple! And I just love your presentation! So Christmasy!
My mother loves cranberries! I don’t think she’s ever made something like this so I think I will surprise her with it. She would love it.
Getting that kind of compliment is always the best. I also love when the outside is the perfect crunchy but the inside is soft! This sounds so yummy!
I am SO SO making this! ASAP. And for Christmas too. I am ALL about cranberries but never find recipes (for desserts) that I really am excited about. This one is speaking to me!
This looks like heaven on a plate! I love cranberries, so any dessert they are in is a favorite of mine!
This is such a beautiful cake. It sounds like a delicious flavor combination too!
Now this is a fun way to use cranberries! I love the way the cake slices look with the cranberries inside!
Cranberry is just one of those things you don’t see many different recipes being used, unless it’s sauce. This cake sounds delicious!
This cake is GORGEOUS! This would make table setting for sure!
This looks like such a tasty recipe. I know my family would love it too!
Did you use raw cranberries? I love to use cranberries in so many things. My favorite: a garnish for champagne!
Yup! They bake up delicious!
I love a good Christmas cake. It looks so delicious and moist.
What a fantastic looking cake. I will have to try this for the holidays. I love cranberries.
I love cranberry anything! This cake looks delicious. My grandmother always had bags of cranberries in the freezer.
This is a beautiful cake. I love cranberries but I rarely make much other than cranberry sauce.
This looks so good! I really enjoy cranberry but don’t eat it as much as I’d like! This is a must try for sure!
This looks so amazing and delicious. This is one I would love to try
I have never tried this kind of cake before. It looks so delicious I am excited to give this recipe a try.
I am always looking for new dessert recipes to try. I will have to get the ingredients I need to make this on the weekend,
Christmas Cranberry Cake looks so delicious and easy to make. I am sure it will be a big hit this Christmas.
YUM! I love cranberries, especially around Christmas time! This looks so fantastic!
That looks absolutely delicious. I bought extra cranberries at Thanksgiving and froze them, so you can guess what I’m going to make in December. Thanks for the recipe!
This looks so pretty and I am sure tastes just as good as it looks!
This should be on our Christmas menu! It looks so good! Love to try the other recipes too!
I love cranberries and this Christmas Cranberry cake looks so much better than traditional Christmas cake. Yum!
This looks really good! I could eat this whole cake! Yummy!
This Cranberry cake looks divine. After work, I am running by the store to pick up some cranberries. I will let you know how everyone likes it, I am going to take this to our work Christmas party
This cake looks so moist and I love that you don’t need frosting. Good with coffee too I’ll bet.
Your directions are well spelled out.
This is a creative use for cranberries.
This recipe looks so delicious and festive! I am definitely trying this recipe out this season!
This cake looks absolutely fabulous! It would be perfect for my Christmas dinner.
What a beautiful and impressive looking cake! I will have to try this!
Such a beautiful cake. I love using cranberries around Christmas time.
I love cranberry on anything. This looks great!
That cake is totally gorgeous!! It will be PERFECT for a christmas party I will be throwing later this season! It is SOSOSO festive and just so beautiful.
That looks really delicious. I love cranberry desserts and I love cake. Perfect combo.
This looks so simple to make! I am saving this for when it is my turn to bring the coffee cake!
Cranberry is one of my favorites and so this cake looks delicious. I need to make this asap!
this is very festive great for those dinners at friends house to show it off !! love to try this out looks amazing i bet it taste as good to
Yum! This looks amazing! I love making cranberry bread, but a cranberry cake sounds equally as delicious!
Hi Reesa, This recipe looks looks gorgeous and I am thinking of making it for a Christmas Party this weekend. As I am in Australia I am not sure if the ” flour” is plain or self raising, please let me know.
Thank you. Cheryl
Hi Cheryl! It is all-purpose, so I guess plain?
Looks delicious but no baking powder is necessary?
none!
This is the first I am hearing of cranberry cake, but it sounds amazing. Totally perfect for the holiday season!
This looks delicious! Might become a new Christmas tradition recipe 🙂
Just tried this, and it was SO good! But….the recipe did not call for preparing the bunt pan; however, I greased and floured it anyway. When I flipped it out, half of the cake stayed in the pan 🙁
Did you just pour the batter straight into the pan?? Definitely want to make it again, but need to know what I did wrong!
Thanks!!
Hi Alex, I’m sorry I forgot that part! I did prepare the pan – I use baking spray.
Can you use frozen cranberries for this recipe, and if so do you need to thaw??
What a beautiful cake, Reesa! The texture looks perfect and the sweet-tart cranberries must give the cake such great flavor. I’d want to bake (and eat) this all winter!
This is very timely — I have a bag of cranberries in my refrigerator as we speak and I actually don’t have a plan for them! This is perfect!
Yum! I love cranberries, they are so good for you! 🙂 They are also very festive, this recipe is definitely perfect for the Holidays! Thank you so much for sharing!
oh this looks so good, wondering if i should just make 2?
Hi I just tried this recipe, is there supposed to be any leveling agent; baking soda or powder??
Hi Tina,
Nope! Just what’s written! Enjoy!
Has anyone tried this recipe. Thinking of making it.
It’s awesome, super moist, crunchy on the outside, I did cook for an hour though. Turned out perfect! A real keeper, making more.
So glad you enjoyed!
I make this all the time best recipe ever
I tried this recipe and after 50 minutes, it was still gooey in the middle. Definitely needs to cook longer. It is very tasty!
For a lot of recipes, you really need to check your oven’s temperature. Your oven probably runs on a lower temp.
This is the easiest and most DELICIOUS cake I have ever made. I made it twice last week for 2 different events and had rave reviews both times. I’m craving it just thinking about it.
I LOVE hearing this! Thank you!
Do you cut the cranberries or leave them whole? 🙂
Leave them whole!
I made this today (my first bundt cake). It was very easy to make. My first bite was amazing, but on second bite i decided it was too sweet and needed more cranberries so I will adjust the sugar and cranberries next time. I do not like overly sweet or buttery things and I prefer lightly sweet and tart so it is probably just me. I suspect a crowd would really enjoy this. How did you get the sides of the cake so well sifted with sugar? Did you have to roll it on its side? (Tip for those wondering about prepping the pan: I melted shortening and smeared it on with a pastry brush very thoroughly and then threw in some flour, put press and seal over the pan and then shook it all over to make sure the flour adhered evenly. Then i dumped the excess flour in the sink. I waited 5min to cool and then tipped over the pan. It came out so easy).
I use a sifter to dust with the powdered sugar and then it sprinkles it on perfectly.
OMG, so yummy! Sometimes I drizzle a bit icing on it.
OH! What kind of frosting do you use?
I actually made this cake. It’s not only easy; it’s absolutely delicious. My neighbor plowed my driveway for me in the last snowstorm and I needed a gift for him so I took a chance on this recipe. It was perfect, and by the way, I worked as a professional pastry chef in NYC so I know good from bad. It has a golden, crisp crust and is tender within. FYI I halved the sugar, and it was plenty sweet. I also used salted butter because there’s no salt in the recipe though you don’t need it. You must add the eggs slowly or the butter will curdle; I suggest beating the eggs together first, then slowly pour them in as you keep mixing. To get that tender crumb, don’t overmix it. I used two loaf pans and filled one 3/4 of the way, and the other half the way so my first pan would not be over-full. Thanks for the great recipe!
This just made me day reading this, thank you!!!!!
Love recipe not a million different ingredients, made twice 2nd time used honey fermented cranberries both ways excellent. My go to recipe, easy,all ingredients on hand. Thanks
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One step says to mix salt and baking soda with flour…but they are not listed in the ingredients? One part says 60-70 minutes then below it says 30 ton45 minutes? I know how to test for doneness just concerned about the mixing ingredients? My pound cake is already in the oven.
I apologize, I have updated the recipe to include the 1 tsp baking soda and a pinch of salt. It is 60-70 minutes.
This recipe looks amazing, but you’re missing the milk in the ingredient list (you mention it in the instructions in the main part of the blog, but not in the printable recipe)
It’s been updated – 1 cup of milk
You’ve got two sets of instructions here. Different steps, different times to bake, etc.
They’re the exact same instructions – just one is printable.
@momma lew, Update: It came out perfectly! I followed the second set of instructions and after adding the vanilla and butter, I followed the first set, alternating the flour with the milk, then folding in the cranberries. I added orange zest. Oh, my! It’s moist and absolutely delicious!
They’re the same set of instructions?
The ingredients list baking soda. The instructions baking powder.
it’s baking soda.
Ingredients lists baking soda. Instructions state baking powder. Which is correct?
Ingredients list baking soda. Instructions baking powder. Which is it?