Orange Cranberry Pound Cake

Orange Cranberry Pound Cake is a moist, buttery, fragrant sour cream cake infused with orange zest and dotted with juicy cranberries!

The sweet burst of citrus combined with the bright tartness of cranberries in such a perfectly balanced sour cream pound cake makes this a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Special enough for a Holiday Dessert Centerpiece, but easy enough for a Weeknight Treat!

I absolutely love to bake. The smells, the sense of accomplishment, and the almost immediate gratification. But most importantly? The oh so satisfying yumminess that titillates the sweet tooth on mine and my friend’s and family’s plates!

Sour cream tends to be one of my go-to favorite baking additions because of the delightful moistness and subtle flavor it imparts to baked goods. My Blueberry Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake makes regular appearances in our house when a dessert is called for. But for breakfast, we eat the heck out of muffins! Especially the 30 minute, mixing-bowl-to-table varieties like Double Chocolate Banana Muffins, which are also super healthy, and Blueberry Sour Cream Streusel Muffins, that will disappear before they even have a chance to cool.

How to make Orange Cranberry Pound Cake

Begin by whisking together the dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together room temperature butter with the sugar. It’s very important that the butter be room temp and not melted. Cream them for 3-6 minutes until they are EXTREMELY light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, then the full-fat sour cream, orange juice, and orange zest. Once the eggs are added, be careful not to over beat the batter, mixing just to combine ingredients.

Gently stir in the dry ingredients and then fold in fresh cranberries that have been tossed in a bit of flour. I cut my cranberries in half so there is more cranberry dispersed throughout the cake and to make them lighter so they do not sink quite as easily.

Sprinkle a few reserved cranberries on top and then bake the cake.

After the cake has cooled to room temperature, make a simple glaze from powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest and drizzle over the top. I like to garnish with orange zest and fresh berries for more color.

Tips for making the perfect pound cake.

• Make sure the butter and eggs are room temperature.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until they are EXTREMELY light in color and fluffy.
• Do not substitute with margarine or low-fat sour cream. Both will affect the taste and texture of the cake.
• Thoroughly grease and flour every corner of the pan as pound cake can stick easily causing the crust to tear.
• Tossing the cranberries in flour before adding to the batter helps them to not sink to the bottom of the cake.

Can I substitute dried or frozen cranberries?

Yes. My preference is fresh cranberries, but they are only available seasonally. Frozen cranberries may be substituted with no recipe changes.

To use dried cranberries, microwave them in a covered container with enough water to cover the cranberries for two minutes. Drain the excess liquid. This re-hydrates the berries and makes them juicier then not doing this.

FOLLOW ME on Pinterest! Make sure to Pin this now to save for later!

Question, comment, or review? I’d love to hear from you. Leave me one below!