Cranberry and Orange Buttermilk Cake is a beautifully moist, not-too-sweet breakfast cake bursting with tart cranberries and fragrant orange zest! This easy one-bowl wonder comes together in minutes and fills your kitchen with the most incredible citrusy aroma. It’s perfect for holiday mornings, weekend brunch, or any time you need something special.
Love More Desserts Recipes? Try My Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake Casserole or this Christmas Cranberry Bars next.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Bright, tangy, and wonderfully moist, this Cranberry and Orange Buttermilk Cake is a festive delight perfect for any occasion. The zesty orange flavor balances beautifully with the tartness of cranberries, while the buttermilk adds a tender, rich texture. It’s a simple yet elegant dessert that brings a burst of citrusy cheer to every bite.
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Cranberry and Orange Buttermilk Cake
- Total Time: 55-65 minutes
- Yield: 1 square cake
Description
A moist, tender buttermilk cake studded with fresh cranberries and infused with bright orange zest. This easy one-bowl cake has a beautiful golden crumb and sparkly sugar top. Perfect for holiday mornings, weekend brunch, or anytime you want something special but simple.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- Zest of 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
Instructions
Heat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle. Grease your pan. I use butter, you can use spray.
Dump soft butter, orange zest, and 1 cup sugar in a bowl. Beat it 3-4 minutes until it’s lighter colored and fluffy. You’re beating air in here which stops the cake from being a hockey puck later.
Crack in the egg, pour in vanilla, beat til smooth. Scrape down the sides with your spatula so you get all the butter.
Grab 2 tablespoons from your measured flour and toss the cranberries in it. That’s your insurance policy against berry-sinking. Set aside.
Whisk the rest of the flour with baking powder and salt. That’s it.
Dump in some flour, mix on low. Pour some buttermilk, mix. Back and forth. Start with flour, end with flour. This stops you from overmixing which makes rubber cake. Quit mixing when you stop seeing white flour streaks.
Use your spatula to fold in the cranberries gently. You want them everywhere but you don’t want to beat out all that air you worked to get in there.
Scrape batter into pan. It’s thick – spread it with your spatula. Throw that last tablespoon of sugar on top.
Shove in oven for 35 minutes. Press the top – if it springs back, maybe done. Stick a toothpick in the center. Mostly clean with some crumbs = done. Wet batter = not done. Could be anywhere from 40-50 minutes total depending on your oven. Cold batter from the fridge? Add 5-10 minutes.
Leave it for 15 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- Oven temperature matters: If your cake is browning too quickly on top but isn’t done in the center, tent it loosely with foil for the remaining bake time.
- Frozen cranberries work too: Don’t thaw them first! Toss them frozen with the flour and they’ll work perfectly.
- Test multiple spots: Cranberries can make testing tricky – poke your toothpick in a few different places to make sure the cake is done throughout.
- Even distribution: After spreading batter in the pan, give it a gentle shake on the counter to help it settle evenly.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40-50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredient List
For the Batter:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- Zest of 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
Friendly Notes:
- Room temp butter = you poke it and it dents
- Fresh cranberries beat frozen but frozen work fine – don’t thaw
- No buttermilk? Splash 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice in 1/2 cup milk, wait 5 minutes
Why These Ingredients Work
Buttermilk’s got acid in it that makes the baking powder go crazy and puff everything up. Also makes it tender instead of dry. The tang plays well with cranberries. Orange zest gets beat into butter and sugar which releases the oils – that’s where all the orange flavor comes from, not the juice.
You gotta coat cranberries in flour or they sink straight down. I learned this the hard way with a cake that had a solid cranberry layer at the bottom like some weird fruit brick. Flour makes them grippy so they stay suspended.
Essential Tools and Equipment
- 9-inch square baking pan (8×8 works)
- Electric mixer – whatever kind you have
- Whisk and bowls
- Microplane or zester
- Rubber spatula
- Toothpick
- Butter or spray for the pan
How To Make Cranberry and Orange Buttermilk Cake
Step 1: Prep Your Oven and Pan
Heat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle. Grease your pan. I use butter, you can use spray.
Step 2: Cream the Butter, Zest, and Sugar
Dump soft butter, orange zest, and 1 cup sugar in a bowl. Beat it 3-4 minutes until it’s lighter colored and fluffy. You’re beating air in here which stops the cake from being a hockey puck later.
Step 3: Add the Egg and Vanilla
Crack in the egg, pour in vanilla, beat til smooth. Scrape down the sides with your spatula so you get all the butter.
Step 4: Prep Your Cranberries
Grab 2 tablespoons from your measured flour and toss the cranberries in it. That’s your insurance policy against berry-sinking. Set aside.
Step 5: Combine the Dry Ingredients
Whisk the rest of the flour with baking powder and salt. That’s it.
Step 6: Alternate Adding Dry Ingredients and Buttermilk
Dump in some flour, mix on low. Pour some buttermilk, mix. Back and forth. Start with flour, end with flour. This stops you from overmixing which makes rubber cake. Quit mixing when you stop seeing white flour streaks.
Step 7: Fold in the Cranberries
Use your spatula to fold in the cranberries gently. You want them everywhere but you don’t want to beat out all that air you worked to get in there.
Step 8: Transfer to Pan and Top with Sugar
Scrape batter into pan. It’s thick – spread it with your spatula. Throw that last tablespoon of sugar on top.
Step 9: Bake Until Golden
Shove in oven for 35 minutes. Press the top – if it springs back, maybe done. Stick a toothpick in the center. Mostly clean with some crumbs = done. Wet batter = not done. Could be anywhere from 40-50 minutes total depending on your oven. Cold batter from the fridge? Add 5-10 minutes.
Step 10: Cool Before Slicing
Leave it for 15 minutes before cutting.
You Must Know
Room temp ingredients matter. Cold butter won’t cream right. Cold eggs make lumpy gross batter. Leave them out an hour before you start.
Flour the cranberries. I’m repeating myself because I’ve screwed this up enough times to have strong feelings about it.
Personal Secret: I hate microplanes sometimes so I just peel the orange with a regular peeler and chop the strips with a knife. Bigger zest pieces, more obvious orange flavor when you bite into them.
Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks
- Top browning too fast? Tent foil over it
- Frozen cranberries go straight from freezer to bowl, no thawing
- Test doneness in multiple spots – cranberries lie to toothpicks
- Smack the pan on the counter after you spread the batter – settles it flat
Flavor Variations & Suggestions
Lemon Blueberry: Lemon zest, blueberries. Same method.
Crumb Topping: Squish together 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cold butter til crumbly. Dump on top before baking.
Spiced: Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg to dry ingredients.
Orange Glaze: Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons orange juice. Pour over cooled cake.
Mixed Berry: Half cranberries, half blueberries.
Make-Ahead Options
Make batter tonight, refrigerate in a container. Not in the pan. Tomorrow, stir it, spread in greased pan, bake. Check at 45 minutes because cold batter’s slower.
Or bake the whole thing, cool it, wrap tight. Counter for 2 days, fridge for 5. Day two is actually better than day one.
Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips
- Sugar on top = crunchy which is good against soft cake
- Thick batter is right – should look like thick muffin batter
- 8×8 makes it taller, 9-inch round works fine
- High altitude: 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, bake at 375°F
Serving Suggestions
Warm with whipped cream or yogurt. Coffee. That’s breakfast.
Ice cream and honey make it fancy for dessert.
Put it on your brunch table with other stuff. Looks nice, tastes good, not too sweet.
How to Store Your Cranberry and Orange Buttermilk Cake
Room Temperature: Cover it. 2 days.
Refrigerator: Wrap or container. 5 days. Microwave slices 15-20 seconds or eat cold.
Freezer: Wrap slices separately, bag them. 3 months. Thaw in fridge overnight or counter for hours.
Reheating: 300°F oven for 8-10 minutes or microwave 20-30 seconds. Don’t overcook.
Allergy Information
Contains: Dairy, eggs, gluten
Dairy-Free: Vegan butter. Fake buttermilk with lemon juice and oat milk.
Gluten-Free: 1:1 gluten-free flour with xanthan gum. Won’t be as light.
Egg-Free: Flax egg – 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed, 3 tablespoons water, sit 5 minutes. Less fluffy but works.
Questions I Get Asked A Lot
Can I use frozen cranberries instead of fresh?
Yes. Toss frozen with flour. Don’t thaw. More color bleed but whatever.
My cake sank in the middle – what happened?
Underbaked or you opened the oven early. Wait 30 minutes before peeking. Test multiple spots.
The cranberries all sank to the bottom. What did I do wrong?
Didn’t flour them or batter was too thin. Coat berries, don’t add extra liquid.
Can I use a different citrus fruit?
Sure. Lemon, lime, grapefruit. One fruit’s zest.
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