Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake with Spiced Rum

This Cranberry Orange Rum Cake is perfectly festive for the holidays.  It is a delicious option for brunch or a decadent dessert!

This year has flown by!! Between balancing motherhood and work during quarantine, I can hardly believe it’s almost Christmas! We are having a small gathering here at home with immediate family, so the menu for our holiday dinner will be small. I wanted to plan a nice breakfast for Christmas morning while we open presents with baby dinner fairy, so a bundt cake was the perfect idea.

The holiday season is the perfect time to indulge in flavors that evoke warmth, nostalgia, and celebration. Cranberry orange rum cake is a delightful dessert that combines the tangy sweetness of oranges, the tartness of cranberries, and the rich depth of spiced rum. Whether you’re hosting a holiday dinner or looking for a show-stopping dessert, this cake will not disappoint.

This cake is gorgeous for any holiday party and would be great for New Year’s eve, too!  I’m so obsessed with this bundt pan from Williams Sonoma! The nooks and crannies can be hard to prep to ensure that the cake doesn’t stick, but if you do it right the result is so stunning! I especially love how it’s as tasty as it is beautiful! The tart cranberries balance out the sweetness of the oranges, and the spiced rum adds just a hint of spice that rounds it all out.

Key Ingredients for this Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake

Flour

All-purpose works best. Be sure to measure flour correctly.

Oil

Use vegetable oil or canola oil. Oil is 100% fat, while butter contains about 80% fat and 20% water. This means oil can trap more moisture in baked goods, leading to a softer, more tender crumb, which is ideal for cakes, muffins, and quick breads like this cranberry cake.

Eggs

Use room-temperature eggs. If you need to bring the eggs to room temperature quickly, fill a small bowl with warm water. You want the temperature to feel like a warm bath. Carefully place the eggs in the water and let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Orange Juice and Zest

Zest the orange before juicing. Be sure to wash and dry the orange before using the zester. When zesting the orange, use a microplane and avoid the white pith, as it has a bitter flavor. The bright flavor from the orange zest adds the most incredible flavor to this delicious cake!

Fresh Cranberries

Tart cranberries balance out the sweetness of the orange and provide a juicy punch to this festive Christmas cake! Rinse, pat dry, and toss these in 1/2 Tbsp flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom.

Spiced Rum

The addition of spiced rum to this cake adds warm, aromatic notes of cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and clove, which elevates the flavor of your holiday bundt cake recipe. My choices are Bacardi spiced rum or Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum Cream for a hint of rum flavor.

Whole Milk

Whole milk is rich in fat, which contributes to a tender, moist crumb and enhances the overall flavor of the cake. Use room-temperature milk to ensure smooth mixing and better incorporation with other ingredients.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg has a warm, nutty, and slightly sweet profile that complements orange zest and the tang of cranberries.

Additional Ingredients

Vanilla extract

Sugar

Baking Soda

Baking Powder

Step by Step Instructions to make this Cranberry Bundt Cake

Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

How do you prevent a bundt pan from sticking?

Use a pastry brush to grease the pan thoroughly with melted butter. Sprinkle some flour in the pan, hold it over a sink, and tilt the pan in a circular motion in order to distribute the flour evenly. Then flip the pan over and tap out the excess flour to prevent a buildup of grease and flour on the finished cake. Be sure to grease and flour all the crevices in the pan so the cake will release easily and the design will be sharply defined, especially for this gorgeous bundt pan. Once the cake is done baking, remove from the oven and let cool completely before flipping to remove from the mold, at least 10 minutes or more.

How should I store this Cranberry Orange Rum Cake?

This Cranberry Orange Rum Cake should be fine stored at room temp on the counter for several days. Refrigeration is only necessary if your kitchen gets very hot during the day, or if you’re not serving it for three or more days.

If you choose to refrigerate, wrap the bundt cake in plastic to protect it from absorbing any strange fridge smells and to protect them from drying out. Before serving, unwrap it to warm up on the counter for 20 minutes or so. Once cut, wrap the cake in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. If it does happen to dry out, brush it with simple syrup to bring back some moisture.

Should I glaze my cranberry orange rum cake?

I think this cake is fine as it is, so I simply dusted it with some powdered sugar before serving. If you love a glazed bundt cake, you can make a simple glaze with just a few ingredients here!

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If you loved this recipe, be sure to check out my gingerbread coquito!

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