This cranberry orange pound cake is beautiful enough to give away as a homemade gift, but you’ll want to eat it all yourself!

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The Best Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

Cranberry is one of those iconic fruits that people love to eat during the holidays! They are a deep red, which is the quintessential color for Christmas (along with forest green).

I have really good news for you – even if you don’t think you like anything with cranberries in it, you will love this cake! It tastes almost like a sweet bread!

What’s In Cranberry Orange Pound Cake?

All the exact ingredient amounts are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, here is what you will need from the store.

• Butter
• Granulated Sugar
• Eggs
• Orange
• Buttermilk
• Flour
• Baking Powder
• Fresh Cranberries

Orange Glaze Ingredients

Here’s what I used in my orange glaze. It’s just 3 simple ingredients.

• Powdered Sugar
• Milk
• Orange Juice

Video Tutorial

Here’s a quick video that shows you how to make this delicious pound cake!

Step-By-Step Pictures

All the exact steps for this recipe are listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. I have some photos (and extra tips) of the process here for ya first.

When you mix the pound cake batter, make sure that you cream the butter and sugar first. Then, add the eggs, buttermilk, and orange zest.

When you are ready to add the dry ingredients, add it to the wet ingredients slowly with a whisk. Do not overmix it.

Next, gently fold in the cranberries. How do you fold cranberries in a batter? This means you gently scoop the batter around the cranberries. The idea is that you don’t want to smash the cranberries. If you mix it too much (or too hard) the berries will pop and your cake will look pink.

Next, grease a small loaf pan and dust it with flour. This will prevent the pound cake from sticking to the pan. This loaf pan from Wilton is the perfect size for the cake.

Bake it for about an hour. You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick comes out clean.

While it is baking, you can make the glaze. Let the cake cool completely after it’s done. When it is completely cooled down, you can add the glaze. Yum!

Don’t forget to add a few fresh cranberries on top as a garnish! It’s so beautiful!

How To Store Pound Cake

After you put the glaze on the cake, it needs to be refrigerated (thanks to the milk in the glaze). You can store the plain (un-glazed) cake on the counter for up to a week. Just make sure that you keep it covered so it doesn’t go stale.

After you glaze the cake, you’ll need to keep in the refrigerator. Store it completely covered to keep the air off of the cake. It will last about a week in the fridge.

You can also freeze the pound cake. It’s best to freeze it before you add the glaze. Just wrap it up in foil and store it in a zippered plastic freezer bag. It will last about 3-6 months in the freezer.

Pound Cake Recipe

Here’s the entire recipe in the printable recipe card. Please pin this to your dessert board so you can find it later. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments. Thank you!

More Holiday Desserts

Here are a few more holiday desserts you might enjoy baking this season!

• Christmas Tree Cupcakes
• No-Bake Avalanche Cookies
• Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa Bombs
• Perfect Pumpkin Cheesecake