Cranberry Eggnog Cake

Name: Cranberry Eggnog Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 180 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose white flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature); 1 cup granulated sugar; 3 large eggs (room temperature); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup full-fat eggnog (room temperature); 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries; 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons full-fat eggnog ((use more if you prefer a thinner glaze)); 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

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This Cranberry Eggnog Cake is a soft and tender eggnog spiced bundt cake, made from scratch, with tart, fresh cranberries and topped with an easy eggnog glaze. It's the perfect, make ahead holiday dessert for Christmas, a New Year's brunch or a holiday potluck!

This cake is a cranberry twist on my original eggnog bundt cake and just as delicious as my chocolate cranberry bundt cake!

Slice of cake standing upright on a white plate with cake slices in the background.

Quick Look: Cranberry Eggnog Cake

⏱ Prep Time: 15 minutes
👩🏻‍🍳 Bake Time: 45 minutes
🆒 Cooling Time: 2 hours
⏳ Total Time: 3 hours
🍰 Servings: 10 slices
⚡ Calories: 400 per slice
🔥 Flavor/texture: moist and tender with tart, fresh cranberries; eggnog and nutmeg add a warm, spiced flavor.
👌 Difficulty: easy; but an electric mixer is required.
❤️ Why you'll love: moist and tender crumb; make ahead and freezer friendly; festive dessert for the holidays.

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Why this cranberry cake works

I started making this cake a few years ago, and I've made various versions along the way. So, I have all the details worked out to get the best results, including the ideal ingredient ratios, proper bundt pan size and make ahead instructions.

My taste testers have loved this cake, and here's why you will too:

Moist and tender crumb: Eggnog is made with egg yolks, whole milk and/or heavy cream, so it adds fat to the batter (along with the butter). These two ingredients work to keep the crumb moist and tender.
Balance of flavors: The sweet, rich, spiced eggnog batter is filled with warm flavors, which contrast with the pop of tart, juicy cranberries bursting in the cake.
Make ahead and freezer friendly. This cake is a stress-free holiday dessert since you can make it months in advance. I recently pulled one of these cakes out of the freezer that was there since last Christmas and, once it was thawed, it tasted like it was just baked!

Table of Contents

Quick Look: Cranberry Eggnog Cake
Why this cranberry cake works
Ingredient notes
Grease your bundt pan!
How to make cranberry eggnog cake in a bundt pan
Measuring ingredients
Storage, make ahead and freezing tips
Expert tips
Cranberry eggnog cake FAQs
More cranberry recipes
📖 Recipe

Ingredient notes

Ingredients to make cranberry eggnog cake arranged individually and labeled.

Flour - This recipe calls for all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled, or weighed for best results.
Cranberries - Fresh cranberries are best for this recipe, but if they're out of season, frozen will work too. (I often do this, especially when I make my gluten-free cranberry orange bread).
Eggnog - For the best flavor and texture, use full-fat eggnog. Light eggnog or plant-based can be used, but the cake won't have the same tender texture. (I use full-fat eggnog in most of my holiday baking, like these spiced eggnog muffins).
Nutmeg - Adds a warm, spiced flavor to the cake and glaze, and enhances the eggnog flavor. I used ground nutmeg, but you can also use freshly grated.
Eggs - Three large eggs are required for rise, moisture and structure.
Butter - Creaming the butter with sugar creates a soft and tender cake with amazing flavor. Use unsalted butter and make sure to bring it to room temperature.
Sugar - I used granulated sugar but you can also use cane sugar.

Grease your bundt pan!

To ensure the cake releases easily, you'll want to grease your bundt pan with a baking spray containing flour. If you use spray without flour, there's a good chance your cake will stick. (I know this from experience)!

Spray the pan just before you add the batter. If you spray it too early, the grease will run down the pan and pool at the bottom.

You can also brush the pan with butter and lightly coat with flour, but for pans with detailed designs, I find baking spray is the easiest.

How to make cranberry eggnog cake in a bundt pan

Flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt whisked together in a glass bowl.

Step 1: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.

Butter and sugar creamed together in a glass bowl with eggs and vanilla on the side.

Step 2: Use an electric mixer to beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

Eggs and vanilla mixed into the butter mixture with beaters in the frame.

Step 3: Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Eggnog being poured into the batter in a glass bowl with a bowl of flour on the side.

Step 4: With the mixer on low speed, start adding the flour mixture, alternating with the eggnog.

Fully mixed batter in a glass bowl with beaters in the frame.

Step 5: Start and end with the flour, and mix until both are incorporated into the batter.

Cranberries folded into the batter in a glass bowl with a spatula inserted into it.

Step 6: Gently fold in the cranberries.

Cake batter in a bundt pan on a pink surface.

Step 7: Add the batter to a greased bundt pan.

Step 8: Bake at 325F for 45-50 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Eggnog glaze mixed together in a bowl with a spoon in it.

Step 9: Stir together the powdered sugar, eggnog and nutmeg. (The glaze will be thick).

Glaze poured over the bundt cake on a white cake plate on a pink surface.

Step 10: Pour or spoon the glaze over the cooled cake.

Measuring ingredients

For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you'll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you'll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.

Storage, make ahead and freezing tips

Storage: Keep the glazed cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
Make ahead: The cake can be baked a day or two ahead and glazed right before serving.
Freezing: Once the cake is cooled, it can be wrapped tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap and then stored in a large freezer bag in the freezer. It will last for at least 3 months, but I've kept them for up to a year! (Keep the cake unglazed and glaze after thawing).

Side view of a cranberry bundt cake on a white cake plate with glaze on top.

Expert tips

Size of bundt pan. I used a 10-cup bundt pan for this cake. You can use a 12-cup pan (like I do for my pumpkin swirl bundt cake), just note that the cake will be shorter and will bake faster, so it'll only take about 35-40 minutes.
Cream butter and sugar well. You want the mixture to be light and fluffy. I usually cream them together for about 5 minutes to get to this stage. This incorporates air into the batter and helps with texture and rise.
Alternate flour and eggnog. This helps both ingredients mix into the batter easily, without over mixing, and results in a smooth, cohesive batter.
Tap pan on counter. Once I have the batter added to the pan, I tap the bottom off the counter a few times to ensure the batter settles into all the crevices of the bundt pan.
Let cake cool for 10 minutes. Once the cake comes out of the oven, let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes. If you try to turn it out right away, the cake may break apart. Be sure to set a timer. If you let it sit in the pan too long, the cake will start to stick to the pan.

Cranberry eggnog cake FAQs

Can this cranberry cake be made with frozen cranberries instead of fresh?

Yes, just add the frozen cranberries to the batter (no defrosting required) and add another 3-5 minutes to the baking time.

You didn't flour the cranberries. Will they sink to the bottom of the bundt cake?

Fresh cranberries can sink if they're too heavy for the batter, but I've never had that happen with this cake as the batter is quite thick. If you're concerned about it happening, just take 1 tablespoon of flour from the amount listed in the recipe, and toss the cranberries with it.

My cake is sticking to the bundt pan. What should I do?

This can happen if the bundt pan is not greased well enough, especially if the pan has a more intricate design with lots of crevices for the batter to stick. It can also stick if the cake is left too long resting in the pan. If your cake is stuck, invert it onto a cooling rack and tap the bottom of the pan to try to loosen the cake. You can also use a silicone spatula to loosen the edges around the top of the cake. If it's still stuck, drape a hot towel over the inverted pan and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. This will create steam which will help release the cake from the pan.

I don't like eggnog. What can I use as substitute in this cake?

If you don't like eggnog, you can make this cake with whole milk. I've done this before when eggnog was out of season, and the texture was the same. (I also added chocolate chips instead of cranberries, which was delicious)!

Can I use a different spice in this cake if I don't have nutmeg?

If you don't have nutmeg, you can substitute with allspice, which will maintain the warm, spiced flavor of the cake. You can also substitute with cinnamon (which is a more common pantry spice) but it will create a more pronounced spice flavor in the cake and glaze.