Even though Christmas is widely known as cookie season, this delicious cranberry orange pound cake fits right in! With it's seasonal orange flavor and the tartness of the cranberries it's an amazing cake for the holidays.
As much as I love cookies, sometimes I just want a piece of cake and this one's a good one! It's a perfectly moist sour cream pound cake covered with a sweet orange glaze and the most beautiful sugared cranberries. It's gluten free and dairy free, but no one will ever know.
If you agree that sweet oranges and tart cranberries make the perfect combination, I recommend you also try my yummy gluten free cranberry orange muffins, that would be perfect for Christmas morning.
Ingredient Notes
This orange cranberry pound cake recipe uses just a few basic ingredients and it's both gluten free and dairy free.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour for all of my recipes. You can use the flour blend of your choice, but ensure it contains xanthan gum or a similar binder. I haven't tested this recipe with any other brands of flour, so the results may vary.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda - Even though pound cakes typically don't contain leavening agents, I have used a really small amount here just to help lighten up the gluten free flour.
- Salt - A little salt helps to balance out the sweet flavors and enhance the bake. Don't be tempted to skip it!
- Vegan Butter - I used Country Crock plant butter for this recipe, but any stick type vegan butter will work fine. If you're not dairy free, use regular unsalted butter in the same measure.
- Sugar - White sugar is used to sweeten this pound cake. I don't recommend substituting brown sugar as this cake is already very moist and it may turn gummy. If you want to use coconut sugar instead, that should work okay.
- Orange Zest & Orange Juice - Use fresh orange zest and fresh orange juice from one large navel orange. Fresh squeezed juice provides the best flavor!
- Vanilla Extract - A little vanilla will help to enhance the flavors and sweeten this dessert.
- Eggs - This pound cake requires three eggs, which largely provide the leavening for the loaf. I don't recommend an egg replacement here.
- Vegan Sour Cream - Sour cream adds richness to this cake and don't worry it won't taste sour at all. If you aren't dairy free, use regular sour cream or greek yogurt in the same measure.
- Fresh Cranberries - A lot of stores only carry cranberries during the holiday season. In a pinch you can use frozen, there is no need to thaw them before adding them to the batter.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not Dairy Free - use dairy butter and sour cream in the same measure.
How to make a Cranberry-Orange Pound Cake
I recommend a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer to make this pound cake light and fluffy. Before beginning, line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper and spray it with non stick cooking spray.
For the best results, make sure your butter, eggs and sour cream are at room temperature before mixing.
STEP 1: Combine the gluten free flour, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together to mix well and set aside.
STEP 2: Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream butter and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy.
STEP 3: Add the orange juice and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar. Beat again for 30 seconds.
STEP 4: Add the eggs one at a time to the batter, mixing for 60 seconds after each addition.
STEP 5: With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding half of the dry ingredients, then half of the sour cream. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
STEP 6: Toss the cranberries in 2 Tablespoons of gluten free flour to coat them.
STEP 7: Add the flour coated cranberries to the bowl with the cake batter. Do not add any flour that settled to the bottom of the bowl. Stir well to incorporated the cranberries.
STEP 8: Spread the pound cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake.
Baking Tip
Bake until the internal temperature reaches 200F. If you don't have a thermometer, check the center of the cake with a cake tester. It should come out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. If you under-bake the pound cake the center will sink as it cools.
Storage
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, keep the container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More pound cake recipes to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Cranberry Orange Pound Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 ¾ Cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend I use Bob's Red Mill
- 1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 ⅓ Cups Sugar
- 10 Tablespoons Vegan Butter room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons Orange Juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla
- 3 Eggs room temperature
- ½ Cup Vegan Sour Cream room temperature
- 1 ¼ Cups Cranberries
- 2 Tablespoons Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend
For the orange icing
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar sifted
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Orange Juice
For the sugared cranberries, optional
- ¼ Cup Water
- ¼ Cup Sugar
- 1 Cup Cranberries
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F (163 °C). Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper and spray it with non stick baking spray. Alternatively, you can grease and flour the pan.
- Combine the gluten free flour, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to mix well, then set aside.1 ¾ Cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, 1 Tablespoon Orange Zest, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder, ⅛ teaspoon Baking Soda
- Add the butter and sugar to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes, until it is fluffy and lighter in color. Scrape the bowl well.1 ⅓ Cups Sugar, 10 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
- Add the orange juice and vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds.2 Tablespoons Orange Juice, 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla
- Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 60 seconds between each addition. Scrape the bowl.3 Eggs
- Turn the mixer to the lowest speed. Add half of the flour mixture, followed by half of the sour cream. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.½ Cup Vegan Sour Cream
- Toss the cranberries in 2 Tablespoons of gluten free flour.1 ¼ Cups Cranberries, 2 Tablespoons Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend
- Add the cranberries to the cake batter. Discard any flour that settled to the bottom of the bowl of cranberries. Fold the mixture together until the cranberries are evenly dispersed in the batter.
- Spread the pound cake batter into the prepared pan. Let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before baking.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 80-85 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with just a few crumbs. The internal temperature should be 200 °F (93 °C). Do not overbake or it will be dry.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the orange icing
- Combine the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl and mix well until there are no lumps.1 Cup Powdered Sugar, 1 ½ Tablespoons Orange Juice
- Pour over the cooled poundcake.
For the sugared cranberries, optional
- Wash and drain the fresh cranberries. Place them in a heat proof bowl with room to spare.1 Cup Cranberries
- Add ¼ cup of water and ¼ cup of sugar to a small saucepan. Whisk together until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until bubbles appear at the outer edges of the pan, about 3 minutes.¼ Cup Water, ¼ Cup Sugar
- Pour the simple syrup over the cranberries and stir them gently to coat the berries. Let them sit for 10 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the cranberries from the syrup and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Allow the cranberries to dry at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Place the remaining 3 Tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl.3 Tablespoons Sugar
- Working in batches, add the sticky cranberries to the bowl of sugar and roll them around to coat the cranberries.
- Remove the sugar coated cranberries and place them on a clean baking sheet and leave them sitting at room temperature for another hour.
- Once the cranberries have dried, add them to the top of the cake.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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