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This Dark Chocolate Cranberry Bundt Cake is the perfect combination of rich chocolate and tart juicy cranberries in a tender, buttery cake. Perfect for the season of entertaining!
There are a lot of things I love about this time of year. I look forward to the cooler weather, fires in the wood stove, and pulling out all of our hats and scarves. But the thing I look forward to most this time of year is everything Cranberry. No joke. I have a serious crush on all things cranberry!
As soon as the fresh cranberries start showing up at the store in the fall, I stock up like a crazy lady. I fill the freezer with bags of them to last me for months! It may seem excessive, but one way or another, every last cranberry gets eaten. We take cranberry season very seriously at our house!
Cranberries can be tart, tricky little berries. But once you know how to tame this bright tangy fruit, they add so much color and flavor to your recipes. I’m totally hooked on them! Last year, this Cranberry Orange Spice Cake stole the show at our house.
I made it for every holiday gathering we attended and it was a hit every time. And this Cranberry Pear Tart has been a regular part of our Thanksgiving and Christmas menus for years now. Fall, winter, and all the holidays in between taste like Cranberries at my house.
This year, I set out to find another hit cranberry recipe. When I sliced into this Dark Chocolate Cranberry Bundt Cake, studded with fresh cranberries and dripping with dark chocolate ganache, I knew I had a winner.
In fact, this Cranberry Bundt Cake has exceeded all my expectations. I’d venture to say it might even be my favorite cranberry recipe yet.
As it turns out, fresh cranberries and chocolate are the perfect combination of flavors. The fudgy, tender, dark chocolate cake almost melts in your mouth.
The cranberries are a sour, fruity pop that is the most delicious surprise in the middle of all that rich, dark chocolate. It’s unexpected, but so good.
You can eat this Cranberry Bundt Cake without all the toppings and it doesn’t disappoint. However, the dark chocolate ganache and cranberry orange sauce really make it something special.
The combinations of sweet and sour, rich and tangy, are just so satisfying. Really, this is one flavor combination you’ve got try!
For more delicious cranberry recipes, try this Homemade Cranberry Sauce and Cranberry Fluff here on My Baking Addiction.
Dark Chocolate Cranberry Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup milk
- 1 heaping cup fresh or frozen cranberries coarsely chopped
- 2 ounces dark chocolate chopped (or use chocolate chips)
For the Ganache:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 ounces dark chocolate coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the Cranberry Sauce:
- 1 8 oz bag of fresh cranberries
- juice of half an orange plus zest
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Thoroughly grease a 12 cup bundt pan.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until a thick paste forms. Beat in each egg, one at a time. When the mixture looks smooth, beat in the vanilla.
- With the mixer speed on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, mixing until combined. Add half of the milk and mix until combined. Repeat until all of the flour and milk has been added.
- Gently fold in the cranberries and dark chocolate pieces. Transfer mixture to prepared bundt pan. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully turn out of pan onto wire rack and cool completely. Serve with Chocolate Ganache and Cranberry Sauce.
For theGanache:
- Set a heatproof bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water.
- Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 3 ounces dark chocolate in the bowl, stirring often until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.
For the Cranberry Sauce:
- Add all the ingredients to a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until cranberries pop and mixture is thick.
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This is so good, the only thing I did different was using dark coco.
My cake got stuck in my fancy bundt pan so she is a bit rough looking, but it doesn’t change the taste.
Everyone loved it, it will be one I will make over and over.
Question: Can I pour the Ganache onto the whole Bundt cake or do you pour it when serving each piece. Same for the Cranberry Sauce. Thank you.
Either way is totally fine.
-Jamie
I was not comfortable with the. Amount of sugar and butter in this recipe, so I made some substitutions. I wanted less fat and sugar and more protien.
I cut the butter to 1 stick, the sugar to 3/4 cup and the eggs to 3. Instead, I used about 1 3/4 c plain, greek yogurt. No milk. I used I cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1 c AP flour. Baked for about 40 min. I made the ganash with 1/2 & 1/2. I made the cranberry sauce with agave syrup. The cake was dense and fidget with a nice tartness. Probably very different from the original.
I don’t get fresh cranberries in india, can i bake this cake with dried cranberries soaked in warm water & then use it in the cake batter??
Hello! I haven’t attempted this recipe with this substitution, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how it turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
Hi, this sounds amazing and I will attempt to make this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday! Can I use another tin or would it not work as well? Also can the ganache and cranberry sauce be made in advance and served the following day? Thanks!
Hello! I haven’t attempted this recipe in a different pan, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how it turns out. You should be ok to make the cranberry sauce ahead and reheat it when you’re ready to serve it, but I’d probably make the ganache the same day if you can. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
Hey! do u mean for the stick butter the one with 100 grams??
Hi Dana – 1 stick of butter in the US is equal to 1/2 cup or just over 100 grams. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Baking.
-Jamie
This came out amazing! Recipe worked great – no problems with cook time – took around 65-70 minutes. Great flavor and that ganache was awesome.
I used 70% dark chocolate for cake+ganache.
SO happy to hear you enjoyed the cake, Miranda! Thanks for stopping by and leaving y our feedback!
-Jamie