This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Disclosure: Nordic Ware sent me the free product (Nordic Ware Non-Stick Cast Aluminum Fleur De Lis Bundt Pan) to try out - I love my new bundt pan and will be describing my experience with this pan in this post. I was not compensated for this post other than receiving the bundt pan for free! All opinions are my own.
RECIPE: Delicious Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Cranberries, Apples, and Pecans! Buttermilk gives this holiday cake a softer texture and keeps the cake light and moist while adding a nice, subtle tang. The cake will melt in your mouth! Vanilla, cranberries, apples, and pecans give the bundt cake lots of holiday flavor and crunch!
This Cranberry Apple Pecan Bundt Cake is a perfect coffee cake for the Fall, Winter, and Holiday season! So good with coffee or a cup of tea! It's very easy to make and looks pretty and sophisticated with minimal effort.
That's the beauty of using a beautiful bundt pan - it makes all cakes pretty! I've used the bundt pan that measures 9 inches in diameter and holds 10 to 12 cups - use any bundt pan of this size and volume!
The particular bundt pan I used was Nordic Ware Non-Stick Cast Aluminum Fleur De Lis Bundt Pan (which was sent to me for free by Nordic Ware - see the disclosure above). I was very pleased with this pan and will describe my experience with it and the tips on how to successfully release the bundt cake from the pan later in this post. Take a look how pretty this bundt pan is:
Apples and bundt cakes go really well together. I've made apple bundt cakes before and they were all successful, such as this Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Bundt Cake or Apple Pumpkin Bundt Cake. All these cakes are great recipes to use for your holiday menu, for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Eve.
How to make apple cranberry pecan bundt cake
First, make the cake batter. Then, add the dried cranberries (previously soaked in hot water and drained), chopped apple, and chopped pecans to the cake batter:
Fold all the fruit and pecans into the cake batter using the spatula. Your cake batter is ready to be poured into the bundt pan!
And, here are my tips on how to best use this (or any) bundt pan to ensure the successful release of the cake. It starts before you even bake the cake. Even though this bundt pan says it's non-stick, ALWAYS USE THE BAKING SPRAY WITH FLOUR (it's a special baking spray that already has flour in the spray itself). The proper way to do it is to hold the spray vertically and spray your clean and dried bundt pan along the top edges of the pan, going all the way to the bottom. Keep in mind that a bundt pan with such fine detail as this Nordic Ware Fleur De Lis Bundt Pan, does have a lot of detail, so make sure to spray all of the pan insides, not missing anything! Then, pour the cake batter gently into the prepared bundt pan:
Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven, and put the bundt pan on top of the baking sheet. This ensures that if you have a bundt pan with edges like mine, the pan doesn't slant. Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour, until the toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven, let it cool for 40 minutes on a wire rack in the pan:
How to remove a bundt cake from the pan
Here is how to make sure the cake releases from the bundt pan without any cake disaster:
- First of all, let me repeat, you should always use the Baking Spray with Flour and generously spray it all over inside your bundt pan before pouring the cake batter.
- After your bundt cake is done baking, and the bundt pan with the cake cooled off for 40 minutes on the counter, place the bundt pan in the freezer for 20 minutes - it will still be quite hot to the touch (even after 40 minutes of cooling), so use kitchen gloves to handle the pan.
- Remove the pan from the freezer after 20 minutes, invert the bundt pan onto a serving plate, and let it sit inverted for a bit to let the gravity do the work (it could take as little as half a minute or as long as 20 or even 30 minutes, depending on your bundt pan). Here is my bundt pan sitting inverted with the cake inside:
- With this pan, it took at least 20 minutes for the bundt pan to sit inverted like that and then release the cake (also, remember that before even inverting the pan, I cooled off the pan with the cake in it for 40 minutes on the rack, and then put the pan with the cake for 15 minutes in the freezer). I actually heard the sound of the cake being released.
- Be patient - gently lift the bundt pan to check and if your cake is not released, let it sit longer until it releases.
- My cake was released from this bundt pan beautifully, there was only one small piece of cake that got stuck in the bundt pan - I gently removed it and stuck it back on the cake where it belongs! 🙂 You can't even see this minor imperfection on the photos:
I love-love this bundt pan, the cake looks like it came from a high-end bakery, with minimal effort on my side. With proper handling and patience, the cake will release beautifully!
If you ever had trouble with removing your bundt cake from the pan, read and re-read this post - it has all the tips you need to make sure you have success with your bundt pan this holiday season!
Apple Cranberry Pecan Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature softened
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar or cane sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 Fuji apple cored, peeled, and cubed
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- powdered sugar for decorating
Instructions
- Special equipment: Use the bundt pan that measures 9 inches in diameter and holds 10 to 12 cups.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Soak 1 cup of dried cranberries in 1 cup of boiling-hot water, covered.
How to make cake batter:
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 and ½ cups flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, add together the softened butter and sugar and mix, using mixer, on high setting for about 3 minutes until even consistency is reached.
- Add 3 eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture and continue beating until well-incorporated and light in color.
- Now we’ll be adding flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture in 3 gradual steps, instead of dumping all of flour at one time. If you dump all of flour mixture into your butter mixture at one time, it will be more difficult to stir and you won’t get a smooth texture. So, we’ll be adding flour and buttermilk in 3 additions:
- With your mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of flour mixture to butter-sugar mixture, beating just a little until all is well combined. Then follow by ⅓ cup of buttermilk. Add the second ⅓ of flour mixture, beating with mixer just to combine. Follow by the second ⅓ cup of buttermilk, beating just to combine. Finally, add the third ⅓ of flour mixture, followed by the final ⅓ cup of buttermilk. Again, beat just enough to combine.
- Make sure to have your mixer on low speed while adding flour, otherwise flour might fly around your kitchen. Make sure to not overmix or overbeat, use mixer just to combine the ingredients.
- Drain the dried cranberries that you soaked in hot water and wring the water out of them. Dried cranberries now should be plump and juicy - it's OK if they retain some water.
- Using spatula, fold in these dried cranberries (after you soaked them and drained them), chopped apple, and chopped pecans into the cake batter.
How to fill bundt pan with cake batter:
- Spray your bundt cake pan with a Baking Spray with Flour (it's a special spray that already has flour in it). The proper way to do it is to hold the spray vertically, and spray your clean and dried bundt pan along the top edges of the pan, going all the way to the bottom. Spray every single little detail, especially if your bundt pan has lots of fine detail.
- Pour batter gently into prepared bundt pan. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven, and put the bundt pan on top. This ensures that if you have a bundt pan with edges like mine, the pan doesn't slant.
How to bake bundt cake:
- Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour, until toothpick comes out clear. Remove the pan from the oven, let it cool for 40 minutes on wire rack.
Tips on releasing the cake from the bundt pan:
- First of all, you should always use the Baking Spray with Flour and generously spray it all over inside your bundt pan before pouring the batter.
- After your bundt cake is done baking, and the bundt pan cooled off for 40 minutes on the counter, place the bundt pan in the freezer for 20 minutes - it will still be quite hot to the touch (even after 40 minutes of cooling), so use kitchen gloves to handle the pan.
- Remove the pan from the freezer after 20 minutes, invert the bundt pan onto a serving plate, and let it sit inverted for a bit to let the gravity do the work (it could take as little as half a minute or as long as 20 or even 30 minutes, depending on your bundt pan). Then, gently lift bundt pan and your cake should be released. Sometimes, you will actually hear your cake release. Be patient.
- Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Looking for a complete THANKSGIVING MENU?
- Be sure to check out my 50 Best Thanksgiving Recipes (The Complete Holiday Menu) - it includes everything: Fall-inspired holiday appetizers, side dishes, salads, main courses, pasta recipes, desserts, and even breakfast. This holiday menu features proven, tried, and true Thanksgiving dishes that have been reader favorites for years (I've been publishing recipes since 2012). Most of these recipes can also be re-purposed for Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Looking for THANKSGIVING SIDE DISHES?
- I have created a comprehensive recipe collection of 60 Thanksgiving side dishes conveniently categorized by ingredient: Green Beans, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes, Acorn Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Asparagus, Broccoli, etc. It's a great resource to browse through for a last moment holiday inspiration! This side dishes will also work great for Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Looking for THANKSGIVING salads?
- I have created a comprehensive recipe collection of 30 Thanksgiving salads - this collection exclusively features Thanksgiving salads that highlight Autumnal ingredients, such as apples, roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes, beets, Brussels sprouts, green beans, pecans, cranberries, pears, pomegranates, mandarin oranges, pumpkin seeds, and the list goes on and on! These Fall salads will add freshness, colors, and vibrancy to otherwise heavy and creamy comfort food (stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes) that we often cook for the holidays. These salads would also be perfect for Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Disclosure: Nordic Ware sent me the free product (Nordic Ware Non-Stick Cast Aluminum Fleur De Lis Bundt Pan) to try out - I love my new bundt pan and will be describing my experience with this pan in this post. I was not compensated for this post other than receiving the bundt pan for free! All opinions are my own.
Can I use Allulose (sugar free sugar substitute)? For diabetics
How long to bake it in loaf pans?
Hi Phiona! If you want to bake this cake in loaf pans, here’s what works best:
1) Use two standard loaf pans (9×5-inch). Divide the batter evenly between them, filling each pan about ⅔ full.
2) Bake at 350°F for 50–60 minutes. Start checking around the 50-minute mark. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
3) If the tops start browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil during the last 10–15 minutes.
4) Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a rack.
Avoid smaller 8½×4½-inch pans unless you’re comfortable with longer bake times (closer to 60–65 minutes) and watching carefully for doneness. Smaller loaf pans are usually deeper - that's why they might take longer to bake.
Can this be made gluten free???
Mariah, Yes — this cake can be made gluten-free, with a few important notes:
1) Use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum (like Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 or King Arthur Measure for Measure).
2) Substitute it cup-for-cup for the regular flour; no other ingredient changes are needed. Because this is a moist, fruit-heavy cake, gluten-free flour works especially well here.
I tried the recipe yesterday. The flavor was good but the texture was crumbly and it wasn’t moist at all. I followed the recipe, didn’t have buttermilk so used Greek yogurt and water.
What could be the reason I did t get a moist cake.
Greek yogurt could be the culprit. Buttermilk has a more runny consistency than Greek yogurt and using buttermilk (or unsweetened kefir) would make a more moist cake.
Do you think that gluten free flour would work for this recipe? I would like to make it for a friend who is gluten intolerant.
Hi Valerie! Yes, you can make this gluten-free!
1) Swap the all‑purpose flour for a certified gluten‑free 1:1 baking flour by Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Measure‑for‑Measure GF flour.
2) Because gluten‑free flour can bake a bit differently, you might add about ¼ cup extra buttermilk or one extra tablespoon of yogurt to keep the batter moist.
3) Ensure any other ingredients (like the dried cranberries, pecans, baking powder) are labeled gluten‑free.
The best tasting cake I've ever made. Thanks for the recipe.
Aww, I am so flattered, Gitte! Thank you! 🙂
Hi. What could I use instead of Gorgonzola cheese?
Hi Brenda, you must be referring to one of my salads, probably this one below. You can use feta cheese or goat cheese instead:
https://juliasalbum.com/beet-apple-salad/
Hi. I’m thinking of making this for our Christmas dinner dessert. What apple could I substitute for the Fuji apple? Thanks in advance.
You can use any kind of sweet apple with a firm texture like Gala or Honeycrisp.
Made for Christmas. Had never seen instructions to put partially cooled cake in freezer to help the cake dislodge from pan. It worked amazingly easy. Cake was moist and very good.
One of the best cake recipes I have made in recent times. Very moist. I did use fresh cranberries and increased the sugar slightly. I made it in a 9 inch springform pan and put a sprinkle of extra pecans and halved cranberries on top before baking and then used powdered sugar once cooled. Such a good cake. Several people asked for the recipe!
Thank you, Linda, for your wonderful review! I also appreciate you sharing your recipe adjustments—they’re so helpful to me and other readers who might want to try the same changes.
If usi g fresh cranberries how many cups
How.much extra sugar also
Hi Katie! Yes, you can use fresh cranberries - use about 1 cup of fresh cranberries as a direct replacement. Fresh cranberries are much more tart, so I’d recommend adding an extra 4 tablespoons of sugar (or more!) to the batter to balance things out, depending on your sweetness preference. The rest of the recipe can stay the same.
You can also try slicing each fresh cranberry in half - It helps them soften more evenly as they bake and lets their tartness blend better into the cake without creating big sour bursts. Plus, it distributes the flavor more evenly throughout.
How did you use fresh cranberries??? did you boil themfirst
Hi Mariah! Yes, you can use fresh cranberries - use about 1 cup of fresh cranberries as a direct replacement. Fresh cranberries are much more tart, so I’d recommend adding an extra 4 tablespoons of sugar (or more!) to the batter to balance things out, depending on your sweetness preference. The rest of the recipe can stay the same.
You can also try slicing each fresh cranberry in half - It helps them soften more evenly as they bake and lets their tartness blend better into the cake without creating big sour bursts. Plus, it distributes the flavor more evenly throughout.
It wasn't as Flavorful as I thought it would be. I didn't even notice the apples.
Can I put this batter in muffin tins
Hi Sue, yes you can! Just fill muffin pan cups 2/3 of the way and bake for 20 or 30 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean).
How can I store this cake. Can I freeze it and for how long.
I always store this kind of cake in the fridge (covered tightly in plastic wrap) for up to 7 days. You can freeze it sliced into smaller pieces in freezer bags for up to a month.
Thank you Julia
I hope you enjoyed this recipe!
Sounds delicious! I am wondering if it is necessary to use a bundt pan?? 9x13 ok?? Or??
Hi Kathy, yes, you can use 9x13 rectangular pan - the baking times would have to be reduced.
Hi, would this recipe enough for 2 6 inch pan burnt pans?
Janis, I think your question is, “If I divide the batter, can I bake this recipe in two small 6-inch Bundt pans instead of one large pan?”
Yes, this recipe works well for two 6-inch Bundt pans; no need to double. You'll have to make some baking adjustments:
1) Bake at 350°F
2) Start checking at 35–45 minutes. Expect a shorter bake time than a full-size Bundt
3) They’ll be done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs
4) Let the cakes cool longer than you think before unmolding — fruit-heavy Bundts are fragile when hot.
1. Can you use butter to coat the Bundt pan and dust with flour instead of the spray ? and 2. Can you use fresh cranberries ? TY.
Hi Coleen! Yes, you can use butter + dusting with flour instead of spray.
Even though this recipe is best with dried cranberries, you can use fresh cranberries with a few adjustments. The recipe calls for 1 cup of dried cranberries, I would use 1 1/4 cups of fresh cranberries (since there are a lot more dried cranberries in a cup than there are in a cup of fresh, so you have to compensate for that). Also, I would add extra sugar, such as using 2 cups of sugar vs 1 3/4 cups - or keep the sugar the same if you don't mind added tartness of the fresh cranberries. Also, chop up fresh cranberries before adding them to the cake batter if you like.
Absolutely the best tasting cake I’ve ever made. It was a smash at the gathering I took it to. Great flavor. Fruit was perfect. Just delicious even in the heat of Florida summer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh wow, Julie, I am so flattered! Thank you for your wonderful review! 🙂