Happy New Year my sweet treat lovers! I’m so excited to share this first recipe of 2019, and man is it a good one!
As in Burken and I have been snacking on these cute little mini cranberry orange bundt cakes straight out of the container for the past week.
They’re so incredibly soft. Studded with tart cranberries and sweetened with fresh-squeezed orange juice and honey. Oh, and there’s just a hint of bourbon in there too!
But, what makes these cake the softest ever, is olive oil. Over the holidays, my mother-in-law purchased this gorgeous bottle of olive oil. Who knew one would get so excited for a Christmas present such as this one? Well, probably me.
Healthy base for mini cranberry orange bundt cakes
Initially I thought I was going to go all in with this recipe. Loads of butter, a hefty amount of sugar, and white flour.
However, after receiving the most perfect bottle of olive oil {and over indulging during the holidays}, I knew I had to put it to the test {and give my belly a rest}.
Boy, oh boy, did it perform! I wish I could feed a slice of this cake through the screen to you so you can understand just how soft and moist this cake is because of the olive oil.
There are plenty of olive oil cakes out there, but I wanted a nicely sweetened version with no refined sugar.
That’s where the honey comes in. It’s a great natural sweetener, that lends a lot of that extra moisture, as well, to these adorable mini cranberry orange bundt cakes.
The cranberries in mini cranberry orange bundt cake
We’re using fresh cranberries in these perfectly sized mini cranberry orange bundt cakes. They provide the best balance between sweet and tart.
Fresh cranberries, however, have a tendency to float to the top of the batter. So instead, we’re dropping the cranberries in the bottom of the pan and spooning the batter over the top.
They’ll still float a bit as they bake, but it will help keep them suspended in the center of the cakes.
The best bourbon cream cheese frosting for mini cranberry orange bundt cakes
While I will say that I really enjoyed these cakes sans frosting, I’d be lying if I said the frosting didn’t take these cakes to the next level.
Softened cream cheese is mixed together with my favorite organic powdered sugar from Wholesome.
Then mix in a few tablespoons of bourbon {which I’m typically not a fan of, except for when it comes to baked goods}. Finish off with a bit of orange extract to really bring out the orange flavor.
My best trick for piping frosting of any sort is to take a tall cup and push a sandwich bag sized Ziploc into the cup. Then fold the top of the bag over the top of the cup.
Spoon all of the frosting into the bag and then pull it out of the cup. Squeeze the frosting into one corner of the bag and then cut a small portion of the tip off.
Now you have a piping bag and a lot less mess than if you tried to scoop it in while holding the bag {and let me tell you…professional bakers make that look waaayyy easier than it is!}.
Mini cranberry orange bundt cakes bringing good luck into the new year
Did you know that ring shaped cakes, such as these mini cranberry orange bundt cakes, are a symbol of luck for the new year?
Oranges are also a symbol of good luck. With their bright color evoking joy and bringing prosperity.
So not only are these cakes super delicious to enjoy in the new year, but they’re bound to bring you good luck as well! Go ahead, make this recipe this weekend while you write out your 2019 goals, and know that they’re bringing you good luck!
Looking for more good luck cakes? Check these out!
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup raw cane sugar
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 3 Tbsp. bourbon
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. orange extract
- 1 egg
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature {or softened}*
- 1 cup Wholesome organic powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. orange extract
- 1-2 Tbsp. bourbon
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Preheat oven to 375°F and grease four mini bundt pans with baking spray.
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In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, ginger, baking powder and salt.
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In a large bowl, stir together the oil, honey, orange juice, bourbon, vanilla and orange extract and egg, until combined.
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Add the dry ingredients, half at a time, stirring after each addition, until combined.
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Place ¼ cup of cranberries into the bottom of each prepared pan.
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Spoon the batter over the top of the cranberries.
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Bake for 30-32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.
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Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting. In a medium bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese. Mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth.
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Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to mix until smooth. Add 1-2 Tbsp. of bourbon and mix to combine.
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Spoon the batter into a piping bag and once the bundt pans are cool enough to touch, flip over. Frost the bundts with the cream cheese frosting.
