• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Plated Cravings logo

  • Recipe Index
  • Air Fryer
  • German Food
  • About
    • Contact
    • How to Subscribe
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Air Fryer
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home > Recipes > Cakes & Cupcakes

    Chocolate Cranberry Cake

    ↓ Jump to Recipe · By: Julia Foerster · Posted: 11/10/17 · Updated: 11/13/17 · This post may contain affiliate links

    Chocolate Cranberry Cake is so moist, tender, and studded with chocolate and cranberries! A perfect cake for the holiday season that is super flavorful because of a secret ingredient. You have to give it a try!

    Chocolate Cranberry Cake is so moist, tender, and studded with chocolate and cranberries! A perfect cake for the holiday season that is super flavorful because of a secret ingredient. You have to give it a try!

    A chocolate cranberry bundt cake with pink frosting, garnished with dried cranberries on a white plate. A piece of the cake has been cut out. In the background, there\'s a stainless steel sugar bowl and a wine opener.

    This Chocolate Cranberry Cake is perfect for the season of entertaining! It is easy to make, looks pretty and tastes delicious. This cake is adapted from my Dark Chocolate Red Wine Cake that is one of the easiest and best-tasting cakes you will ever make but this cake today is studded with Cranberries and has a sweet glaze on top for a twist!

    Red Wine is the secret ingredient in this cake that makes it so flavorful. It might sound weird but adding wine to the batter is something you definitely have to try! Chocolate and red wine go so well together, they are a match made in heaven, and adding cranberries to the mix takes this cake to a whole new level of deliciousness.

    I love to bake with red wine, it makes the cake taste super delicious. You get all the flavor without the headache. Even if you’re not a big red wine fan (I prefer white wine) you’ll love this cranberry chocolate cake!

    Close-up of a chocolate cranberry bundt cake with pink frosting, garnished with dried cranberries on a white plate. A piece of the cake has been cut out.

    How to make a Cranberry Bundt Cake – Tips and Tricks

    • The secret to the tenderness of this cake is creaming the butter and sugar together! By creaming them together the mixture changes color and texture – it will get fluffy and pale. Don’t skip this step! I recommend using a stand mixer for this.
    • The choice of wine is also important – my rule is:  I bake and cook only with wines which I would also serve guests. Wines that taste like vinegar which you wouldn’t drink shouldn’t be used for baking or cooking! But you can use any type of red wine for this cake. Don’t substitute white or rose wine!
    • If you can’t drink alcohol this recipe might not be for you. But you could try using the same amount of milk instead of red wine.

    A chocolate cranberry bundt cake with pink frosting, garnished with dried cranberries on a white plate. A piece of the cake has been cut out and is lying in front.

    Looking for more Holiday Cakes?

    • Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Maple Glaze
    • Gingerbread Cake Recipe
    • Apple Cinnamon Bread
    • Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe

    Tools used for making this Cranberry Chocolate Cake Recipe

    Bundt Pan: I use a 9.5-inch bundt pan with 10 cups capacity for my bundt cake recipes.
    Cinnamon: I go through so much cinnamon this time of the year so I bought this one to always have it on hand!
    Dried Cranberries:  These are the ones I like to use!
    Chocolate Chips: According to America’s Test Kitchen these are the best chocolate chips!

    [social_warfare buttons=”Pinterest, Facebook”]

    A chocolate cranberry bundt cake with pink frosting, garnished with dried cranberries on a white plate. In the background, there's a stainless steel sugar bowl and a wine opener.
    Servings: 14

    Chocolate Cranberry Cake

    Chocolate Cranberry Cake is so moist, tender, and studded with chocolate and cranberries! A perfect cake for the holiday season that is super flavorful because of a secret ingredient. You have to give it a try!
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Holiday
    Calories: 337kcal
    Author: Julia Foerster
    5 from 3 votes
    Print PIN RECIPE Rate

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter, (230g)
    • 1 cup granulated Sugar, (200g)
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 pinch of Salt
    • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 4 large eggs
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour, (250g)
    • 3 tsp Baking powder
    • 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 3/4 cup Red wine, (180ml)
    • 1/3 cup dried cranberries, (50g)
    • 1/2 cup chocolate chips, (100g)

    For the Glaze

    • 1 cup powdered sugar, (125g)
    • 3 Tbsp red wine, or cranberry juice
    • 3 Tbsp dried cranberries
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and flour a 9.5-inch (10-cup) bundt pan. Set aside.
    • In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder together until combined. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon on medium to high speed 8 minutes until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed.
    • On medium speed, beat in one egg at a time - mix for 30 seconds after each egg. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture, the red wine, the dried cranberries and the chocolate - mixing each addition just until incorporated. Avoid overmixing, but whisk out any big lumps.
    • Pour batter into your prepared bundt pan. Bake for around 50 minutes or until the cake is baked through. All ovens are different and your cake could take a little more or less time. To test for doneness, insert a skewer into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean with only a couple moist but not wet crumbs, it's done. Let the cake sit in the pan for 15 minutes then transfer it to a wire rack.
    • The cake must be completely cool before glazing.
    • Make the red wine glaze: In a small bowl mix together the powdered sugar and 2-3 tbsp Red Wine. Glaze the cake with the mixture and decorate it with dried cranberries.
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Nutrition Information

    Calories: 337kcal
    Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Share it on Instagram and tag @platedcravings or #platedcravings!

    A chocolate cranberry bundt cake with pink frosting, garnished with dried cranberries on a white plate. In the background, there\'s a stainless steel sugar bowl and a wine opener.

    « Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
    Pomegranate Pear Salad »

    Plated Cravings owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my Disclosure and Privacy Policy. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. KK says

      November 06, 2022 at 1:42 pm

      Questions from a novice baker: Does this need to be refrigerated once fully glazed? I only ask as I don’t have any storage currently that fits a bundt cake and fits in the fridge, so if it’s fine, I would simply wrap it up in foil or something similar to store at room temperature for the few days it may last.

      I know the red wine is a major theme of this recipe, but (forgive me!) do you think cranberry juice can be used in its place in the dough? I have baked with orange juice, but not sure about cranberry juice. Perhaps it’s best to just use your suggestion of milk as the substitute?

      Reply
      • Julia Foerster says

        November 10, 2022 at 8:59 am

        I can’t really say if cranberry juice would work without testing it, sorry! The cake can sit at room temperature for a few days.

        Reply
    2. Carolina M says

      July 22, 2020 at 3:15 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent! Thanks for sharing :)

      Reply
    3. Erfan says

      July 04, 2020 at 9:35 am

      5 stars
      It tastes amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
      Best for Christmas time!

      Reply
    4. Jasmine says

      December 05, 2019 at 8:10 am

      Hi julia!

      Your recipe looks great and can’t wait to try it for my family Christmas party this weekend :)

      Just to check would it be okay for me to bake the cake a day before hand? Is there any things I should take note in terms of storage for the cake? Or should I only put on the glaze on the actual day? Thanks and would love your advice

      Reply
      • Julia Foerster says

        December 06, 2019 at 9:24 am

        You can definitely bake it one day in advance. If you have one of those cake transport boxes, those are best for storing cakes like this in. Otherwise, just let it sit overnight at room temperature, don’t but it in the fridge. I would put on the glaze on the actual day. Hope this helps!

        Reply
    5. Nancy says

      November 14, 2017 at 7:45 am

      Sounds like it might be a new favorite. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    6. Ahu @ Ahu Eats says

      February 27, 2016 at 9:43 pm

      Wow, what a beautiful cake – I bet it smells amazing. I love your blog and your photographs!

      Reply
      • Julia says

        May 30, 2016 at 3:07 pm

        Thank you so much, Ahu! You’re so sweet :-)

        Reply
    7. Tracy says

      February 14, 2016 at 3:42 pm

      Wow – never thought about using red wine in baking! What a really pretty cake!

      Reply
      • Julia says

        May 30, 2016 at 3:06 pm

        Thank you, Tracy!

        Reply
    8. GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth says

      February 14, 2016 at 7:19 pm

      This sounds and looks amazing! I’m going to have to try a dairy-free/vegan version of it. Thanks for sharing :)

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome!

    Julia Foerster from Plated Cravings

    Hi, I'm Julia! Born in Germany, I call Canada now my home and love to share my favorite dishes with you! Here you'll find hundreds of recipes, all made from scratch with lots of tips and detailed step-by-step instructions. ➝ Visit my about page and ➝ subscribe to never miss a new recipe!

    Favorite Recipes

    • Black Forest Cake
    • Brioche French Toast
    • Butterscotch Cookies
    • Blueberry Bread
    • Easy Creme Brulee Recipe
    • Chocolate Mousse Cake

    Top Posts

    • Moist Lemon Cake Recipe
    • Air Fryer Donuts
    • Air Fryer Onion Rings
    • Apple Strudel Recipe
    • Air Fryer Chicken Wings
    • Oven Roasted Potatoes

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy & Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Policy

    As Featured On

    Press Images

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with us

    Copyright © 2022 Plated Cravings