Orange Cranberry Cupcakes
Bring a little sparkle to your dessert table with these orange cranberry cupcakes! Fluffy orange-kissed cake dotted with tart cranberries, topped with creamy orange cream cheese frosting and finished with sparkling sugared cranberries and orange slices. Bright, festive, and bursting with holiday cheer!
Whether you’re hosting an ugly sweater party or just vibing with your favorite 80s holiday flick, these orange cranberry cupcakes bring the perfect mix of sweet and sparkle.
Made with moist and fluffy orange cake studded with tart cranberries, swirled with orange cream cheese frosting, and finished with sparkling sugared cranberries, these cupcakes are sure to brighten the holidays more than Clark Griswold’s Christmas lights.
They’re festive without being fussy — the kind of treat that says “I’m on the nice list, but I party like I’m on the naughty one.”
So throw on your best ugly sweater, hit play on “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, and let’s get baking!
If you can’t get enough cranberry or citrus flavor, check out my cranberry orange cake, cranberry cupcakes, and cranberry orange linzer cookies.
How to Make Orange Cranberry Cupcakes
Step 1: Prep and preheat. Preheat the oven and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Step 2:Make the cupcake batter. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Cream the sugar, butter and oil. Add the egg, sour cream, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Alternative adding the dry ingredients with milk and orange juice and mix until the batter is smooth. Fold in the cranberries.
Step 3: Bake the cupcakes. Portion the cupcake batter into cupcake liners and bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes.
Step 4: Make the frosting. Cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar, orange juice and zest, and salt, and whip the frosting until it is smooth and creamy.
Step 5: Frost and decorate the cupcakes. Use a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip to generously frost the cupcakes with the orange cream cheese frosting. Decorate the cupcakes with orange slices and sugared cranberries.
Courtney’s Expert Cupcake Baking Tips
- Use fresh orange juice and orange zest for the best and brightest citrus flavor.
- Avoid overmixing the batter. Mix until just combined to keep the cupcakes soft and tender.
- Roughly chop the cranberries before adding them to the cupcake batter so the cranberries are well distributed throughout the cupcakes. No need to coat them in flour before adding them – cranberries are so light that they will not sink to the bottom.
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion the cupcake batter for even, uniform cupcakes.
- Blot the orange slices to remove some of the excess juice before decorating the cupcakes.
- Check out my posts on tips for making the best cupcakes, best buttercream frosting, and my favorite cupcake baking supplies for even more helpful tips and tricks.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe, I highly recommend going with fresh cranberries. You can use frozen in a pinch, but the cranberries can bleed into the cupcake batter. If you use frozen, thaw the cranberries and then blot them with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture. I do not recommend using dried cranberries for this recipe.
Check out my recipe for sugared cranberries here. For this recipe, you will need about 1 cup of sugared cranberries, so about half the recipe. Any leftovers are great for decorating other baked goods or for snacking!
Check out my recipe for cranberry orange cake. It is a moist and tender orange cake studded with fresh cranberries, frosted in orange cream cheese frosting, and decorated with sugared cranberries. Basically the same recipe with measurements for a cake.
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Orange Cranberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Orange Cranberry Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp (1.5 tsp) baking powder
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 (1) large egg (room temperature)
- 2 tbsp (24 g) sour cream (room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp (3 tsp) orange zest (about 1 orange)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk (room temperature)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- ¾ cup (75 g) fresh cranberries (chopped)
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese (room temperature)
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) orange zest
- ¼ tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
Additional Ingredients
- 36 (36) sugared cranberries (recipe)
- 12 (12) orange slices
Instructions
Orange Cranberry Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the granulated sugar, unsalted butter, and vegetable oil for a few minutes until light and creamy. Add the egg, sour cream, vanilla extract, and orange zest and mix until smooth.
- Add in half of the flour mixture and mix until mostly combined. Then, pour in the milk and orange juice and mix until mostly combined. Add the remaining half of the flour mixture and mix until combined and smooth. Fold in the chopped cranberries.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop about ¾ full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until the cupcakes bounces back when gently touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the room temperature unsalted butter and cream cheese for 5 minutes until light, pale, and creamy.
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed until the sugar is fully combined. Add in the orange juice, orange zest, and salt and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and whip the buttercream for about 3 to 5 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix for several minutes to smooth out the frosting.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the orange cream cheese frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto the cooled orange cranberry cupcakes. Decorate the cupcakes with orange slices and sugared cranberries.
Notes
- Room temperature: If serving on the same day, store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool place away from direct sunlight for about 2 hours.
- Refrigerator: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
- Freezer: Store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container or freezer-safe storage bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cupcakes and then frost as directed.
Nutrition
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
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