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Whenever the holidays roll around I feel compelled to bake. I mean, I want to bake all the things. All of them! With all of the birthdays and anniversaries in our family, and then Christmas and New Year’s Eve…it’s just a big, delicious month of baked goods up in here. These Cranberry Orange Cupcakes with Cranberry Frosting are just one of the many goodies I’ve whipped up recently.
Cranberry Orange Cupcakes with Cranberry Frosting
These festive cupcakes feel very winter and holiday-ish, but they deviate just a bit from your typical holiday fare with their orange and cranberry flavor (chocolate and peppermint, I still love you!).
I love the combo of orange and cranberry (can’t go wrong with these flavors), and I thought the cranberry frosting would be the perfect topping for these yummy cupcakes.
I played with the cranberry frosting a bit, and it turned out that the simplest recipe was the winner. Just three ingredients in this easy frosting – and it only takes a few minutes to make! Plus, you can make it ahead and store it in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
I bet you already have many of the ingredients for these cupcakes around the house! We used Simply Orange and Simply Cranberry juices for the cupcakes and the frosting. We picked them up at Kroger (although we usually have the Simply Orange and Simply Cranberry in the fridge already).
Here’s how to make these yummy little cakes of cranberry orange deliciousness (you can print the recipe card out at the bottom of the post)!
Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl with a whisk and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the granulated butter and sugar until nice and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until it’s fluffy.
Add the flour mix and beat until just mixed. Add the sour cream, cranberry sauce, and orange zest and beat until mixed and fluffy (lots of fluffiness in this recipe!).
Divide evenly into a muffin tin with cupcake liners and bake for about 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out dry. While the cupcakes are baking, put the frosting together.
Mix butter, powdered sugar, and cranberry juice with your mixer until nice and fluffy (there it is again!). This frosting recipe is really easy to make and simple to adjust. If you want it thicker, just increase the amount of powdered sugar you use. If you need to thin it out, add a little bit more juice.
This Simply Cranberry gives it the prettiest pink color!
Once your cupcakes have baked, let them cool for a few minutes before removing from the muffin tin. Let them cool completely before frosting. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and dried cranberries for a pretty finishing touch.
These cranberry orange cupcakes are perfect for parties and holiday desserts. They’re also great gifts when you package them up nice and cute and present to neighbors and friends!
Cranberry Orange Cupcakes with Cranberry Frosting
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 c all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 sticks butter at room temperature
- 3/4 c granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1/2 c sour cream
- 1/3 c orange juice
- 1/4 c whole cranberry jelly
- 1 tbsp orange zest
Cranberry Frosting
- 2 sticks butter at room temperature
- 3 c powdered sugar
- 1/3 c cranberry juice
Optional Toppings
- powdered sugar
- dried cranberries
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until mixed and creamy (about two minutes). Add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium speed until fluffy (about three minutes). Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until flour is just mixed in. Add sour cream, orange juice, cranberry sauce, and orange zest. Mix until ingredients are fluffy (about two minutes).
- Divide betwween the muffin cups and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out dry (about 23 minutes in my oven). Let cool for a couple of minutes before removing from the muffin tin.
- Frost once cooled. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and dried cranberries.
Frosting
- Mix butter and one cup powdered sugar in a bowl until combined (about two minutes). Slowly add remaining two cups of powdered sugar and mix on low-medium low until thoroughly mixed (about two minutes). Add cranberry juice and mix. Frosting will be light and fluffy and pink all the way through when it's ready.
Notes
Nutrition
Happy holiday baking, y’all!
