Cranberry Orange Cupcakes Recipe
This Cranberry Orange Cupcakes Recipe makes the perfect light and fluffy cupcakes! If you love the flavor of cranberries and orange, you have to make these cupcakes! They’re crazy good and simple! Be sure to check out the rest of my cupcake recipes as well!
Once you mix the dry ingredients with the rest, you’re well on your way to creating some of the most refreshing and flavorful cupcakes ever! Trust me when I say that the flavor of these scrumptious cupcakes will have you going back and grabbing just one more!
I love piling the frosting high and then adding a sugared cranberry. It just makes these cupcakes look so fancy!
While I will literally eat these anytime of the year, I think that these would be a fun addition to any holiday table as well. Cranberry and Orange just scream Christmas and Thanksgiving!
Recipes using oranges offer the best citrus flavor!
Cranberry Orange Cupcakes Recipe
You have options when it comes to making these cupcakes, and that is a good thing! Some people prefer to use store-bought frosting, so do what works well with your wants and needs.
My boys love these cranberry orange treats, and I tend to make them a lot during the holiday season. They just pair so well with all the other flavors of the holidays that I can’t miss a chance to make them a few times. Anything cranberry is always added to my holiday meal planning menu.
Should I add liners to the muffin tins or spray with nonstick spray?
I prefer using cupcake liners just because they’re easier. If you don’t have any, you need to make sure that you spray the inside of the tin really well so that the cupcakes won’t stick.
The reason that I love using cupcake liners is that it helps to make the perfect cupcake with minimal cleanup afterward.
If you’ve ever had anything stick inside of a muffin pan, then you know how long it takes to clean it, right? With liners, you don’t have to spend time soaking, scrubbing, and repeating that process over and over again until the pan is clean.
Liners omit the worry of having a huge mess to clean up.
Specialty Ingredients:
The following ingredients are affiliate links on Amazon because they may be a bit hard to find in your normal store. I wanted you to be able to see exactly which things we are using.
- Orange zest
- dried cranberries/fresh cranberries/frozen cranberries
Reminder, not all ingredients in the Orange Cranberry Cupcake Recipe are linked above, just the ones that may be a bit difficult to find or that you might be unsure of what to look for
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Must Have Resources:
When making Cranberry Cupcakes at home, you really need to have the following Amazon affiliate tools on hand.
- Stand mixer/electric mixer
- Large bowl/medium bowl
Make it a Meal:
I’ve been meal planning for so many years now that I’ve lost count! I can’t tell you how much simpler it makes mealtime in our house! See how easy it can be by my fast example below?
Main Dish: Easy Casserole Recipes
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Vegetable Side: Roasted Spring Vegetables
Starch Side: Garlic and Parmesan Steak Fries
Refreshing Drink: Super Tasty Blue Mocktail Recipes
Best Cranberry Dessert Recipes:
Once you make this Easy Cranberry Cupcake Recipe, it’s time to find out what else you can create using cranberries! I have so many yummy sweets and treats that you’re going to have to make them all! Don’t limit yourself – just start working down the list. (and come back and thank me later once you try them all!)
This Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Recipe is one of my favorite ways to start the day! It’s basically dessert for breakfast.
I love the flavor of this Cranberry Orange Cookies Recipe!
Check out how to make this Apple Cranberry Muffin recipe!
Treat your tastebuds with this Cranberry Orange Spritzer!
I can’t get enough of these White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies!
Check out how simple it is to make this Honey Maid Graham Cracker Cranberry Apple Pie Recipe!
Everyone is going to gobble up this Cranberry Orange Whoopie Pies Recipe!
What is the best way to add frosting to cupcakes?
You need to be sure to let the cupcakes cool completely before adding any type of frosting. Once the cupcakes are close to room temperature, you can frost them with the orange frosting that’s in the recipe card below, or you can add cream cheese frosting, or even just add powdered sugar.
If you don’t let the cupcakes cool all the way, the frosting will either melt into the cupcakes and leave nothing on top or literally slide off the cupcakes because the surface is too hot for the frosting to stay on.
A good rule of thumb is to let the cupcakes cool for about 20 minutes, then lightly touch the top of the cupcakes. If you feel any warmth, they need to cool for longer.
If the cupcakes are cool to the touch, that is your clue that it’s time to add the frosting to the tops of the cupcakes.
More Orange Recipes:
- Orange Mocktail Recipe
- Pork Tenderloin Sliders with Orange Aioli
- Orange Cupcakes with Italian Meringue
More Awesome Cupcake Recipes:
- Raspberry Surprise Cupcake Recipe
- Rocky Road Cupcakes
- Adorable Cotton Candy Cupcake Recipe
- Strawberry Creme Wafer Cupcakes
- Fun Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
Cranberry Orange Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ Cup(s) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup(s) White Sugar
- ½ Cup(s) Vegetable Oil
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup(s) Whole Milk
- Zest of One Orange
- 1 Cup(s) Cranberries
Frosting:
- 1 Cup(s) Butter
- 5-6 Cup(s) Powdered Icing Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Orange Juice
- Orange Zest
Sugared Cranberries:
- 18 Cranberries
- ½ Cup(s) Water
- ½ Cup(s) White Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the cupcake liners to the cupcake pan.
- Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a different bowl, beat the oil and sugar until fluffy for about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and milk.
- Add the flour slowly and mix. There should be no lumps. Add the orange zest and cranberries and stir.
- Pour the batter into the cupcake liners and bake about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes.
- As the cupcakes are cooling, you can make the frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat the powdered sugar, orange juice, and butter for two minutes. It should form stiff peaks. Add in more juice or zest if you’d like.
- Put the frosting into a piping bag with a tip. Add to the cupcakes.
- Dip a cranberry in the water and roll in white sugar. Add one to the top of each cupcake.
Nutrition
Are you looking forward to more of the cranberry flavor or the orange flavor of these homemade cupcakes? I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cupcake dessert!
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