• Preheat oven to 350°. Generously grease a 10-inch Bundt cake pan (affiliate).

Syrup

• Combine everything but the vanilla in a small saucepan, simmer for 2-3 minutes until dissolved. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and set aside to steep. Remove orange peel and cinnamon sticks before using.
  ½ cup sugar, ½ cup water, 6-8 inches orange peel, 3 inch cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake

• Combine sugar, salt, baking powder, and eggs in a stand mixer or a large bowl with hand beaters. Mix on medium speed for for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl.
  1 ¾ cups sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 3 eggs
• Add in the additional wet ingredients: buttermilk, oil, vanilla, zest, and cinnamon. Mix on low for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl.
  1 cup buttermilk, ½ cup oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Add in flour. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape one last time.
  2 ¼ cups flour
• Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then use a long skewer to poke holes ¾ of the way down the cake. Once holes are evenly distributed around the cake, pour the cooled syrup over the cake evenly. Allow it to finish cooling in the pan.
• When the cake is completely cooled, flip it out onto a cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Glaze

• Beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed in a medium bowl until well combined.
  1 tablespoon butter, 4 ounces cream cheese
• Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on low until combined and then for medium speed for 1 minute.
  1 ½ cups powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Add half and half a little at a time until desired consistency is reached. The glaze should be smooth and just thin enough to pour and drip down the sides. Too thick and it won’t drip down in a pretty fashion. Too thin and it will run down too quickly and disappear into the cake.
  2-3 tablespoon half-n-half

Decorating

• Pour a thick layer of glaze onto the top of the cake, allowing it to fall down both sides of the cake. After you’ve gone around the whole cake, go back while it is still wet and add more glaze in any spots that are bare or look odd. Lastly, pick up the cooling rack and tap it gently, but firmly, on the cookie sheet. This will help the glaze fall evenly and smoothly on the cake.
• It’s important to apply the decorations before the glaze sets up. Start with just of few of the white pearl sprinkles (affiliate). You can always add more.
  small pearl sprinkles
• Then place the holly and berry sprinkles (affiliate) on. We found it looked best to add two holly leaves and three berries to each of the skinny ridges, alternating back and forth between the inner and outer edge. For a final bit of extra sparkle sprinkle on some coarse simmer sugar (affiliate). 
  holly and berry sprinkles, shimmer white sugar
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