Easy Cranberry Orange Loaf
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Our Cranberry Orange Loaf recipe features tart cranberries with a burst of citrus flavor. It’s a tasty addition to your Fall and holiday dinners.
When the holiday season rolls around, many of us are all about the sweets and the breads. These colorful and festive recipes, like Cranberry Orange Cake, put us in the holiday spirit.
And many times, they take us back to favorite childhood memories centered around eating, cooking, and celebrating family holiday traditions.
We’re sharing tips to help you get the best results with this recipe. If you don’t need the tips, scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and a printable recipe card.
Something about the flavors and scents of the season just takes you to a simpler time. Well, that’s if you have your holiday menu already set and aren’t rushing around to get things done. Check out our Tips for a Stress-Free Thanksgiving Dinner to tame the chaos.
Serve Cranberry Orange Bread for dessert, breakfast, snack, or brunch. Or add a few slices to a breakfast charcuterie board. It’s easy to make and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your fridge and pantry.
Looking for more easy bread recipes? Try our Vanilla Spiced Pumpkin Bread, Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf, Hawaiian Banana Bread and Cherry Bread with Maraschino Glaze.
And these loaves can be packaged up to hand out as gifts. Wrap in a cello bag, add a ribbon and a gift tag and you’ve got an easy edible gift for neighbors, teachers, hostess gifts or for holiday treat trays.
Ingredients for the BEST Cranberry Orange Loaf
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar – you can use granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- Egg – slightly beaten
- Orange juice – freshly squeezed adds a flavor bump in the recipe, but if you are in a pinch you can use store-bought
- Unsalted butter – this needs to be softened, so be sure to set aside some time. Keep reading for a tip to quickly soften butter.
- Water – you will want to make sure it is hot
- Walnuts – purchase whole ones and chop yourself or just buy the pre-chopped ones from the baking aisle
- Fresh cranberries
- Other ingredients: baking soda, baking powder, and salt
Orange Glaze Ingredients
The glaze is optional, but the sweetness adds a nice contrast to the tart berries so I highly recommend it. You will need powdered sugar, extra fresh-squeezed orange juice, and orange zest.
Get the complete ingredients & directions in the recipe card below.
How To Make Orange Zest Without a Zester
If you don’t have a zester, you have a couple of options. You can use the small holes on the side of a cheese grater. But don’t be tempted to use the larger holes that you shred cheese with. Those holes are too big and you’ll end up going too deep into the peel and grabbing the pith which is bitter.
You can also use a vegetable peeler and make light strokes over the orange. If you are seeing the white portion you have gone too deep and will need to start again. If you are peeling in strips, finely diced until you have a zest.
Can I Use Frozen Cranberries?
Yes! And you don’t even need to thaw them out before using. I like to buy a couple extra bags when they are in season and toss them in the freezer for later use. They’ll keep for a several months in the freezer.
How To Freeze Cranberry Bread
Wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap & place in a Ziploc freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
How to Soften Butter Quickly
If you find yourself short on time and you forgot to set your butter out, we’ve got a tip for you.
Boil a little bit of water, then carefully pour it into a glass. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then pour it out. If you don’t want to use the stove to boil it, use a microwave-safe container instead. Your water will be boiling in about 3-5 minutes.
Stand the stick of butter up on the counter and place the glass upside down over the butter stick. It should soften up in 5-10 minutes.
Can I make cranberry orange loaves in mini pans?
Yes! And mini loaves make the sweetest gifts. For some reason baked goods are cuter when made in a smaller size, right?
You’ll want to reduce the cooking time when using mini loaf pans. In general, the cooking time will be reduced by about half. They’re done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
This recipe will make about 3 mini loaves depending on the size of your mini loaf pans and how much batter you put into each pan.
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Easy Cranberry Orange Loaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped finely
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries, chopped finely
For Icing (Optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sift for a smoother glaze
- 1-2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1½ teaspoons orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a bread pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, slightly beat the egg.
- Add orange juice and softened butter. Mix until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Chop cranberries and nuts in food processor or with a sharp knife.
- Add water, chopped nuts and cranberries to mixture and stir until JUST combined (don’t overmix).
- Spread batter evenly into 1 standard bread pan or mini pans.
- Bake large pan for 60 minutes or small pans for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from pan and continue cooling.
- If using the optional icing, combine the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon orange juice and the zest and stir. Add additional juice until reaching a spreadable consistency. Drizzle over the cooled loaf and allow it to set up before serving.
Notes
- We like to use fresh-squeezed orange juice for this recipe but you can use store bought if preferred.
- Store cooled leftovers loosely wrapped, on the counter for 2-3 days. To freeze: wrap cooled loaves in plastic wrap and store in a ziptop freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutritional Estimate
Nutritional information is provided as a reference, using an online calculator. We recommend verifying the information independently for accuracy.
