Cranberry Orange Bread – Baker by Nature

This festive cranberry orange bread recipe combines contemporary orange juice, orange zest, cranberries, and crunchy pecans! We love this topped with a candy orange glaze, however a dusting of powdered sugar can be a scrumptious possibility. Recent or frozen cranberries each work nice!

Cranberry Bread with Orange Glaze
Right this moment we’re busting out our loaf pans and baking the perfect cranberry bread ever! Or, what I’m boldly calling. “my favourite recipe of the season”. This bread is tremendous moist, loaded with ruby pink cranberries, studded with crunchy nuts, and lined in candy orange glaze.
I completely love cranberry recipes: from cranberry sauce to cranberry scones, cranberry muffins, and cranberry pie. So suffice it to say, this recipe holds a particular place in my coronary heart! And I’ve a sense when you strive it, it’ll have a particular place in your coronary heart, too.

Why You’ll Love this Cranberry Bread Recipe
- Tremendous simple to assemble – the batter comes collectively in about 10 minutes!
- Loaded with taste because of orange zest, orange juice, and gorgeously tart cranberries.
- Topped with a thick and candy orange glaze!
- Made with contemporary or frozen cranberries, you can also make this year-round! I don’t recommend utilizing dried cranberries, however in a pinch, even these will work okay.
- Baked in a loaf pan, this cake is tremendous simple to bake and transport as wanted. Should you’re touring and searching for a particular recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas, this one will work splendidly!
- Simple to freeze – be happy to freeze the entire loaf or leftover slices.
- Good for Christmas breakfast, a Thanksgiving Day snack, or anytime you’re craving a festive deal with.


Components for Cranberry Bread
- Bitter Cream: Should you can’t discover bitter cream, full-fat plain Greek yogurt will make the perfect substitute.
- Oranges: For the perfect taste, use contemporary orange juice and orange zest on this recipe.
- Oil: I exploit vegetable oil, however canola oil, olive oil, and refined melted coconut oil will all work nice. The sort of oil you utilize will barely change the flavour of the bread, however not a lot.
- Flour: Crucial of the dry components, use the proper kind and quantity of flour referred to as for! I’ve solely examined this recipe utilizing all-purpose flour, and I can not advise on utilizing different flour substitutes.
- Spices: Floor cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt improve the flavors on this orange bread. The cardamom is non-obligatory, however in case you have it readily available, I extremely recommend utilizing it. It enhances the orange taste much more!
- Leavening Brokers: Baking powder and baking soda assist this bread unfold evenly within the loaf pan and rise. Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are contemporary!
- Butter: I virtually at all times recommend utilizing unsalted butter, however in a pinch, chances are you’ll use salted butter. And omit the salt referred to as for within the bread recipe. Be sure you use room temperature butter! Chilly butter will clump up and received’t evenly mix into the batter.
- Sugar: You’ll use granulated sugar and lightweight brown sugar within the orange bread. And confectioners’ sugar within the orange glaze. An non-obligatory ingredient is sparkling sugar, which you sprinkle on prime of the loaf earlier than baking.
- Eggs: Carry your eggs to room temperature earlier than including them to the batter! Giant selection eggs work greatest on this recipe.
- Cranberries: Recent or frozen cranberries will work. I prefer to slice them in half for the batter, however you’ll be able to add a few complete cranberries to the highest of the loaf. It provides a stunning rustic look!
- Pecans: Should you don’t like pecans, be happy to make use of walnuts as an alternative. Or, in case you have a nut allergy, chances are you’ll utterly omit them.


Tricks to Make the Greatest Cranberry Bread
- Use the suitable baking pan! A metallic or aluminized metal 9×5-inch loaf pan works greatest! Should you use a glass or ceramic baking pan, you’ll want to extend the baking time. Begin with 8 to 10 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out clear.
- You probably have a digital kitchen scale, weigh each your dry components and moist components. In baking, precision is the whole lot, so having the proper measurements makes an enormous distinction.
- Use room temperature components when referred to as for! I do know it may be arduous to attend, however chilly components don’t bond collectively, and utilizing them will negatively impression your bread.
- Cool utterly earlier than slicing and serving! I like to chill the cranberry bread within the tin for at the very least 10 minutes. Then switch it to a wire cooling rack to chill utterly.

Recent or Frozen Cranberries?
If you will discover contemporary cranberries, I encourage you to make use of them! However in the event you can solely discover frozen cranberries, don’t fret. They work superbly on this recipe, so long as you don’t thaw them first. You need to add the berries to the batter utterly frozen!
So, what about dried cranberries? Properly, I don’t personally suggest utilizing them. However in the event you do, I’d solely use 1 cup. And rehydrate them in one thing like orange juice or heat water earlier than including them to the batter.

Instruments for this Recipe
This put up might comprise affiliate hyperlinks.


Cranberry Orange Bread
This festive cranberry orange bread recipe combines contemporary orange juice, orange zest, cranberries, and crunchy pecans! We love this topped with a candy orange glaze, however a dusting of powdered sugar can be a scrumptious possibility. Recent or frozen cranberries each work nice!
Components
For the Cranberry Orange Bread:
- 3/4 cup (171g) bitter cream room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest finely grated
- 1/3 cup (76ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
- 3 Tablespoons (42ml) vegetable oil
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon floor cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon floor nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon floor cardamom non-obligatory, however scrumptious
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup (149g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (53g) mild brown sugar packed
- 2 massive eggs room temperature
- 2 cups (200g) *cranberries reduce in half
- 1/2 cup (57g) pecans coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons glowing sugar non-obligatory
For the Orange Glaze:
- 1/2 cup (77g) confectioners’ sugar sifted
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
For the Cranberry Orange Bread:
-
Preheat the oven to 350 levels (F). Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Put aside till wanted.
-
In a small bowl, stir collectively the bitter cream, orange zest, orange juice, and oil. Put aside till wanted.
-
In a big bowl, whisk collectively the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, baking powder and baking soda. Put aside.
-
Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a big bowl utilizing a handheld electrical mixer, beat the butter till easy. Add in each sugars and proceed beating till mild and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
-
Add within the eggs, one after the other, beating nicely after every addition.
-
On low velocity, add the dry components in 3 additions, alternating with the moist components in 2 additions, mixing simply till mixed. Don’t over combine.
-
Flip the mixer off and use a rubber spatula to softly stir in cranberries and nuts. Don’t over combine.
-
Scrape the batter into the ready pan and unfold evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the highest with glowing sugar (I prefer to press a couple of additional complete cranberries and pecans on prime too, in case you have additional).
-
Bake for half-hour, then scale back the warmth to 325° F. Proceed to bake till golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clear, about 45 minutes longer.
-
Cool the loaf within the pan for about 10 minutes, then prove onto the rack and funky at the very least 1 hour earlier than glazing and serving.
For the Orange Glaze:
-
In a big liquid measuring cup or bowl, mix the sugar, orange juice, and salt. The combination needs to be tremendous thick and simply barely pourable. If the glaze is simply too thick, add extra orange juice, a teaspoon at a time. If the glaze is simply too skinny, add extra confectioners’ sugar, a Tablespoon at a time.
-
Drizzle (zigzag) the glaze over the cooled cake and permit it to set for 20 minutes. Then slice and serve!
Notes
*Fresh or frozen cranberries can be utilized, if utilizing frozen, do NOT thaw.