I’m running through the Wilson family’s greatest holiday baking hits in my kitchen, counting down the days until I spend Christmas with my family in Los Angeles. Wait… doesn’t Wilson Family’s Greatest Holiday Baking Hits sound like a great idea for a television show? Oh the butter. Oh the antics. Now, while dad is chief pie baker and cookie connoisseur, Mom Wilson has some tried and true holiday recipe GEMS I tell ya. See, of course: Mom’s Famous Peanut Butter Balls. BUT one of my favorite December treats to come from the Wilson oven is my mom and grandmother’s recipe for Cranberry Orange Bread.
By ‘bread’ I certainly mean ‘sweet bread’ because this bread is more of a cake baked in a loaf pan. The crumb is tender but sturdy. You could slice a piece, sandwich it in a paper towel and hand it across the counter without it falling apart which, is certainly the polite and familiar thing to do.
The highlight of this bread is the sweet orange flavor accented by bursts of tart fresh cranberries. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and bright topped with a simple cinnamon crunch – FRIENDS this bread is a perfect flavor pairing.
I especially love a slice lightly toasted and smeared with butter alongside a too-hot cup of coffee. Can you imagine? I know you can… hit that scroll for the recipe.
Here’s what you’ll need for this Cranberry Orange Bread recipe:
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder, baking soda, salt
• granulated sugar
• unsalted butter, at room temperature
• orange zest and orange juice
• large eggs
• fresh cranberries (though if you’re using frozen cranberries, thaw and drain them)
• vanilla extract
• flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter for the crumble topping.
• powdered sugar and milk for an easy glaze.
We’ll start by making the batter. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar and all) in a large bowl. Add room temperature butter and break the butter into the flour until the mixture is coarse and sandy and only small butter bits remain. I use my fingers for this – it’s easiest. It might seem strange that we’re not creaming our butter and sugar for this recipe. We’re using a technique called reverse creaming that I talk about here.
In a medium bowl whisk together orange juice, egg, and vanilla extract.
Pour the wet ingredients all at once to the flour mixture and stir to combine into a thick batter.
Fold fresh cranberries into the batter.
Fresh cranberries are key here! Dried cranberries aren’t as juicy or tart. You want that pop of tartness to balance all the sweet orange. Frozen cranberries work well for this recipe. Just thaw and drain before folding into the batter.
Spoon batter into a parchment-lined and greased pan.
Parchment isn’t essential but it sure makes the bread easier to lift out of the pan after baking.
It’s optional, but I like a crumble topping on this cranberry orange bread. It adds a nice crunch to the top of the bread. If you wanted to add pecans or walnuts, that would also be nice!
Bake the loaf to golden. Cool completely on a wire rack before adding a drizzle of glaze.
This is the sort of cake that’s perfect in the morning with a cup of coffee, a definite afternoon snack, and a really nice sneak-to-the-kitchen-after-dinner bite. It’s an everything sweet bread that also packages nicely for gifting.
This baked loaf also freezes super well. Just double wrap and freeze for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator and toast gently before serving.
Mom has it right!
Other divine cranberry bakes include: Cranberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Rolls.
Print
Cranberry Orange Loaf Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Makes 1 9x5-inch loaf 1x
- Category: dessert, holiday
Description
A perfect holiday sweet bread with orange, tart cranberries, and a crunchy cinnamon top.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 grans) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
For the Topping:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup (31 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) powdered sugar and a splash of milk for an optional glaze
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Line loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on each side. Grease the parchment paper and dust with flour on all sides. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add chunks of butter and work the butter into the flour with your fingers. Try to blend the butter into each bit of the dry ingredients. The mixture will resemble a coarse meal with a few tiny butter bits.
- In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir together to incorporate. Add the cranberries and fold into the batter.
- To make the topping combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with topping. Place in the oven and allow to bake until the cake is golden brown and the center is cooked through. Don’t shift or move the cake for at least 30 minutes through baking. It can be fragile as it rises. Insert a skewer into the center of the cake to ensure that it’s cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the loaf from the pan and allow to cool further on a wire rack.
- For the glaze I whisked together 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and just a splash of milk. I drizzled it over the cooled coffee cake.
Photos with my friend Jon Melendez.
Patty
I’ve been making this for a few years now, and realized I’ve never commented. This is one of my favorite recipes ever! So so so good!! Thank you, Joy!
Chris
Thanks for helping me with my zero sum game for holiday cranberries! I was so excited to see this would use up my last cup and looks so yummy.
samantha campanini
I just cooked some brownies and cleaned the kitchen, now I want to start all over again with this bread!
Sally Baldwin
I love cranberry-orange and have made many cranberry breads over the years I followed the directions exactly (something I have a hard time doing) and it came out delicious. It is not too sweet but still would qualify as dessert. Or a breakfast bread. The cinnamon topping came out crunchy and was a nice contrast to the moist cake. This is a saver recipe! Thanks so much Joy
★★★★★
pat
Yum! Super easy and full of flavour. Just had a piece, lightly toasted for breakfast. So good.
Micha
Made a double batch of these today, resulting in 6 smaller loaves.. They are OUTSTANDING! So fresh and bright tasting. Thanks for posting this recipe and the tool to multiply the ingredients. Happy Holidays!
★★★★★
Jen
How long did you bake the smaller loaves? Thinking they would make a perfect holiday gift!
joythebaker
I would set the timer for 18 minutes and keep an eye on them after that depending on the size of your mini loaves!
Donna
Just made this today since I had cranberries and an orange in my fridge. It’s delicious! Not overly sweet, along with the tart and citrus notes coming through. Definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Alene
I adore cranberries in anything. I wonder if anyone has tried it gluten free? Thank you!
Anna
I made it with Bob’s 1-to-1 and vegan butter and it turned out fine.
Anna D
I just made this using bob’s 1-to-1 GF flour and melt vegan butter. (Plus crumble, minus glaze) Crumb and consistency worked great. The orange and cranberry flavors really popped, but I’m afraid the Bob’s mix tends to be bland for me. I’ll have to try it with another GF flour blend. Otherwise very simple and delicious recipe! Thanks!
★★★★★
Sabrina
love these ingredients, and love the cranberries to offset the sweetness and for this time of year, thank you!
★★★★★
Virginia
Could this recipe be used for muffins.
joythebaker
Absolutely! Use cupcake liners and the baking time might be 18-22 minutes or so!
Carolyn B.
I am in love with this recipe, I’ve made cranberry orange bread for years, but it tends to fall apart after slicing. The cutting in of the butter into the dry ingredients is a revelation. Also the touch of vanilla. I did add 2 tablespoons of toasted walnuts to the crumb topping and used orange juice with a bit of zest for the icing instead of milk. I made them into muffins with fancy liners for the holidays. So far, two requests for the recipe. I bet they would be great made with blueberries when you don’t have cranberries on hand. Thanks for the yumminess.
★★★★★
Erika
I have an uncle that loves cranberry orange butter, so I think I might make this for him; I think he’d like it. Thanks for sharing your family recipe. Merry Christmas to you!
Emily
This looks amazing! I don’t bake very often these days, but I used to make one of your older recipes every year around the holidays—it was a sweet, quick bread with cranberries and cornmeal. I even bought one of those pans for four mini loaves, specifically so I could bake a holiday gift for each of my coworkers. This recipe reminds me of that and brings back cozy holiday memories!
Ted
Sure would be nice to see some nutritional information.
★★★
Emily
You can easily calculate that yourself using an online nutrition tracking site.
Jan McNeill
How about timing for making in small loaf pans? Mini Bundt pans? Too fragile?
joythebaker
Yes! I would say keep an eye on the loaves around 20 minutes!