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Cranberry Orange Loaf

This cranberry orange loaf is moist, bright, and studded with tart fresh cranberries, with a sunny orange glaze and a crown of sparkling sugared cranberries. It bakes in one pan, slices beautifully, and tastes like the holidays in a loaf.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 slices
Calories 330 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the loaf:

  • 2 cups 250 g all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon for tossing the cranberries
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 cup 200 g granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest from 2 large oranges
  • 1/2 cup 113 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 cup 120 g sour cream, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup 60 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups 150 g fresh cranberries

For the orange glaze:

  • 1 cup 120 g powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest

For the sugared cranberries:

  • 1/2 cup 50 g fresh cranberries
  • 1/4 cup 60 ml water
  • 1/4 cup 50 g granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup (50 g) for rolling

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on the long sides so the loaf lifts out easily.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients: in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • Cream the butter and sugar: in a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and orange zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the sour cream, orange juice, and vanilla until smooth.
  • Add the dry ingredients: with the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and mix just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix — a few small lumps are fine.
  • Fold in the cranberries: toss the fresh cranberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour, then fold them gently into the batter with a spatula. The flour coating keeps the berries from sinking to the bottom.
  • Bake: pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too quickly, tent the pan loosely with foil after 40 minutes.
  • Cool: let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment overhang and cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Glaze only once the loaf is fully cool.
  • Make the glaze: whisk the sifted powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of orange juice and the orange zest until smooth and pourable. Add the remaining juice a teaspoon at a time if the glaze is too thick. Drizzle over the cooled loaf, letting it drip down the sides.
  • Make the sugared cranberries: in a small saucepan, simmer the water and 1/4 cup of sugar until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, stir in the cranberries, and let them stand for 5 minutes. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, roll them in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and dry on parchment for 30 minutes. Scatter over the glazed loaf before serving.

Notes

Toss the cranberries in flour before folding them in — the light coating keeps the berries suspended in the crumb instead of sinking to the bottom of the pan.
 
Do not overmix once the flour goes in. Stir just until the dry streaks disappear; overmixed batter bakes up tough instead of tender.
 
Frozen cranberries work just as well as fresh — use them straight from the freezer, no thawing, and add 5 extra minutes to the bake time.
 
If the top browns too fast, tent the pan loosely with foil after 40 minutes. The loaf needs the full bake time to set in the center.
 
Make it ahead: bake the loaf up to 2 days ahead and glaze it the day you serve it. It also freezes beautifully, unglazed, for up to 2 months.
Keyword cranberry orange loaf