Cranberry Orange Loaf Cake is a moist, sweet, texturally beautiful loaf that celebrates the bright flavors of the season. Swirled with tart cranberry sauce and brightened up with winter citrus and a thin glaze that shatters perfectly as you slice yourself a piece. It is a beautiful holiday breakfast or brunch dessert. A perfect start to Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.
A Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich is half of the reason I love Thanksgiving, it’s that delicious. But no matter how many sandwiches I eat or how much cranberry mayo I make, we always always always have extra. Cranberry sauce is sweet and tart and adds beautiful acid to our starchy, buttery dinner plates and man is she underutilized! I am here to give cranberry sauce some love & the attention it deserves.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: I always use King Arthur Flour
- Salt: I always use diamond kosher salt
- Butter: unsalted butter is preferred
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Orange juice: fresh orange juice is best. use your favorite orange. I love to use mandarins as well!
- Orange zest
- Sour cream: can be replaced with plain yogurt, but I just love sour cream in cakes
- Cranberry sauce: homemade cranberry sauce is what I have made this recipe with. I have not tried canned. You could also use raw cranberries if that is all you have. Cranberry sauce is definitely your best choice
- Vanilla extract
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Cranberry Orange Loaf Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter 5oz room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 ½ tbsp fresh orange juice*
- 2 tsp orange zest
- ¾ cup sour cream room temperature
- ⅓ cup homemade cranberry sauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1/4 tsp orange zest
Instructions
- Prep the Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan with butter and line it with parchment paper (optional: I like a browned outside so I often go no parchment, but if you are worried about sticking, use it!)
- Make batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl with hand mixer or your stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter & sugar together 2 minutes on medium high. Scrape sides and bottom. Add the vanilla and then eggs one at a time, on medium high until combined. Add flour & mix in on low. Once just mixed, add sour cream, orange juice & zest. Mix on low & scrape sides and bottom again make sure everything is well combined.
- Bake: Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Next add almost all of the cranberry sauce (reserving 2-3 tbs for swirling at the top). Swirl it around the batter to evenly cover. Add remaining batter on top and smooth it evenly. Swirl remaining tablespoons of cranberry sauce over the top. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
- Cool & Glaze: Let loaf cool in the tin on a wire rack. Once cool to the touch, remove from loaf pan and finish cooling on the wire rack. When your loaf is completely cool, make the glaze by mixing the ingredients together in a small bowl and carefully pour over your loaf.
- Let the glaze set for the cleanest slices—but you can slice anytime! I prefer to eat it when the glaze is set.
