Cranberry Orange Bread

5 from 4 votes

Easy and quick sweet bread topped with a simple orange glaze and decorated with sugared cranberries for a festive touch.

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Total Time1 10

Course: Bread, Cake

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Bread, cranberry, orange

Servings: slices

Calories: 456kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup milk
½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest about 1 large orange
¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice about 1 large orange
3 large eggs lightly beaten
2 cups cranberries rinsed and dried

For the icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice, about ½ an orange

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Make a well in the center.
In a small mixing bowl combine the milk, melted butter, vanilla, orange zest, orange juice and eggs. Fold together with a spatula until blended. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Fold together with the spatula until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Gently fold in the cranberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Allow the unbaked cake to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until light golden brown. Test with a long toothpick or skewer. The cake is done when the skewer comes out with no wet batter. Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Notes

If you plan to wrap and gift this sweet bread, skip the orange icing and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of coarse sugar on top before baking.
Cranberry Orange Bread can be frozen for up to 60 days. Cool completely and wrap in plastic wrap then seal in a large ziplock bag. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature before icing.
Substitute frozen cranberries for fresh if desired. Allow the cranberries to thaw for about an hour at room temperature.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition