Moist Cranberry Bread Recipe
Print Pin VideoThis velvety soft cranberry bread recipe with orange glaze is packed with flavor and strikes the perfect balance between tart cranberries and sweet orange goodness. Best part is, it's super easy to make!
IMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Cranberry Bread
- 1½ cups (180 g) flour - plain, all purpose
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- ¼ cup (55 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- ¾ cup (150 g) white granulated sugar
- 2 tsps orange zest
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 g) milk - full fat, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (75 g) fresh orange juice - freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/essence
- 1¼ cups (135 g) fresh or frozen cranberries - if using frozen do not thaw
- 1 tbsp flour - for coating cranberries
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar - also known as icing/confectioners sugar
- 1½ tbsp (21 g) fresh orange juice - freshly squeezed
- 1 tbsp orange zest - optional, for decorating
Instructions
Cranberry Bread
- Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 1 if you don't have a fan function) and line an 8.5x4.5inch loaf tin (I like to lightly grease the tin before lining it so that the parchment paper sticks better).
- In a bowl sift together your flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In a large bowl add in the butter, vegetable oil, sugar and orange zest. Using a hand or stand mixer on a medium high speed, cream that together for 2 minutes until it's light and fluffy.
- Next add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition.
- Next add in the milk, fresh orange juice and vanilla, and mix until well combined. Once combined, take any remaining batter off of your mixer attachment/s and set aside as the rest of the mixing will be done by hand.
- Add the premixed dry ingredients into the wet, and using a spatula gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix (see note 2).
- Lastly, coat the cranberries with 1 tbsp of flour (see note 3), and then add them to the batter, discarding any excess flour. Fold them in with a spatula until just combined - do not overmix.
- Distribute the batter into the lined loaf tin and level out the top. Drop the cake tin lightly on the counter twice to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 65-60 minutes, or until a skewer or knife inserted into the centre comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs). If using fresh cranberries, check the bread at 50 minutes and bake further if needed.
- Once baked, allow the bread to cool in the loaf tin for atleast 20 minutes, before transferring it onto a wire rack to completely cool.
Orange Glaze
- Once the cranberry bread is completely cool, prepare the glaze. Combine powdered sugar and fresh orange juice and mix with a spoon. You should end up with a thick glaze (see note 4 if too thick or thin).
- Spread the orange glaze over the top and finish off by grating some orange zest over the glaze (optional - the orange zest is for decorating purposes). Slice with a serrated knife and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Note 1. In this recipe I use an oven with the fan function turned on, also known as convection mode. The fan forced function cooks baked goods faster, so if your oven doesn't have a fan option, then you will need to increase the baking temperature to 175°C (347°F) so that the bread bakes at the same rate as mine 🙂
Note 2. By gently folding in the ingredients, it prevents too much gluten from forming, thus giving us a softer cake/bread. Only mix until the strands of flour have disappeared and the batter is uniform.
Note 3. By coating the cranberries in flour, it will prevent them from sinking to the bottom while baking.
Note 4. If your glaze is too watery, you can add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick and won't spread you can add more orange juice. You can also adjust the quantities of each ingredient if you want a thicker/thinner or sweeter/less sweet glaze.
Nutrition
Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 399IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
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