We are roughly about a week and a half away from Christmas. Have you’ll started with your Christmas preps yet? I started mine by soaking the dried fruits in rum for my boozy Christmas fruit cake two weeks ago. In the meanwhile, I’d love to share this delicious cranberry orange loaf which is so easy to make and yet insanely delicious. There is something about pairing tart cranberries with the sweet citrusy flavor of oranges, they just work beautifully together in most recipes, especially in baked goodies. Personally, it’s one of my favorite flavor combinations. I love fruit-based bread/cakes like this banana bread and mango loaf, both of which happen to be eggless. This orange bread is completely egg-free too since I know most of you prefer eggless bakes.
The inspiration for this cranberry orange loaf recipe is from my eggless orange cupcakes, which has been tried and tested by so many folks. So I knew, I could easily bake up a loaf using the same recipe without many trials. I threw in some fresh cranberries and it worked perfectly in sync with the rest of the ingredients. Turned out so good you guys, you just have to try! Look at the slices and the crumb, speckled with tart cranberries, doesn’t it look beautiful? Not only does it look good, but it tastes equally delicious as well.
Why should you bake this loaf?
✓ It is moist, light, and delicious ✓ Does not need any fancy stand mixer or electric beater ✓ Egg-free ✓ Perfect for the Holidays ✓ Makes for a lovely edible gift ✓ Pairs well with a hot cup of coffee or tea ✓ It is so good it will be a great addition to your baking repertoire
Ingredients needed
To make this beautiful loaf, you will need; All-purpose flour: This forms the base of the recipe. Leavening agents: Baking powder and baking soda helps the loaf rise and makes it light. Salt: A tiny pinch adds flavor to the cake. Sugar: Adds sweetness to the loaf and also helps balance the tartness of the cranberries. I’ve used castor sugar here, I prefer using this sugar for cakes as the sugar crystals are smaller in size and dissolve quickly. For those in the US, you can use granulated cane sugar like Domino’s brand. If you use larger sugar crystals, measure out the required amount and powder it in a blender. Yogurt: Since there are no eggs in the recipe, yogurt is used for the recipe. It acts perfectly well as an egg substitute here. Oranges: You will need the zest and juice of oranges. Orange juice alone doesn’t add that required orange flavor and hence you do need the zest. You can use freshly squeezed orange juice or store-bought, both work equally well. Vegetable oil: Oil adds moisture to this quick bread. Be sure to use neutral-flavored oil. If you’d like to use butter, you could use that too. Instead of 1/3 cup of oil, add 1/2 cup of melted unsalted butter. I avoid a 1:1 substitution of butter and oil as I find 1/2 cup of oil makes the cake a bit greasy for our liking. Vanilla extract: An optional ingredient but I think it adds a nice flavor to the loaf.
For the orange glaze: You will need icing sugar, orange juice, unsalted melted butter, and orange zest to make this super simple glaze that elevates the flavor of this orange bread a notch higher.
How to make eggless cranberry orange loaf- Step by step process
Step 1: Prepare the loaf pan
Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with oil or oil spray. Line it with parchment paper. (Photos 1 and 2) Preheat the oven to 350° F/ 180° C.
Step 2: Coat the cranberries
Add 1 cup cranberries in a bowl (reserve some for topping the batter). Coat cranberries with 1/2 teaspoon of all-purpose flour. Set aside. (Photos 3 and 4)
Step 3: Dry ingredients
Sift 1 & 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk well and set aside. Sift 2-3 times for a lighter and airy cake. (Photos 5 to 10)
Step 4: Wet ingredients
In another mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup thick yogurt, 3/4 cup castor sugar. Whisk until well blended. (Photos 11 to 13)
Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil. (Photo 14) Also, add 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon of orange zest. Whisk well until everything is well combined. (Photos 15 to 18)
Step 5: Combine wet ingredients
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined and no more flour pockets are visible. (Photos 19 to 22) Do not over mix, or you will end up with a pretty dense cake. A few lumps are okay in the batter.
Add the coated cranberries to the batter and fold gently. (Photos 23 and 24)
Step 6: Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake
Transfer the batter to a prepared pan. Smooth the surface using a spatula. (Photos 25 and 26) Tap the pan to remove air bubbles. Top the batter with reserved cranberries. (Photos 27 and 28)
Bake at 180°C/ 350° F for about 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in comes out clean. (Photo 29)
Step 7: Cool the loaf
Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges with a butter knife. Then transfer to a wire rack and let it cool down completely. (Photos 30 and 31)
Step 8: Orange glaze
In a mixing bowl, sift 1 cup icing sugar, add 1 tablespoon orange juice, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 teaspoon orange zest. Whisk well until you have a smooth and pourable consistency. I added a little over 2 tablespoons of orange juice to adjust the consistency. (Photos 32 to 38) If it is too runny, add more icing sugar. If it is too thick, thin it out with a few teaspoons of orange juice.
Once the orange cranberry loaf bread has cooled down completely, drizzle the glaze over the loaf. Garnish with sugared cranberries, orange slices, and rosemary sprigs. Enjoy!
Storage instructions
The best part about this eggless orange cranberry loaf is that it tastes even better the next day! The flavors marry beautifully! I highly recommend you bake the loaf a day in advance. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer shelf life, refrigerate for up to 6 to 7 days. Bring to room temperature before you intend to serve it. You could also freeze the entire loaf or individual slices. Allow it to cool completely, wrap the loaf or slices in cling wrap, and place in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 to 3 months. Avoid the glaze if you intend to freeze it. Let the cake thaw overnight in the fridge. You can then top it with the glaze if you’d like.
Variations
While this cake is so good and flavourful as it is, there is plenty of room to play around with optional add-ins like; Chocolate chips or chunks: You can add about 1/2 cup of dark or semi-sweet (whatever you prefer) chocolate chips or chunks. Nuts: These would make a great addition to this loaf. You can add about 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, etc to the batter. Be sure to coat the nuts with flour so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake. Another tip is to toast the nuts in a skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 to 7 minutes. This enhances the nutty flavors and makes them crunchy. Flavors: You could skip the vanilla and flavor the loaf with about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, ground cardamom, nutmeg, all-spice, etc instead. These spices would definitely make your home smell like Christmas! 🙂 Make a bundt cake: Use a 6-cup bundt pan. It will take about 45 minutes to bake.
Recipe tips to make the best cranberry orange loaf
I’d like to share a few tips, some are pretty basic and you may have read them in my earlier posts. Just in case this is your first time here, I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to reiterate. Zest the orange before juicing them: It is hard to zest the orange after it has been juiced, so please remember to zest it first. Grease and line the loaf pan with parchment paper: This is a pretty moist and soft cake, so I highly suggest you line the pan with parchment paper. This makes it easy to pull the loaf out of the pan with ease and without the cake falling apart. If you have a really good nonstick loaf pan, just greasing and dusting the pan with flour should be fine. Room temperature ingredients: Always start off with room temperature ingredients because the ingredients combine evenly. Spoon the flour while measuring: Avoid scooping the flour out of the container as you end up using more flour than called for in the recipe. Fluff the flour in the container, then use a large spoon to spoon the flour into the measuring cup until it forms a mound, level the excess flour using the back of a knife. Coat the cranberries with flour: If you skip this step, chances are that the cranberries will sink to the bottom of the cake instead of being evenly distributed across the cake batter. The sweetness of the loaf: With the quantity of sugar specified in this recipe, the loaf is not overly sweet. It has the right amount of sweetness for us. I don’t suggest cutting back on it or the tartness of the cranberries will be overwhelming. If you watch your sugar intake, leave out the orange glaze. The bread is still mildly sweet and delicious. Avoid overmixing: Never over-beat the batter once you combine the wet and dry ingredients. Doing so will develop gluten which will result in a tough and dense cake. Mix, just until you see no more flour pockets. A few tiny lumps are fine in the batter. If the loaf is browning too quickly: This could happen if your oven is overheating. After about 30 minutes of baking, cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil to prevent the top from browning too quickly. If you bake often, I highly recommend you invest in an oven thermometer. This will ensure that you are always baking at the right temperature. Definitely make that orange glaze: The loaf is delicious as such, but that orange glaze adds a zesty flavor that elevates the overall flavor of the cake. Do not skip it.
How to zest an orange?
Wash the orange well under running water. Pat dry with a clean kitchen napkin. Using a microplane or a grater, grate the outer skin taking care to avoid the white portion known as the pith, which is the layer between the orange flesh and the peel. The pith is bitter, adding it to the cake batter will render a bitter taste to the entire loaf.
Can I use frozen cranberries?
Yes, you can definitely use frozen cranberries. Do not thaw them, coat with flour, and use as you would fresh.
What about dried cranberries?
Yes, you can use dried cranberries as well if you don’t have access to fresh ones. Use about 3/4 cup of dried cranberries. You can rehydrate them before folding them in the batter. To rehydrate dried cranberries: Place the dried cranberries in a bowl, and pour boiling water until they are fully submerged under the water. Set aside for 20-30 minutes or until the cranberries plump up. Drain the water and use the rehydrated cranberries in the recipe. I do suggest cutting back on the sugar as per your preference as dried cranberries are already sweet enough.
How to make a vegan version of this recipe?
Swap the yogurt with the same quantity of your favorite non-dairy yogurt. ★ Did you enjoy this cranberry bread with fresh cranberries and orange juice? If you happen to try it out, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review below in the comments. Your reviews help others know the recipe better too. Thanks so much 🙂 You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter
