This Cranberry Orange Cake Loaf is a delicious festive treat. Made with cranberries and oranges for a fresh yet sweet loaf. So simple and easy to whip up for your next gathering.
I am a big fan of the cranberry and orange combination. I love how the sweet orange balances out the sweet tart cranberry. One thing that I love about this loaf is that you can taste the distinct cranberry and orange flavor but it does not overpower the cake loaf.
TIPS WHEN MAKING THIS CAKE LOAF
- Always remember to preheat your oven.
- Line your cake loaf pan with parchment paper or spray it with cooking oil. This will prevent your cake loaf from sticking to the pan after baking.
- You will want to use two separate bowls when making your loaf. One bowl to mix the dry ingredients and another bowl for the wet.
- Be sure to really mix your dry ingredients together before adding them to the wet ingredients.
- Do not overmix your batter. I like to limit my mixing to 1-2 minutes.
- I have found baking your loaf for half of the time then adding foil over your loaf to cover it will prevent the top from over cooking.
- I test to see if my loaf has been cooked all the way by sticking a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean then its cooked all the way.
After pouring your batter into the cake loaf pan, sprinkle the remaining (â…“ cup) cranberries and orange zest (1 tsp) on top of the batter. By doing this, it keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake loaf. The beautiful cranberries will be displayed on top of the loaf even after baking.
I like to garnish the top of my Cranberry Orange Loaf with dried oranges or an orange vanilla glaze. I found these beautiful dried oranges at Trader Joes. For the orange vanilla glaze I combined ½ cup powdered sugar, ⅛ tsp vanilla, and 1 tsp of orange juice. I whisked it all together and slowly add 1 tsp of dairy-free milk until it became the creamy smooth icing texture that I liked.
I found sifting the powdered sugar makes a less clumpy icing. If you do not have sifter just make sure to use your whisk to stir out those clumps. If you like your icing thicker add more powdered sugar. If you like it thinner add more dairy-free milk.
This Cranberry Orange Cake Loaf is:
Festive
Soft
Thick
Danity
Vegan
Simple to Make
When you make this Cranberry Orange Cake Loaf I would love if you would snap a photo of your food and share it with me on instagram @itsallgoodvegan.com. I can’t wait to see how you like it!
Cranberry Orange Cake Loaf
This Cranberry Orange Cake Loaf is a delicious festive treat. Made with cranberries and oranges for a fresh yet sweet loaf. So simple and easy to whip up for your next holiday gathering.
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups all purpose cups flour, spooned and levels, do not pack
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/2 cup white sugar, I used cane sugar
- ½ cup of softened butter or canola oil
- 1 cup dairy-free milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- â…“ cup applesauce
- ½ cup orange juice, I used fresh orange juice
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 tsp orange zest
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line your 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with non stick spray and set aside.
- Using a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together.
- In a separate bowl add the melted butter, dairy-free milk, apple cider vinegar, applesauce, orange juice, and whisk.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients together and mix for 1-2 minutes. Do not overmix your batter. Slowly fold 1 cup of fresh cranberries into the batter.
- Pour batter into the loaf pan. Make sure there is room for the cake to expand while baking, otherwise the cake will overflow. Sprinkle â…“ cup of fresh cranberries and orange zest on top.
- Bake loaf for 20 minutes. Take loaf out and cover with coil and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let completely cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Make it Your Own
- Test to see if the loaf is cooked all the way by sticking a toothpick in the loaf. If it comes out clean then it is cooked all the way through.
- Garnish your Cranberry Orange Cake Loaf with fresh or dried oranges.
- Love icing? Make an orange glaze icing to drizzle on top of your loaf. I left the recipe on the blog.
I’ve just tasted your beautiful recipe. I’m sorry not to be able to post a photo of my result. I baked mine in an 8×4 pan so it took a bit longer. I’ll definitely make this recipe again! Thank you!
Hi Cecily! I am so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for making my recipe.
Hello. Thank you very much for the recipe! It’s delicious!
I am so happy you liked it! Thank you for sharing.
Does this loaf freeze well? Trying to get my Christmas baking done ahead of time!
Yes, it does! I just recommend slicing prior to freezing.
Heyy marissa!
Can we make it with dried cranberries?
Thanks!
Nathalie
Hi! Yes you can, I just highly recommend fresh if possible 🙂
Can I use frozen cranberries?
Yes, I just recommend thawing them out before adding them to the batter.
Hi. Can I use normal whole milk for this recipe?
Hi Memoona, yes you can!
Hi, what do you mean by “cover with coil”? Can I just bake for 45 mins.
Sorry about that! its a typo, its suppose to be foil.
Amazing recipe, now my go-to for cranberry-orange. Thank you Marissa!
I am so happy you enjoyed it Paula!