Cranberry Orange Quick Bread
I’ll be completely honest with y’all: I have no idea what canned cranberry sauce tastes like. I’ve never tried it before in my life. Growing up, I would always see it on the table at Thanksgiving and Christmas but there was something about the mere sight of the stiff sliced rings that was off-putting to me. Why would it be called a ‘sauce’ when it resembled thin beets (which, I’ve never liked)? Plus, back then I thought it made no sense to want to eat something sweet with something as savory as turkey and dressing.
Nowadays I DO think it makes sense to eat cranberry sauce with turkey and dressing–I actually think it’s delicious…just so long as it’s homemade. Ever since I started making my own cranberry sauce it spurred a love for ALL things cranberry, specifically in baking.
I still had some fresh cranberries leftover from Thanksgiving that I kept in the freezer and I knew that I wanted to try and do something with them for the 12 Days of Christmas series. My niece’s preschool was let out for Winter Break this past week and I wanted to make her teacher a small gift of appreciation. So, she and I made this loaf together. She’s becomes quite the good little sous chef/baker.
The first breads that I made when I was starting out baking were quick breads. They’re very easy to put together, involve no work with yeast, kneading, proofing, and are pretty hard to mess up. They store and ship well too, which makes them ideal for gift-giving at this time of year.
Cranberries and oranges are an ideal flavor combination. The sweet of the orange balances out the tart of the cranberry and vice versa. Here, the fresh cranberries are paired with both orange zest and juice. I also added a cinnamon swirl to the batter that gives it more of a ‘wintery spice flavor’. You may have noticed that I also really like adding icings to things, so there’s one of those here too. You can leave it out if you like, the bread is yummy enough all on its own to do without.
Quick bread is great all on its own alongside coffee or tea. It’s also sturdy enough to make awesome french toast and bread pudding. Do whatever you want with it, really. Just make & try it. I’m gonna go ahead and share this at the Fiesta Friday #201, co-hosted this week by Monika @ Everyday Healthy Recipes and Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook.
Stay tuned for more recipes in the 12 Days of Christmas series, I’m really hyped to share what’s to come.
Day 1: Winter Spice Toaster Tarts
Day 2: Smoky Chili Crackers
Day 3: Spicy Chocolate Gingerbread
Day 4: Cranberry Orange Quick Bread
Cranberry Orange Quick Bread
Recipe Adapted from Chowhound.com
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 medium orange
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick), melted and cooled slightly, plus more for coating the pan
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
For Topping
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 heaping teaspoons butter
For Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon with a whisk.
Add the orange juice, melted butter, egg and vanilla. Fold in the cranberries.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
In a small bowl combine the sugar and ground cinnamon. Cut the butter into the mixture, leaving it in small clumps. Sprinkle on top of the loaf. Use a knife to swirl through the top and through the middle of the loaf.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Allow to cool inside pan for about 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Combine the powdered sugar with the milk and stir until it forms a thickened glaze. Use the tines of a fork to drizzle over the top of the loaf. Allow to set for about an hour until hardened.
Reblogged this on Lisa’s ” I have too much time on my hands” Site and commented:
Before I talk about this post, I have a question. Does anyone know why I only get emails for some of the sites that I follow but not everyone?
Well, this Quick Bread recipe looks perfect for the season! Can you imagine making french toast with this cranberry orange bread? Delicious!
Mmmmmmm-mmmmmm, I want some! Enjoy!
My guess is it may have to do with how you followed them. Some sites have a follow button and then others have a subscribe button. The subscribe would send you emails
Thank you so much for the reblog Lisa, I do appreciate it 🙂
It looks really good!😋
Thanks Abbey, I’ve gotten nothing but great reviews on it 😉
Must be yummy then😉
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I was just thinking about making some kind of cranberry loaf and now I know just what I’ll make.
You’re welcome Laura, thank YOU for commenting. I hope you enjoy the bread 🙂
This looks amazing!! 🙂
Thank you!
Awesome ! Love to try it soon !!
Thank you Megala, I hope you like it 🙂
This really does look amazing! Cranberry and orange are a beautiful pair, I should try more quick breads. I don’t think I’ve attempted any beyond chocolate and banana bread. Great idea!
You should branch out and try some new ones Shinta, chocolate and banana bread are great but this one is delicious too. Thank you!
Cranberry and orange sound like a perfect combo! This cake is so perfect for my tea. Thanks for sharing, Jess. Happy Fiesta Friday!
It’s GREAT with tea Jhuls, thanks 😉
Loved your yummy recipe 🙂
Thanks!
Oh, yes, one of my favorite quick breads, Jess! 🙂 Beautiful photos, too!
Thanks so much Mollie 🙂
Looks so good… love these flavours together
Me too, I haven’t had them together in a while and this was a great way to come back. Thanks!
I don’t bake often but this looks like fun! Definitely screen grabbed. Thank you, thank you! ❤️
I think that even people who don’t bake often could make this with no fuss or trouble–and the results are so worth it. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you get to try the bread sometime 🙂