Cranberry Orange Loaf with Orange Icing is a deliciously flavored sweet bread, topped with a creamy citrus icing! Enjoy a taste of the holidays with a slice!
Looking for a little taste of the holidays to help start your day? You will absolutely LOVE this delicious recipe for cranberry orange loaf with orange icing! Grab a big ol’ slice of this moist, flavorful bread, and sit down in a comfy chair with a mug of coffee or tea!
Recently I discovered a bag of fresh cranberries lurking in the refrigerator in our garage. They had been hiding out in a refrigerator drawer since Thanksgiving… oops! What an unexpected surprise! Thankfully they were still GOOD, so I used them to make this delicious treat! Waste not, want not, right?
It sure was a wonderful start to the day to enjoy a slice of this flavor packed bread in the morning with a cup of coffee! The tang from the cranberries paired well with the sweet orange icing… YUM! The best part of all was just how easy this loaf of sweet bread was to prepare! Here’s how:
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Making The Cranberry Orange Loaf Batter
Combine egg, oil granulated and brown sugars, orange zest, fresh squeezed orange juice, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Whisk well, to fully combine ingredients. Add buttermilk and whisk to combine.
Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and stir until the ingredients are combined, but do not over mix! Add the cranberries, and stir gently to incorporate them into batter.
Baking The Cranberry Orange Loaf
Pour the batter for the cranberry orange loaf into a greased and floured 9×5 loaf pan. Sprinkle the top of loaf with a few additional cranberries. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 65-70 minutes (mine took 65). **After bread has been in oven for 30 minutes, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning of outside of loaf before it is done all the way through.
The cranberry orange loaf will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center of loaf comes out clean. Keep an eye on the bread towards the end of the baking time, as oven temps can vary quite a bit!
Once the cranberry orange loaf is done baking, remove the aluminum foil “tent”, and let the bread cool IN THE PAN for about 15-20 minutes. After it has cooled, carefully remove the bread to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Make The Orange Icing
While the bread is cooling, prepare the orange icing. Place confectioner’s sugar (powdered), fresh squeezed orange juice and orange zest into a small bowl. Stir well, to fully combine these ingredients. If you want the icing to be thicker, add more powdered sugar. If you want it thinner, add a tiny bit more orange juice, until it reaches desired icing consistency.
Time To Ice The Cranberry Orange Loaf!
Place a piece of wax paper, parchment paper or aluminum foil UNDER the wire rack. When the bread has completely cooled, evenly spread the icing over the loaf. I like to take it all the way to the edges so it can run down the sides, as well. Having the wax paper, etc. under the rack allows for this and helps to make it an EASY cleanup!
Who Wants A Piece Of Cranberry Orange Loaf With Orange Icing?
Once the icing has firmed up and the bread is at room temperature, it is ready to serve! Slice a piece, pour a cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy the amazing flavors in this delicious cranberry orange loaf!
Hope you enjoy this delicious cranberry orange loaf! The flavor combination is classic, and I trust you will enjoy it, too. Have a wonderful day!
Looking for More SWEET BREAD Recipes?
You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have a variety of delicious sweetened bread recipes, including:
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Recipe Adapted From: https://www.averiecooks.com/2015/11/cranberry-orange-bread-with-sweet-orange-glaze.html
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest (from a LARGE orange)
- 1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh cranberries (plus several more for garnishing loaf)
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease and flour 9x5 loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine egg, oil granulated and brown sugars, orange zest, fresh squeezed orange juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine ingredients. Add buttermilk; whisk to combine.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; stir until ingredients are combined, but do not over mix! Add cranberries; stir gently to incorporate them into batter.
- Pour batter into greased/ floured loaf pan. Sprinkle top of loaf with a few additional cranberries. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 65-70 minutes (mine took 65). NOTE**After bread has been in oven for 30 minutes, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning of outside of loaf before it is done all the way through. Bread will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center of loaf comes out clean. Keep an eye on the bread, as oven temps vary considerably!
- When bread is done, remove foil "tent", let bread cool IN THE PAN for about 15-20 minutes, then carefully remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- While bread is cooling, prepare orange icing by placing confectioner's sugar (powdered), fresh squeezed orange juice and orange zest in a small bowl. Stir well to fully combine until smooth. (If you want thicker icing, add more powdered sugar. Thinner? Add a tiny bit of orange juice, until it reaches desired icing consistency). Place a piece of wax paper, parchment paper or aluminum foil UNDER the wire rack (for easy cleanup). When bread has completely cooled, evenly spoon icing over the top to cover. Take it all the way to the edges so it can run down the sides. Once the icing has firmed up and the bread is completely at room temperature, it's ready to slice and serve!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
