Name: Spiced Orange Cranberry Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cups white sugar (can use coconut sugar); 1 orange zested (reserve 1 tsp. for the glaze); 2 cups AP, flour; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. baking soda; 1/2 tsp. nutmeg; 1/4 tsp. cardamom; 1 egg, large; 2 tbsp butter, melted (can use coconut oil); 1 cup orange juice; 1 cup cranberries, chopped; 1/2 cup powdered sugar; 1 tbls. butter, melted; 1 tbls. orange juice; 1 tsp. orange zest

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The cranberries are finally in the stores so let the baking begin. I love these tart little fruits and use them in so many recipes from salads, scones, baked chicken, appetizers, and my favorite Spiced Orange Cranberry Bread.

Orange and cranberries go so well together for creating that irresistible sweet-tart flavor.

First Published: Dec. 4, 2018… Last Updated: Dec. 16 2020

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There is nothing better than the smell of this bread baking in your oven especially when it is a slice of this tasty warm Orange Glazed Cranberry bread, it’s just delicious.

Mixing oranges and cranberries together is like a color explosion, and the flavor combination just says bake me for the holidays.

This bread is always a favorite to give as a gift, and everyone loves it. You can bake your bread in miniature paper bread pans, wrap it in plastic, put a ribbon around it, and include a couple of tea bags; this makes such a festive gift, I do this every year, it’s so simple and so appreciated.

Honestly, this bread is a family favorite and it gets baked on a pretty regular basis. We are kind of cranberry fanatics. No wonder there are so many cranberry recipes on the blog. like Orange Cranberry Scones, Pears, Asiago Cheese & Cranberry Pinwheels, Apple Cranberry Galette, Cranberry Sauce with just 3 ingredients, and another favorite bread that is perfect for fall Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Cranberries are tart

If you are not familiar with cranberries, they are tart and they have a very low sugar content compared to most fruit. Even with them being tart you can eat them raw. They are delicious in salads like this Winter Cranberry Fruit Salad that is full of fresh fruits and topped with a sweet orange-mint dressing.

Simple ingredients

Flour – I use all-purpose flour
Sugar – white works best
Salt
Baking Soda
Egg
Nutmeg
Cardamom
Orange – use for the juice and the zest
Cranberries – these will need to be chopped
Butter
Powdered Sugar – for the icing

How to flavor sugar

Orange zest is the secret to making this sweet fruity bread flavorful so try this technique, mix the sugar and orange zest together before adding it to the batter so it flavors the sugar. I actually like making more of this to sprinkle on top of the bread before I put it in the oven. Or, if you don’t want to ice the bread, sprinkle this orange sugar on top of the bread right after you remove it from the oven.

I do the same with lemon zest and use the lemon-scented sugar in this Lemon Bundt Cake and this Mandarin Orange Bundt Cake. Both are burst with delicious citrus flavors.

One of my favorite kitchen tools is a citrus zester. Next time you want to add some orange, lemon, or even lime flavor to your cooked dishes or baked goods, toss in the fresh citrus zest to liven things ups with citrusy flavors.

Easy baking instructions

No yeast required here, this cranberry bread recipe is a quick bread so it just uses baking soda as the leavening agent. And, no mixer, woohoo, just use a good wooden spoon.

Pull out your favorite mixing bowl and turn on your oven it’s time to bake. I promise your kitchen is going to smell like oranges and spice.

Step 1. In a large bowl add the sugar and the zest of one orange and mix this with your hands. Doing this releases the oils in the zest and flavors the sugar.

Step 2. Next, add the flour, salt, baking soda, and the spices. Mix these ingredients together.

Step 3. Mix the egg, butter, and orange juice together in a small bowl, then add to the other ingredients and stir well to combine, scraping the bowl and making sure the flour is incorporated. The batter will be thick.

Step 4. Place the cranberries in a food chopper or a food process and chop, then add the cranberries to the batter and gently fold into the batter.

Step 5. Spoon the batter in a greased 8″ x 5″ loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F. for 60 minutes.

Step 6. Add a sweet orange glaze to the bread to make it even more festive. Just mix powdered sugar, melted butter, orange juice, and orange zest. Stir this mixture well on then drizzle over the cooled bread.

Step 7. Pour yourself a cup of hot tea or coffee, slice the bread, and enjoy!

Pin to your favorite bread board

Can You Freeze Cranberries?

Yes, you can. Because cranberries have a short season I have learned to stock up on cranberries and just put the bag in the freezer; they keep perfectly well this way. Having cranberries in the freezer means cranberry scones in May, cranberries in my oatmeal all year long, or a cranberry brie appetizer for a summer party. So while those cranberries are in the store buy several bags.

Baking pans and tools for this recipe

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4.53 from 17 votes

Spiced Orange Cranberry Bread

Sweet and tart this Spiced Cranberry Orange Bread is everybody's favorite. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack. Bake a pan for gift-giving for the holidays.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword bread ,, cranberry bread

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings slices

Calories 250kcal

Author Jere' Cassidy

Equipment

Ingredients

Spiced Orange Cranberry Bread Ingredients

3/4 cups white sugar can use coconut sugar
1 orange zested reserve 1 tsp. for the glaze
2 cups AP, flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1 egg, large
2 tbsp butter, melted can use coconut oil
1 cup orange juice
1 cup cranberries, chopped

Orange Zest Glaze Ingredients

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbls. butter, melted
1 tbls. orange juice
1 tsp. orange zest

Instructions

Making the bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of an 8" x 5" loaf pan.
Put the sugar in a large mixing bowl and add the zest of one orange. With your fingers combine the sugar and the zest to mix.
Add all the other dry ingredients to the bowl with the orange/sugar mixture and mix to combine
Mix the egg, butter, and orange juice together then add to the dry ingredients. Stir till just combined.
Using a food processor or a food chopper, chop the whole cranberries then gently fold them into the batter until incorporated. Do not over mix the cranberries or your batter will become pink.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 60 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove the bread from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan. Finish cooling on a wire rack.

Glazing the Bread

In a small bowl add the powdered sugar and stir with a whisk to remove lumps.
Mix in the melted butter, orange juice, and orange zest to make a smooth icing. If your glaze is too thick add additional orange juice. If it is too runny add additional powdered sugar.
Spoon the glaze over the cooled Orange Cranberry Bread

Notes

The batter for this recipe is thick.

Juice the orange for some of the orange juice you need, you will have to add additional juice to make 1 cup.

You can replace the sugar with coconut sugar, your bread will be darker.

One Hot Oven provides approximate nutritional information as a courtesy and cannot guarantee the accuracy of any recipe on this blog.

Nutrition

Don’t forget your cup of tea. I am pairing this bread with my favorite Darjeeling Oolong tea from The Whistling Kettle. The sutle woody and muscatel flavors pair well with the tart cranberries and flavorful orange in the bread.

There is nothing better than the right cup of tea and your favorite dessert

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About Jere’

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.