Cranberry Orange Cake

5 from 5 votes

Cranberry Orange Cake

Everyone needs a great recipe for Cranberry Orange Cake, and this one baked in a loaf pan is it! I make this every holiday and it aways receives raves. The key is making the orange sugar, which is easy, and provides the fabulous tangy orange flavor. Icing the cake and garnishing with sugared cranberries gives it a very festive feel!

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 188kcal

Author: Kathy Kingsley

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1 medium navel orange
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped

Orange Icing

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 to 3 Tbs. fresh orange juice
Sugared cranberries, for garnish (optional)
Orange zest, for garniah (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
Using a vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife, remove the zest from the orange. taking care to remove just the orange part not the white pit which has a bitter taste.
Combine the orange zest and sugar in a food processor and pulse until zest is finley ground.
Transfer the sugar mixture to a large bowl and add the butter. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light in color, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Beat for another 2 minutes.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the baking powder, salt, and the the flour, alternately with the buttermilk, beating just until blended.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the cranberries. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake until fully risen and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it, about 50 minutes. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool completely.
Make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with enough orange juice to make a thick glaze. The glaze should be thick and barely pourable. Spread the glaze over the cooled bread. Top with orange zest and sugared cranberries.

Notes

To make the sugared cranberries: Rinse the cranberries. While they are still damp, work in small batches and roll them around in a small bowl of granulated sugar. Set them on a plate to dry.

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