Cranberry Orange Cake
This cranberry orange cake is fragrant, festive, and filled with bright citrus zest and juicy cranberries. Buttermilk makes the crumb incredibly tender, and the orange glaze adds a sweet finish. Perfect for breakfast, dessert, or holiday gifting.
Equipment
- 9x5-inch loaf pan
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric mixer or hand mixer
- Zester or vegetable peeler
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 medium navel orange zest and juice used
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup fresh cranberries coarsely chopped
Orange Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2-3 tbsp fresh orange juice
- sugared cranberries optional garnish
- orange zest optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
- Remove zest from the orange using a peeler or zester. Avoid the bitter white pith.
- Pulse the zest with the granulated sugar in a food processor to make orange sugar.
- In a large bowl, cream butter with orange sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well.
- On low speed, alternate adding flour, baking powder, salt, and buttermilk. Mix until just combined.
- Fold in chopped cranberries. Pour batter into pan and smooth top.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Tent with foil if browning too fast.
- Cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
- Whisk powdered sugar with orange juice to make glaze. Drizzle over cooled cake.
- Garnish with sugared cranberries and orange zest if desired.
Notes
This loaf freezes beautifully without the glaze. Add the glaze and garnishes fresh before serving. For a glossy finish, brush with warm orange syrup before glazing.