Fresh cranberries, orange zest and crystallized ginger combine in a moist quick recipe and drizzled with citrus glaze for a really good cranberry bread.
This IS really good cranberry bread! Follow the recipe and you’ll get tender cake, an easy quick-bread, and a flavorful dense muffin all in the same bite. Made with fresh cranberries that are juicy, tart and tangy, crystallized ginger that is ginger-ale in candy form – bright, spicy and fruity but not overpowering, and orange zest for a bright but subtle sweetness.
The mini-loaf version is perfect for gift-giving or for cutting into bite-sized pieces to serve at a party. Seriously, this quick bread recipe is melt-in-your-mouth moist, sweet and tart, as well as crisp-crunchy all at the same time. It just might become a regularly requested treat.
I’ve got a few tips to help make this recipe fool-proof for perfectly moist loaves; be sure not to over-beat the batter after incorporating flour or the bread will be tough. Also watch your loaves as they bake, the bread should be taken out of the oven when a few crumbs still cling to a toothpick inserted in the middle.
Try some of my other favorite cranberry recipes, like Cranberry Upside Down Cake, Cranberry Pomegranate Relish and let me tell you, this Cranberry Fruit Salad is the BEST fluff salad recipe you’ll ever make. So, before the cranberry season ends, stock up on extra bags and you’ll have fresh-frozen cranberries ready all year long (cranberries can be refrigerated for 3-4 weeks and frozen for 10-12 months).
Really Good Cranberry Bread
Ingredients
For the cranberry loaf
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ½ cup fresh cranberries rinsed and patted dry
- ⅓ cup finely chopped crystallized or candied ginger
For the glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- Pinch salt
Note:
Instructions
For the cranberry loaf:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease one regular loaf pan (8 ½- by 4 ½-inch), or four mini (6- by 3-inch) with butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment set on medium speed, beat together butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Add the milk and give it one more quick spin in the mixer.
- Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Beat until just combined.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in the cranberries and chopped, crystallized ginger.
- Pour the batter into prepared pan(s) and level with a spatula. The batter will be rather thick, especially if your cranberries are frozen. You may have to "mold" the batter into the pan. That's fine, then level as best you can with the spatula.
- For regular size loaf pans - Bake until the top is golden 55-65 minutes, placing foil over the top about half way through baking. I start checking it around 50 minutes with a toothpick inserted in the center, and remove from oven when the toothpick comes out with a few crumbs still attached.For mini loaf pans - Bake 25-28 minutes, and start checking with a toothpick around 20 minutes.
- Let the bread sit in the pan 10-15 minutes then run a knife around the edges and transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
For the glaze:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice and zest, and salt until combined. Drizzle over cooled quick bread.
- If glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar until desired pouring thickness is reached.
Notes
- The ginger may be omitted if you don't want it.
- The cranberry bread is delicious unfrosted.
Terrific loaf! It had the exact combo of flavours I was looking for (orange/cranberry/ginger).
It took 66 minutes to bake, so next time I will skip the covering with foil part as I think it slowed down the bake and kept it raw longer in the very middle.
Next time I will also toss the chopped candied ginger in with the flour mix to help the pieces separate. They really stuck together and I didn’t want to over mix the batter in an attempt to separate them.
Hi Karen, I’m so glad the recipe was just what you were looking for! And thanks for your baking information. This will help others as well.
Can I use frozen cranberries in place of fresh?
Hi Diane. Yes, frozen is fine.
I made these today after a looooong break from baking (nothing I do ever works!). We had some fresh cranberries from another recipe and I had some crystallized ginger and this was a recipe that came up when I searched those two ingredients.
I am very pleased with how this turned out. I used mini bundt molds (silicon) and it made 12. They are so adorable and the flavor is great. They have slightly chewy/firm outsides and a moist inside so it’s the perfect blend of textures (I’m sure this is partly due to the type of pan I used). Everything balances so nicely…the tart cranberries, the bright lemon and the sweetness of the batter and the drizzle. I got a hint of ginger every so often which was perfect for me.
The recipe was very easy to follow and EVEN I was able to pull it off. 🙂 I’m not a huge fan of cranberries but they totally work in this. Next time I might try it with raspberries or blueberries.
Andrea, I’m so glad this turned out for you and I hope your success with the cranberry bread will inspire you to try more baking recipes! 🙂 Most of my quickbreads are foolproof, btw- Try my Zucchini Carrot Banana Bread. It’s so good, this is what I’m making for neighbor gifts. I guarantee you can do it! I love your idea about making the cranberry bread with raspberries and blueberries. I happen to have some frozen blueberries in the freezer right now, and I’m going to have to try this suggestion myself. Thanks for your great comment. You made my day.
Just made this for a family dinner. Doubled the recipe & made 2 loaves. It was a big hit! However, I love ginger, so I added extra, but I couldn’t really taste it after all. I used fresh cranberries & it turned out just lovely, beautiful presentation and delicious too!
Have you ever tried making this in a bundt pan? I love the loaf, but was thinking about making it as a bundt pan for a holiday party.
Hi Whitney, WOW I think it would be so beautiful in a bundt pan but I’ve never tried that. You just helped me decide what I’m making for MY family Christmas party on Sunday… I’ll make it on Saturday and report back, but don’t know if that’ll be too late for you. I think it should be fine. Thanks for the great idea!
Great recipie! followed it to a T!
I had only one issue, the top middle portion didn’t cook through entirely. I baked at 325 for 60 minutes, any suggestions?
Have you had any luck freezing the loaves? I was just curious about the best way to freeze and thaw them. Thanks!
Hi Kayley, If you let the loaves cool COMPLETELY before freezing and make sure they’re air-tight sealed in plastic wrap or plastic bags, they should thaw out beautifully. Just set them out and let thaw overnight at room temperature. Thanks for making these yummy breads!
I’m not a huge fan of ginger. Is it okay to leave it out or at least reduce the amt of ginger?
Barb, you could reduce the amount substantially and it’ll taste fine. I like just a little in there because the ginger gives a nice almost peppery zing, but if you left it out, the bread would still be fabulous.
Do you leave cranberries whole ?
Jayne, Yes leave the cranberries whole. They’ll pop open a bit as the bread bakes. Enjoy!