Moist Cranberry Orange Loaf Cake

A cranberry orange cake that stays tender for days, with bright citrus and tart berries in every bite. This loaf is simple enough to mix up on a Tuesday, but it looks and tastes like something you saved for the weekend.

What Makes This Cranberry Orange Cake So Good

The crumb is soft and velvety, not the least bit dry, because sour cream does the heavy lifting the way oil can’t. Orange zest and a spoonful of juice cut through the richness so the fruit stays the main event.

Fresh cranberries give you sharp little pops against the sweet batter, and they don’t bleed or weep the way frozen ones can if you handle them right. It is the kind of cake you slice thin with coffee and then go back for a thicker piece after lunch, no excuse needed.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour: spooned and leveled, not scooped
• 1 tsp baking powder: double-acting works best
• ¼ tsp baking soda: for a little extra lift against the wet batter
• ½ tsp fine sea salt: brings the orange forward
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened: let it sit out for 45 minutes before you start
• 1 cup granulated sugar: plain white sugar gives the cleanest sweetness
• 2 large eggs: room temperature, so the batter stays smooth
• 1 tsp vanilla extract: rounds out the citrus without competing
• 1 tbsp orange zest: from 1 large navel orange
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice: from the same orange, no added sugar
• ½ cup full-fat sour cream: cold is fine, full-fat gives the best texture
• 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries, tossed with 1 tbsp flour: the flour keeps them from sinking to the bottom

For the Glaze

• ½ cup powdered sugar: sift if lumpy
• 1 to 2 tbsp fresh orange juice: add slowly until the glaze ribbons off the spoon

Variations / Substitutions

• Swap cranberries for blueberries: the bake time stays the same, but the cake tastes milder. Frozen blueberries work, too, just toss them in flour straight from the freezer.
• Use lemon instead of orange: lemon zest and juice give a brighter, sharper cake. It pairs well with poppy seeds or a raspberry swap.
• Add chopped walnuts or pecans: ⅓ cup folded in with the cranberries adds crunch and a little fat that rounds out the tart fruit.
• Make it dairy-free: use a thick plant-based yogurt and a dairy-free butter stick. The texture will be slightly less tender but still good.
• Swap for a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend: the kind with xanthan gum works without any other changes. The batter may look a little thinner, but it bakes up fine.

If you like this, you may also enjoy a Classic Banana Bread with toasted walnuts.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Cake

Step 1: Mix the Dry Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment so the ends hang over the sides. Whisk the 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until no streaks of baking powder are visible.

It takes about 20 seconds of whisking, and you want them evenly distributed because a pocket of baking soda tastes oddly metallic in a finished slice.

Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugar

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. That takes about 2 minutes.

Stop and scrape down the bowl once in the middle. The color should lighten from yellow to almost ivory, and the sugar will feel less gritty between your fingers.

Step 3: Beat in the Eggs and Orange

Add the 2 large eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Then mix in the vanilla extract, the 1 tbsp orange zest, and the 2 tbsp orange juice. The batter may look a little curdled at this stage, and that is fine.

The acid from the juice will tighten the butter a bit, but the sour cream in the next step smooths it right back out.

Step 4: Alternate Dry and Sour Cream

With the mixer on low, add a third of the dry mixture, then half of the ½ cup sour cream. Repeat, ending with the last third of the dry flour. Mix just until no dry streaks remain, which takes less than a minute total.

Overmixing at this point builds gluten and makes the cake tough and peaked instead of tender with a level top. Stop as soon as the flour disappears.

Step 5: Fold in the Cranberries

Add the flour-dusted cranberries to the batter and fold them in by hand with a flexible spatula. Use a few broad strokes, scraping all the way to the bottom.

The batter will be thick, and the cranberries will look like bright jewels scattered through it. Tossing them in flour gives them just enough grip to stay suspended while the cake sets.

Step 6: Bake the Loaf

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Bake on the middle rack for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not raw batter.

The top will be domed and deeply golden. If the loaf browns too fast after 45 minutes, lay a piece of foil lightly over it and continue baking.

Step 7: Glaze and Slice

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then lift it out by the parchment ends and set it on the rack to cool completely. Whisk the powdered sugar with 1 to 2 tbsp orange juice until thick but pourable, then drizzle over the cooled loaf.

Wait about 5 minutes for the glaze to set, then slice with a serrated knife. The first cut shows a speckled crumb with ruby-red cranberries and a thin, sugary crust.

A Few Notes Before You Start

• Cold ingredients fight against each other, so pull the butter, eggs, and sour cream from the fridge ahead of time. Room-temperature eggs especially help the batter emulsify.
• Do not skip the flour toss on the cranberries. That extra 1 tbsp makes the difference between fruit evenly scattered and a sad layer of berries at the bottom.
• Fresh cranberries are firm and shiny; give them a quick rinse and pick out any soft ones. Frozen cranberries work without thawing, but increase the bake time by 3 to 5 minutes.
• If the loaf sinks in the middle, it is usually underbaked or the oven door was opened too soon. Test with a toothpick at 50 minutes and only pull it when it comes out mostly clean.

Bake times for different pans:

Keeping the Cake Fresh

• Refrigerate: Store the glazed loaf tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring cold slices to room temperature before serving or the crumb feels firmer.
• Freeze: Wrap unglazed cake in plastic and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then glaze fresh before slicing.
• Reheating: A 15-second zap in the microwave takes the chill off a cold slice and makes the orange smell fill the kitchen all over again.

What to Serve with Cranberry Orange Cake

A thick smear of salted butter on a warm slice sounds too simple, but the salt against the sweet orange glaze works. For dessert, a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or mascarpone cuts the tart fruit. A scoop of vanilla ice cream melts into the warm cake like a quick, unfussy pudding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use dried cranberries instead of fresh?

You can, but soak ¾ cup dried cranberries in hot orange juice for 10 minutes, then drain and pat them dry. The cake will taste sweeter and the fruit will be chewy rather than jammy.

Why did my loaf sink in the middle?

The most common reasons are underbaking, too much leavening, or opening the oven door before the structure sets. Check the batter with a toothpick, and do not peek until the 50-minute mark.

Can I make this cake ahead of time?

Yes, it tastes even better the next day. Bake it, let it cool completely, wrap it well, and glaze it the day you plan to serve it.

What if I don’t have sour cream?

Plain full-fat yogurt works just as well. Greek yogurt is thicker, so add an extra 1 tbsp of orange juice to loosen the batter slightly.

Cranberry Orange Cake Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 320

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• ½ cup full-fat sour cream
• 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries, tossed with 1 tbsp flour
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tbsp fresh orange juice (for glaze)

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
2. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla, orange zest, and 2 tbsp orange juice. Beat until combined.
4. On low speed, alternate adding the dry mix and sour cream, starting and ending with dry. Mix just until no flour streaks remain.
5. Fold the flour-tossed cranberries into the batter by hand with a spatula.
6. Scrape batter into the pan, smooth the top, and bake 55 to 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
7. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then lift out and cool completely on a rack. Whisk powdered sugar with 1 to 2 tbsp orange juice until thick and pourable, then drizzle over the cake. Let glaze set 5 minutes before slicing.

Notes

The cake stays moist for days and slices most cleanly with a serrated knife. If you skip the glaze, dust the cooled loaf with powdered sugar instead. No need to adjust the bake time for frozen cranberries, just add a few minutes and test at the usual mark.