Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Loaf Cake Recipe
This Cranberry Sauce Orange Cake hits all the perfect cake notes. It is moist, fragrant, lightly spiced, and that tart-sweet cranberry sauce layer is delicious.
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Equipment
- 9×5-inch loaf pan
- mixing bowls
- whisk
- hand or stand mixer
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- measuring cups, spoons
- kitchen scale
- Microplane or fine grater
- citrus juicer
- wire cooling rack
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pistachios
- 1 tablespoon coarse turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top before baking
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup coconut sugar (or half coconut + half light brown)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- ⅓ cup orange juice fresh
- ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ cup cranberry sauce
Glaze (optiona)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tabelspoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan (or line with parchment, leaving an overhang for easy lift). Place a rack in the middle of the oven.
- If your cranberry sauce is very thick, stir in 1–2 tsp fresh orange juice until it’s spreadable but not watery.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine: 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, and set aside
- In a large bowl, cream ½ cup unsalted butter and ¾ cup coconut sugar until light and slightly fluffy (about 2–3 minutes with a hand mixer).
- Add 2 large eggs, one at a time, mixing briefly until combined.
- Mix in 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, fresh 2 tablespoons orange zest (from two oranges), and ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional).
- Stir in ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream and ⅓ cup orange juice until smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until combined; add the ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- Scoop about 1/3 of the batter into a separate small bowl; this will be your cranberry layer batter.
- To that small bowl, gently fold in ¾ cup cranberry sauce. The batter should be thick but spreadable. If it’s too loose, it will sink.
- Spoon half of the plain cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth lightly.
- Drop spoonfuls of the cranberry batter (about 6–8 dollops) evenly over the plain layer.
- Spoon the remaining plain batter over the top, spread just enough to cover most of the dollops.
- Using a thin knife or skewer, make 4–6 gentle figure-8s or S-shaped pulls through the batter to create the marble.
- Optional: sprinkle 1 tablespoon coarse turbinado sugar over the top of the batter for a rustic crackle.
- Bake on the middle rack at 350°F / 175°C for 50–65 minutes.
- Doneness checks: a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with moist crumbs (not raw batter). If you use an instant-read thermometer, internal temp ~200–205°F (93–96°C) is a good target for a moist loaf.
- If the top of the loaf browns too fast, loosely tent with foil for the last 15 minutes.
- Cool in the pan on a rack for 15–20 minutes, then use the parchment overhang to lift the loaf out.
- Whisk: 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tabelspoons orange juice (add slowly until you reach a thick but pourable consistency) and ; 1 teaspoon orange zest.
- Drizzle over the cooled loaf and let set for 10–15 minutes. Scatter a few sugared cranberries or chopped pistachios for color.Best ways to enjoy
Notes
Don’t overmix the batter - once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until the flour disappears.
Your cranberry sauce matters - if it’s super thick (like spreadable jam), loosen it with a tiny splash of orange juice so it swirls instead of clumping. If it’s too thin, simmer it down for a minute or two — you want it spoonable, not runny.
Use room-temp ingredients - cold butter or eggs can make the batter seize up and turn grainy. Bring everything to room temp for that smooth, creamy texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 328kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 250mgPotassium: 109mgFiber: 2gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 365IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 1mg
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