Orange and Cranberry Loaf Cake
This orange and cranberry loaf cake is an orange-flavoured cake packed full of cranberries and topped with white icing and more dried cranberries.
So, if you haven’t noticed, I love a loaf cake. They are just so quick and simple to rustle up. Orange and cranberry are such classic festive flavour, and it works so well in a loaf cake.
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Orange and Cranberry Loaf Cake
As with any cake, I bake I always start by creaming together the butter and sugar. In this recipe, I used caster sugar and a baking spread. You can use unsalted butter if you prefer, it will work just as well in this recipe.
Creaming together the butter and sugar helps incorporated air into the mixture and makes a lovely and light sponge.
I added the zest and juice of 2 large oranges to this recipe, you could also use a teaspoon of orange extract if that is what you have. Either will give your sponge a lovely orangey flavour.
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I added some dry cranberries and folded these into the mixture. If you find that when you add dried fruit to your cake batter it all seems to sink to the bottom of the cake, try coating them in flour before adding them in. This should stop them from sinking.
I used a 2lb loaf tin as this is a loaf cake. I have a few different loaf tins and they all seem to vary in size. It is a little frustrating that they vary so much but I would recommend filling the loaf tin two-thirds full so that the mixture doesn’t spill over the edge as it rises in the oven.
If you have extra mixture, you could make them into cupcakes, just bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Baking the Loaf Cake
You will know the loaf cake is baked when it is golden brown in colour. You can test the cake in a few different ways, one being with a cake tester. Test the thickest part of the cake and if the tester comes out clean then your cake is ready.
Another way is to gently press down on the top of the cake, if it springs back to its original shape when you remove your finger then the cake is baked.
If there is batter on your cake skewer or your finger leaves a dent in the top of the cake pop it back into the oven for 3-4 minutes and repeat.
White Icing
I wanted this cake to be all about the sponge so I decided to go with a super simple white icing on top. It is super easy to make, you just need to add water to icing sugar and mix.
Add the water a little at a time until the icing is super thick and gloopy and pour it over the top of your cake.
If you wanted to you could make a buttercream and add in orange juice or extract and pipe it on, but I much prefer the white icing. It pairs so well with the orange and cranberry loaf.
Alternatives
If you don’t have fresh oranges just use 1tsp of Orange Extract instead.
To make buttercream for the top, beat together 200g of unsalted butter with 400g of icing sugar and the juice of 1 orange, or 1tsp of orange extract.
Equipment
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Orange and Cranberry Loaf Cake
Ingredients
For the Loaf Cake
- 200 g Caster Sugar
- 200 g Unsalted Butter or Stork
- 200 g Self-Raising Flour
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- Zest and Juice of 2 Oranges
- 100 g Dried Cranberries
For the White Icing
- 250 g Icing Sugar
- 60-75 ml Cold Water
Instructions
To Make the Loaf Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C (160C Fan) and line a loaf tin with baking parchment. Leave to one side.
- In a bowl cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until completely combined.
- Pour the mixture into your loaf tin and bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown.
- Leave to cool for 15-20 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool.
To Make the Icing
- Add the icing sugar to a large bowl and gradually add the water 1 tbsp at a time. Mix in between each addition until the icing sugar becomes thick and gloopy.
- Pour the icing over the top of the loaf cake and sprinkle over some leftover dried cranberries.
Notes
- This Orange and Cranberry Loaf Cake will last 3+ days in airtight container.