I love cranberries and look forward to relish, the canned jellied sauce and of course this classic quick bread made with these scarlet gems every season. You can really make this any time of year with frozen berries but if you can get fresh berries (usually starting in November), I would use them. Did you know orange and cranberries are besties? They’re a perfect pair like chocolate and peanut butter. This recipe uses the juice and zest of a fresh orange and no special egg replacers!
This cake is pretty easy to make and I even mix it by hand with no special equipment required. I will say that one of the secrets to making a great quick bread is that you should never over-mix it. Unlike a regular cake batter that needs to mix a while to build the structure of the cake, this is best mixed until just combined and no more. I mix the wet ingredients with a whisk then fold in the dry ingredients and lastly the cranberries and nuts.
I used a standard loaf pan for this recipe but you could also make these as muffins or even in a square brownie pan if desired. I chop the cranberries and nuts coarsely and don’t suggest that you chop them too finely. You want texture and to be able to see them in the finished bake. I also toasted the nuts slightly and let them cool before chopping them just to give them a bit more flavor. I prefer pecans in this (the classic combo) but you could use walnuts or even pistachios if you like or leave them out all together.
So I said there was no special egg replacers like flax eggs or aquafaba but I did use vegan yogurt in this recipe which I guess may count as an egg replacement of sorts? I used a vanilla vegan yogurt but you could certainly use plain but I would advise against using a fruit flavor. Like when using wine when cooking, use a brand you would enjoy eating on its own. You could also use a looser vegan sour cream as well if you don’t have yogurt. You may need a few more teaspoons of vegan milk just to loosen up the batter possibly if going this route. When mixed it should be thick like a muffin batter but not too stiff.
I made a quick simple glaze for this but you can certainly leave it plain. I used a little orange extract in the glaze but some more orange zest would work as well. Vanilla would be fine to use but the extra zing of orange takes it up a notch. Gauging when a glaze is the perfect consistency can be tricky. I usually drop it from a spoon into the bowl and a thick ribbon should form that dissolves slowly. I usually use a spoon to drizzle it over randomly but you could use a pastry bag or even a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off.
- Can this be made gluten-free? Probably! I would use a 1:1 GF flour blend to ensure success.
- Do I have to use cranberries? Well, it is a cranberry bread, but I bet this would be equally as tasty with blueberries and lemon or raspberries and lime!
- Can I freeze this? Yes! After taking photos, I froze the rest to enjoy on thanksgiving. Just let it come to room temperature before serving. You also might want to just freeze the bread unglazed and add that after it has defrosted.
This is one of those quick breads that actually tastes better the day after it’s made. After it’s cooled, I wrap it well and glaze it the following day. It also slices more easily after being thoroughly chilled. I hope you enjoy this bread for the holidays or any time of year!
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