Cranberry Bread

This Cranberry Bread recipe is made with Olive oil and Ricotta which gives it a beautiful moist texture. It is super easy to make and can be made ahead. Cranberry bread has a tangy lemon glaze and can be made with fresh or frozen fruit - perfect for using up any extra holiday cranberries!

Hi hi! Hope you are having a great week. I am just popping in to share this Cranberry Bread recipe. I have made this cake a bunch of times over the last few weeks while testing, and we are yet to get sick of it. I love making loaf cakes and quick bread recipes, and this cranberry bread is the best of both worlds.

This homemade cranberry bread is super easy to make, while still being crazy delicious. It is a great way to use up any cranberries that you have lurking, or is a great reason to grab an extra bag next time you are at the store. I finished it with a quick lemon glaze made with lemon juice and powdered sugar, but you can finish it any way that you like!

Ingredients in Cranberry Bread

This Cranberry Bread recipe is super easy to make and comes together without a stand mixer or electric mixer.

• Granulated Sugar - The sugar is needed to offset the tartness of the cranberries. I like to rub the zest of a lemon into the sugar before I start the mixing process, which helps to release the oils and bring through the lemon flavour.
• Ricotta - I use whole milk ricotta in the cranberry bread - this lends moisture and the most delicious texture.
• Almond Meal - I love adding a little almond meal into my loaf cakes to help with texture. It gives flavour and helps to keep the inside of the cake beautiful and moist (I know we hate this word, but this cake truly is amazing and so moist).
• Cranberries - I made this with frozen cranberries as I had a whole bunch in my freezer. However you can absolutely sub these for fresh cranberries. I made this with that spare bag of cranberries you may have lurking in your fridge around Thanksgiving or Christmas.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Baking with Olive Oil has become one of my favourite things. I love the fruity flavour and complexity it adds to recipes.

Frequently asked questions

Can cranberry bread be made with fresh cranberries?
Yep! I tested this with frozen fruit, so you can easily switch to fresh. This recipe would be perfect if you have an extra bag of cranberries floating around from Thanksgiving! I haven't tested this with dried cranberries but it should work - you could also add in some nuts.

Can this be made with other fruit?
Yes! I tested this cranberry bread recipe with Raspberries and Blueberries and it worked well. Just make sure that you toss them in a tiny bit of flour before you add them so that they don't sink too much.

Can Cranberry bread be made ahead of time?
This can definitely be made ahead of time. The Olive Oil and Ricotta in the recipe help to keep this nice and moist, so you can just store it wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature or in an airtight container once it is cooled. You can either store it glazed or unglazed.

How do you store cranberry bread?
Keep cranberry bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

What is a good substitute for Almond meal?
I love adding a tiny bit of almond meal to loaf cakes to add texture. If you have someone with a nut allergy in the house or you don't have access to almond meal, you can sub for more all-purpose flour.

Recipe Notes

• Make sure that all your ingredients are at room temperature before you start making this cranberry bread. I like to measure out the ricotta first and bring to room temp in a bowl, so that you don't have to warm up the whole container.
• If you want to do a different glaze on this, go ahead! You can make yours a little thinner if you would like. Alternatively you can leave it off all together, and finish this with a dusting of powdered sugar.
• This cake is great to make ahead! I have added notes in the FAQ section about making ahead.
• I used a 1lb loaf pan to make this (approximately 9" x 5" x 2.7" / 23 x 12 x 7cm). Alternatively you can use a larger loaf pan but the loaf will bake up a little flatter.
• If you would like, substitute the lemon zest and lemon juice in the cake and icing for orange zest and orange juice for a cranberry orange bread with an orange glaze.

Cranberry Bread

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 6 reviews

• Author: Erin Clarkson
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Yield: One loaf cake
• Category: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This Cranberry Bread recipe is made with Olive oil and Ricotta which gives it a beautiful moist texture. It is super easy to make and can be made ahead. Cranberry bread has a tangy lemon glaze and can be made with fresh or frozen fruit - perfect for using up any extra holiday cranberries!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Cranberry Bread

• 200g granulated sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 220g whole milk ricotta, at room temperature
• 100g extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 225g all-purpose flour
• 50g almond meal, sifted
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• 150g frozen cranberries (see FAQ about using fresh fruit)

Lemon Glaze

• 300g powdered sugar
• 45g fresh lemon juice
• Sanding sugar to finish (optional)

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Instructions

CRANBERRY BREAD

1. Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Grease a loaf pan and line with a parchment sling.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon. Rub in with your fingers to help incorporate and release the oils from the lemon zest. 
3. Add the ricotta, oil, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk well to combine. 
4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. 
5. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and fold in with a spatula to combine. Add the cranberries and fold in until incorporated. 
6. Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan, and place the loaf pan on a baking sheet. Bake the loaf cake for 1 hour 10 minutes, checking after an hour, until a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf pan comes out clean. Tent the pan with foil if needed to prevent excessive browning. 
7. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then use the parchment sling as handles and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.

LEMON GLAZE

1. Combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined and there are no lumps. You want the mixture to be pretty thick. 
2. Spread the glaze over the surface of the loaf cake. Leave to sit for 5 minutes then add any toppings such as sanding sugar, if using. Allow to stand to let the glaze sit a little. 
3. Slice using a sharp bread knife. Store leftovers wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Notes

If you don't want to make the lemon glaze, I also tried sprinkling the surface of the cake with turbinado sugar just before baking and it baked up amazing and crunchy. You do you here!