Cranberry Orange Loaf

I absolutely love baking!  Lately, I haven’t been baking very much because we have been trying to eat more healthy and reduce the amount of sugar in our diet.  This past weekend we had an event at my boys’ school and I volunteered to bring an item for refreshements.  I took a Lemon Almond Loaf and this Cranberry Orange Loaf so I could get a chance to do some baking.  This Cranberry Orange Loaf was a recipe I had pinned awhile ago and was excited to try.  I love the flavour of cranberries and oranges together and this loaf did not disappoint!

In this recipe, I used frozen cranberries, since fresh are not available this time of year.  During baking, the cranberries floated to the top and it looked very unappetizing.  The glaze did a good job of making it look pretty and was a good balance to the tartness of the cranberries.  At the end of the event, my loaves were finished so I’ll take it as a sign that everyone enjoyed them!

Cranberry Orange Loaf
Adapted from Two Peas And Their Pod

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
zest of one orange
3/4 cup buttermilk*
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh cranberries (I used frozen)

Glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tsp orange zest

* If you do not have buttermilk you can use a substitution of vinegar and milk that you can find here.  I had some buttermilk powder, so I mixed 3 tbsp buttermilk powder with 3/4 cup water.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray a loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder.  In a medium bowl, add the sugar and orange zest.  Rub together with your fingers until fragrant.  Add this to the flour mixture and whisk together.  In the same medium bowl, add buttermilk, canola oil, eggs, orange juice and vanilla extract.  Whisk until combined.  Gradually add to the flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Fold in the cranberries.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Let loaf cool for 15 minutes in the pan.  Carefully remove from pan and let cool on a cooling rack.

Once the loaf has cooled, prepare the glaze.  In a medium bowl, add icing sugar, orange juice and zest.  Mix until combined.  Add additional juice to get desired consistency.  Drizzle over loaf.