Here’s a Cranberry Orange Cream Cheese Loaf — moist, bright, and bakery-style 🍊🍞
Perfect for holidays or anytime with coffee.
Cranberry Orange Cream Cheese Loaf
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Swirl
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Loaf Batter
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- Zest of 1 large orange
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- ½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries (halved)
Optional Orange Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp orange juice
- ½ tsp orange zest
Instructions
- Prep
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
- Grease and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment
- Make cream cheese layer
- Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth
- Mix in egg and vanilla
- Set aside
- Make loaf batter
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- In another bowl, rub orange zest into sugar until fragrant
- Add orange juice, oil, eggs, and vanilla; mix well
- Stir in dry ingredients just until combined
- Fold in cranberries
- Assemble
- Pour half the batter into pan
- Spoon cream cheese mixture over batter
- Top with remaining batter
- Swirl gently with a knife
- Bake
- Bake 55–65 minutes
- Tent loosely with foil if browning too fast
- Toothpick should come out mostly clean (cream cheese may be slightly soft)
- Cool
- Cool in pan 15 minutes, then remove to rack
- Drizzle with glaze once fully cooled (optional)
Tips for Success
- Toss cranberries in 1 tbsp flour to prevent sinking
- Use fresh orange juice & zest for best flavor
- Flavor improves the next day!
If you’d like, I can also give you:
- A mini loaf or muffin version
- Dried cranberry substitution
- Gluten-free or dairy-free version
- Lemon-cranberry variation
Just let me know 🍊✨
