Cranberry pound cake with orange zest

This rich, chocolaty orange cranberry pound cake recipe is crazy moist and perfect for fall and winter, perfectly combining the sweetness of orange with the tartness of fresh & dry cranberries!

Cranberry Pound Cake

Yup! The secret is pretty much out! Pound cakes are my addiction! And out of them all, this amazing orange cranberry pound cake is my most favorite!

You’ve read the signs here and here and were probably thinking another pound cake recipe was already in the oven while those recipe were published. And you were right! It’s been a pound cake week/month/ok year and the reason I couldn’t stop is because these cakes are so easy to make, are very versatile and taste incredible!

Other cakes you might like:

• Lemon buttermilk pound cake
• Blueberry buttermilk cake
• Raspberry lemon cake
• Mini orange Bundt cakes
• Panettone cake with dried fruit

I used some orange peel again to give extra dimension to this Cranberry Pound Cake recipe and it matched the cranberries and the cream cheese glaze oh, so well! BTW, this type of glaze is simply perfect for this amazing cranberry pound cake recipe! I absolutely love that thick glaze and this cream cheese cranberry loaf is so moist and flavorful, dense but with a fine texture, just as I like my pound cakes!

Because of the glaze this orange cranberry pound cake will turn out pretty sweet so if this is not your thing just skip the glaze or add just a small amount. Also if you don’t like the cranberry orange combination, simply skip the orange zest although I personally think this is what makes the recipe truly special and so flavorful. When using cream cheese, try and find a super creamy one.

A few tips before making this orange cranberry pound cake

• Make sure you sift the flour if you use all purpose flour and also sift the icing sugar. If you use all purpose flour and want to get a finer crumb, make the flour softer by adding 2 tablespoons of cornstarch per cup of flour. Cake flour works best though. Also a good nonstick loaf pan does wonders!
• I also recommend using fresh cranberries as they bake better than frozen (mine were frozen and most of them dropped to the bottom of the cake while baking – still very tasty but not as appealing to the eye).
• Pound cakes work better with room temperature ingredients (well, cakes in general) so make sure you keep all ingredients out for a couple of hours before baking.

Needless to say you won’t need to keep this in the fridge, no crumb will be wasted, pretty soon after taking this yummylicious cake out of the oven!

Most popular recipes:

• Spiced herb roasted sweet potato wedges
• Buttermilk fried chicken
• French cream puffs

Orange Cranberry Pound Cake

Ingredients:

• 6 1/2 oz cake flour or all purpose flour (make sure you sift it). Cake flour works best, if you have.  
• ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 5 1/2 oz white milk chocolate, cut into small bits
• 1/2 cup room temperature butter, unsalted
• 7 oz icing sugar (do not replace with regular sugar)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoon orange zest
• dried cranberries and chocolate flakes for garnish

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 4 1/2 oz cream cheese
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (more or less, depending on how thick you want the glaze)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

•  Preheat the oven to 350 F
• Prepare a 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pan: butter and flour then line with wax paper.
• Mix baking powder with vinegar and set aside
• Mix orange zest with flour and set aside.
• Whisk the egg and set aside.
• Mix the butter with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, then on high until it’s creamy, slowly add icing sugar and continue beating until it’s creamy. Don’t replace the icing sugar for regular sugar or you’ll have troubles getting the butter to fluff.
• Add heavy cream and beat on medium speed.
• Turn mixer on low speed and gradually add dry ingredients, baking powder mix then the eggs.
• Mix until completely smooth.
• Toss chocolate pieces in flour until they’re covered evenly.
• Toss cranberries with a handful flour to cover them completely. This is another reason fresh cranberries are recommended. If you use thawed cranberries, make sure you strain them well.
• Add the chocolate bits into the batter and stir well, then add cranberries and stir gently. Use the tail of a spoon.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top to spread evenly and gently tap the pan on a working surface to remove air bubbles.
• Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean (about 50-60 minutes). Do not open the oven for the first 15 minutes!
• Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack.
• Meanwhile prepare the glaze. Use a hand mixer and beat the softened butter on medium speed for 2 minutes then on high speed until fluffy. Then add cream cheese and mix until smooth. Slowly add in powdered sugar and beat until smooth, mix in vanilla extract.
• Spread on top of the cake and sprinkle dry cranberries and chocolate flakes.
• Place the cake in the fridge until the frosting is set.

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Orange Cranberry Pound Cake

This rich, chocolaty orange cranberry pound cake recipe is moist and perfect for fall and winter, perfectly combining the sweetness of orange with the tartness of fresh & dry cranberries!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Resting time15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry pound cake, cranberry pound cake recipe, cream cheese cranberry loaf, cream cheese glaze, orange cranberry pound cake

Servings: 5 people

Author: Petro Neagu

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going into sleep mode

Ingredients

• 6 1/2 oz cake flour or all purpose flour sifted
• ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cup cranberries fresh or thawed
• 5 1/2 oz white chocolate cut in small bits
• 1/2 cup room temperature butter unsalted
• 7 oz icing sugar do not replace with regular sugar
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 eggs room temperature
• 2 tablespoon orange zest
• dried cranberries and chocolate flakes for garnish
• For the glaze:
• 1/2 cup butter room temperature
• 4 1/2 oz cream cheese
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar more or less, depending on how thick you want the glaze
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment

• 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan
• baking paper
• cake knife
• large mixing bowl
• hand mixer

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F
• Prepare a 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan: butter and flour then line with wax paper.
• Mix baking powder with vinegar and set aside.
• Mix orange zest with flour and set aside.
• Whisk the egg and set aside.
• Mix the butter with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, then on high until it’s creamy, slowly add icing sugar and continue beating until it’s creamy. Don't replace the icing sugar for regular sugar or you'll have troubles getting the butter to fluff.
• Add heavy cream and beat on medium speed.
• Turn mixer on low speed and gradually add dry ingredients, baking powder mix then the eggs.
• Mix until completely smooth.
• Toss chocolate pieces in flour until they're covered evenly.
• Toss cranberries with a handful flour to cover them completely. This is another reason fresh cranberries are recommended. If you use thawed cranberries, make sure you strain them well.
• Add the chocolate bits into the batter and stir well, then add cranberries and stir gently. Use the tail of a spoon.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top to spread evenly and gently tap the pan on a working surface to remove air bubbles.
• Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean (about 50-60 minutes). Do not open the oven for the first 15 minutes!
• Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack.
• Meanwhile prepare the glaze. Use a hand mixer and beat the softened butter on medium speed for 2 minutes then on high speed until fluffy. Then add cream cheese and mix until smooth. Slowly add in powdered sugar and beat until smooth, mix in vanilla extract.
• Spread on top of the cake and sprinkle dry cranberries and chocolate flakes.
• Place the cake in the fridge until the frosting is set.

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