Delicate, aromatic and crumbly orange-cranberry loaf with the addition of orange zest and cranberry - easy-to-make delight.
Ingredients:
For the batter:
All-purpose flour - 2½ cups (400 gr)
Butter - 1/2 cup (100 gr)
Eggs - 4
Sugar - 1 cup (200 gr)
Salt - 1 pinch
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
Oranges - 4-6 pieces depending on the size
Dried cranberries – 1 cup (50-75 gr)
For the glaze and decoration:
Sugar - 2 tablespoons
Fresh or frozen cranberries – optional
Cooking instructions:
There are several rules to follow when preparing any cake.
Rule 1: In order for all products to mix well, they must be at the room temperature. Therefore, remove the butter and eggs from the fridge 1 or 2 hours before cooking.
So let's get started!
Step 1
Squeeze a juice from the oranges. You will need one glass of juice for the batter and about one third of a glass for the glaze. Soak dried cranberries in this part of the juice.
By the way, so that oranges (as well as any other citrus fruits) give more juice, you should simmer them in boiling water for 1 minute, and then you can squeeze out the juice.
Remove the zest from two oranges before you start squeezing the juice (you can do this with a coarse grater). You will add some of it to the batter a little later; you will also need some for the glaze.
Step 2
Whisk the eggs until frothy. Add sugar and continue beating for a few minutes to dissolve the sugar.
Step 3
Add butter and continue whisking. But not for long! You just need the butter to mix well with the egg and sugar mixture.
Step 4
Pour juice into the mixture, add the orange zest. Mix well.
Step 5
In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Sift in the dry ingredients, add salt then mix into the batter just until the flour is incorporated. Do not overmix the dry ingredients – this can cause the batter to become thick and gummy.
Step 6
Remove the dried cranberries from the juice, coat them with a little flour and add them into your batter. Stir the dough again using gentle movements from top to bottom.
Your batter is ready!
Make sure to preheat the oven to 350°F.
To prepare a loaf pan, brush the inside of the pan with softened butter and sprinkle with a little flour. Tap the bottom and sides well to distribute the flour evenly, in a thin layer. Shake off the excess flour.
Transfer the batter into a prepared 9×5-inch loaf pan then bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the top is domed, set, and toothpick inserted in the center crack comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter. Do not open the oven for the first 30 minutes!
By the way, a crack is a common part of most muffins and loafs. There is a lot of sugar in a batter. At the beginning of baking, the top crust is baked and becomes quite strong. Meanwhile, the inside of the batter is still raw; when heated, steam is released, which breaks the crust.
Let the cake cool and then remove it from the pan. Now you can coat the cake with orange glaze and then decorate. But this is optional.
Orange glaze
Bring the orange juice (where the cranberries were soaked) to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and orange zest into it. Simmer over low heat until it looks like a liquid honey. Spoon the glaze over your loaf. You can add more sugar or more juice to get it to the consistency you like.
Enjoy! It is ve-e-ery tasty!
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