This gorgeous lemon cranberry bread features a lemon-scented loaf swirled with juicy cranberries. I love to bake this recipe in mini loaves and give them as edible holiday gifts!
A riff on my lemon yogurt cake, this easy and festive cranberry lemon bread combines the best of both a cranberry cake and a lemon quick bread for a festive, delicious treat.
Bake the batter in a large loaf pan and cut thick slices to nibble on while you rip into presents on Christmas morning, or divide it up between mini loaf pans and wrap them up for pretty holiday gifts. I love it both ways!
What You'll Love
While orange and cranberry is a familiar and classic combo, I am more partial to the slight tartness from the lemon that pairs so beautifully with the tart, crunchy cranberries. This loaf is:
- Moist and sweet. Thanks to the yogurt, this loaf is wonderfully moist and there's enough sugar here to make it seem like a dessert (though it's lovely at breakfast, too).
- Made in one bowl! Layer in the ingredients, give them a good stir, and you're ready to bake with just one bowl needed!
- Sizing variety. Make mini loaves as I've shown in these photos, or bake a larger loaf! You can also bake the cake in an 8-inch round cake pan if you like. So many options.
Ingredients
Here's a quick look at what you'll need to bake this pretty loaf. Scroll down to my recipe card to see the full amounts and detailed instructions.
- Lemon - Use the zest of one whole lemon. Any variety is fine.
- Granulated sugar
- Yogurt - I like to use whole milk plain yogurt, but you can use low-fat or non-fat yogurt, too.
- Eggs - Large eggs are best.
- All-purpose flour - Use the spoon and level method when measuring out your flour for the best accuracy.
- Baking powder
- Salt - I use fine sea salt or table salt.
- Vegetable oil - Substitute canola oil or melted coconut oil as needed.
- Cranberries - Fresh or frozen cranberries work great!
Instructions
Here's an overview of how to make this beautifully simple cake:
- Step 1: Mix lemon and sugar together in a bowl.
- Step 2: Stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Step 3: Pour batter into a greased and lined standard-size loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans.
- Step 4: Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 30 minutes, then cool.
Tip
Make it a cake! Fancy this beauty up by baking it in an 8 or 9-inch cake pan. Then, make a vanilla buttercream frosting and spread it thickly atop the cooled cake. To finish, scatter about ¼ cup of sugared cranberries over the top.
Recipe Notes
- Use dried cranberries. In a pinch, use 1 cup of chopped dried cranberries. This will make more of a holidayish cranberry bread. Add ⅓ cup chopped walnuts for crunch.
- But fresh or frozen is best! However, I really prefer fresh or frozen cranberries for that juicy pop! No need to defrost the cranberries, just stir them in frozen.
- Cut the berries in half. If you like, you can cut each cranberry in half so the cranberry flavor is not quite so bold.
- Swap a little whole grain flour. Add some whole grains by swapping ½ cup of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat pastry flour.
- Make it gluten free. Substitute 1 ¾ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour for the all-purpose flour.
- Do a glaze. Whisk 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice to form a drizzly glaze to drip over the top of the loaf.
Proper Storage
- Counter - Cover the loaf with foil or place it in an airtight container and store it on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Fridge - Keep the loaf in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Freezer - Wrap loaf in plastic, then foil, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
If you tried this lemon cranberry bread recipe please let me know! Or if you have any recipe questions, always feel free to reach out in comments or email. I hope you love it! ❤️
Recipe
Lemon Cranberry Bread
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ½ cup plain full-fat yogurt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups flour (210 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup oil
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
Instructions
- Grease a standard-size loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans (as shown), and line the bottom with parchment paper. Leave a few inches of paper on each side for easy removal later.
- In a large bowl, combine the ½ cup plain full-fat yogurt, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 3 large eggs, stirring and whisking until well blended. Add the 1 ½ cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, mixing just to combine. Add the ½ cup oil and stir well to incorporate. Keep stirring until it forms a smooth batter. Fold in the 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and rest the batter while the oven heats, then place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn out of the pan to cool completely.
Notes
- Fresh or frozen cranberries are best! Real (not dried) cranberries give that wonderful juicy pop! And if you use frozen cranberries, there's no need to defrost them first; you can just stir them in frozen.
- However, in a pinch, use dried cranberries. If absolutely needed, try 1 cup of chopped dried cranberries for the fresh. Add ⅓ cup chopped walnuts for crunch. This will be a lemony version of my gluten free cranberry walnut bread.
- Slice the berries inhalf. If you like, you can cut each cranberry in half so that the cranberry flavor is not quite so pronounced in each bite.
- Make a quick glaze. Whisk 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice to form a drizzly glaze to drip over the top of the loaf.
Lakshmi says
Hi Nicole,
For some reason, I am unable to comment on the Roasted Veg Soup and Cornmeal Muffins post. I made the muffins last weekend. Loved it! I used regular milk and spelt flour in place of buttermilk and pastry flour respectively. I like them toasted lightly and layered with ghee... So delicious and soft and satisfying.
helen says
THIS CAKE WAS DELICIOUS AS WELL AS HEALTHY.....GOOD IDEA NS!