Do you need some holiday cheer? Holiday Cranberry Orange Pecan Cake is a quick mix with little mess to clean up! By the time you preheat, mix and bake, your time investment may be just over an hour, if that! The origination of this recipe is my French Yogurt Cake; it already included orange zest. The inclusion of chopped pecans and some chopped fresh cranberries gives this cake a festive holiday color with a sweet and tangy taste so in tune with the season!
The Mix Up:
This recipe is so simple! Start by rubbing the orange zest into the sugar between your fingers; this helps to infuse their oils into the sugar, dispersing that orange flavor throughout the batter. Then, mix in the Greek yogurt
Stir in the extracts until blended.
Whisk in the room temperature eggs one at a time.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients then add them to the wet ingredients. Blend just until no flour is visible.
You’re almost done! Whisk in the oil. If you were just making the French Yogurt Cake, you would be ready at this point to pour it into a prepared pan. However, to add a little holiday flare, we are going to mix in a couple more ingredients.
I measured about a cup of whole fresh cranberries which was decreased to about 3/4 cup of tangy fruit once chopped in the food processor.
Toss the chopped cranberries and pecans with a tablespoon of flour to coat. This will help the fruit and nuts remain suspended within the batter while baking rather than sinking to the bottom.
Using a wooden spoon, gently blend in the cranberries and pecans until evenly distributed in the batter.
The Bake:
Prep the loaf pan with butter/oil then a dusting of flour. Tap pan upside down to release any excess flour. You could also use Baker’s Joy or line pan with a “sling” of parchment paper which slightly overhangs the sides so you can easily lift it out of the loaf pan. In these pics, the pan was prepped with Baker’s Joy.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Icing (optional):
Mix the confectioner’s sugar with a teaspoon of orange zest. Add the orange juice, or heavy cream if dairy is not an issue, until it reaches a drizzling consistenc, about a tablespoon and a half. Place cake on a sheet of wax paper and drizzle across. Allow any excess to fall onto the wax paper. When cooled, remove wax paper from beneath loaf for an easy clean up.
Time to Eat! :
Using a serrated knife, slice and share! Can you see how well the cranberries and nuts “floated” in the batter while baking? I use this method for the fruit in my Festive Applesauce Cake as well. Now, onto the taste test…. Yum! It’s a sweet and tangy bite of goodness! This is quick to make and a delight to serve with its combination of holiday flavors! It’s perfect to serve with tea to company or with your coffee in the morning. Really, just snack on it anytime, I hope you enjoy it!
Cranberry Orange Pecan Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1 c sugar
- 2 t orange zest
- 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
- 2 t vanilla extract
- 1/4 t orange extract(optional)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1-1/2 c all-purpose flour
- 2 t baking powder
- 1/4 t sea salt
- 1 T flour
- 3/4 c chopped fresh cranberries
- 1/2 c chopped pecans
Instructions
- Rub the orange zest into granulated sugar using your fingers.
- Stir in yogurt and extracts.
- Whisk in eggs one at a time.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1-1/2 cups of flour with baking powder and salt. Then add it to the wet ingredients, mixing until no flour is visible.
- Toss chopped cranberries and pecans with the 1 T of flour to lightly coat. Blend them in using a wooden spoon until equally disbursed in the batter.
- Pour into a buttered and floured loaf pan then bake in a preheated 350°F oven.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set on a cooliing rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife or offset spatula along the edge; invert to remove from pan and allow it to finish cooling.
