Cranberry Pecan Bread with Lemon Cinnamon Glaze
You’ll love this cranberry pecan loaf cake {cranberry pecan bread}! Cranberries spiced with a hint of cinnamon and pecans for a nutty crunch. A crumble topping and luscious brown sugar lemon cinnamon glaze really takes this treat over the top.
Do you enjoy quick breads or loaf cakes? I do, and often have a craving for a good, classic treat like this cranberry pecan loaf cake or cranberry pecan bread to some of us.
This is my favourite take on cranberry bread, with an amazing brown sugar cinnamon crumble and lemon cinnamon glaze that hits the sweet spot!
What is a quick bread?
But first, is this a cranberry pecan loaf cake or a cranberry pecan bread? Well, actually it’s both.
You can think of this in much the same way that you would consider banana bread and banana cake to be the same.
By definition, quick breads are categorised as breads leavened without yeast. It might surprise you to know, as I was, that quick breads include most of our favourite treats and desserts like loaf cakes, muffins, scones, cookies, and brownies.
Banana bread, beer bread and corn bread are very popular varieties of quick breads.
Now that I’ve mentioned it, if you love banana bread as much as I do, I highly recommend you bake my banana spice cake. You’ll want to bookmark the recipe for keeps!
Quick breads are favoured for their easy and quick preparation. It’s as easy as combining all the wet ingredients together, and separately combining the dry ingredients.
Then you just mix the dry into the wet, until you get an even cake batter. It’s easy to see why quick breads are so popular, ‘cos anyone can bake one!
Cranberry pecan loaf cake
I get carried away with quick breads, especially loaf cakes, and love making combinations of dried fruit and nuts.
This cranberry pecan loaf cake is such a classic combination, and especially popular for gift-giving and feasting during Christmas.
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Why this cranberry pecan loaf cake is so good
- Delicious buttery, cinnamon crumble topping! Who doesn’t love crumble topping on anything? Crumble topping really makes all my cakes stand out, and this brown sugar cinnamon crumble topping is the best! I’ve used this on my apple cake, and it’s nothing short of amazing!
- Rich and luscious brown sugar lemon cinnamon glaze really takes this cranberry loaf cake over the top! Glaze on top of crumble on top of cake … mmm.. surely, you’re starting to feel good about this, right?
- Very moist and flavourful bread with sweet, tangy and nutty notes. This cranberry pecan loaf cake is the perfect ensemble of flavours and textures! Every bite hits all the right spots! With cranberries, whether you use fresh, frozen or dried, you’re going to enjoy delicious tart and sweet flavours.
Ingredients for cranberry pecan loaf cake
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for the loaf cake.
Incidentally, the ingredients for the crumble topping and lemon cinnamon glaze are not shown, but are definitely listed in the recipe card below.
My bad, guys – I forgot to take the pics during the process, and didn’t even realise it until after the cake was good and done!
Step-by-step: How to make cranberry pecan loaf cake
First, make the crumble topping
- In a mixing bowl, combine plain flour, ground cinnamon and sugar. Stir with a whisk to mix well.
- Add chilled butter cubes. It’s important to make sure the butter is still cold out of the fridge when you’re ready to use it. Cut into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter and stop when you get pea-sized crumbs. Don’t worry if you’ve still got lumpy bits of butter. Chill, covered or uncovered, for later.
Next, make the cake
- Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- 1 & 2: In another mixing bowl, whisk eggs, brown sugar and white sugar until well combined.
- 3 & 4: Whisk in the oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract and orange zest. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture. Whisk to combine, but do not over mix.
- 5 & 6: Fold in the cranberries and chopped pecans until well incorporated.
- 7 & 8: Pour into the prepared pan and level the surface. Sprinkle the chilled crumble dough, all over the top. Use up all the crumble and lay it on thick, I promise you it will be yummy! Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake is done. Let it cool completely.
Last, make the lemon cinnamon glaze
This lemon cinnamon glaze starts to firm up quickly, so do this only when the cake is cooled enough and ready.
- Combine butter, brown sugar and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, whisking frequently until all the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in vanilla extract and lemon juice. Then add icing sugar, ¼ cup at a time, whisking vigorously. Keep adding icing sugar until you get the consistency you like.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake. Let the glaze set (it sets quickly) before slicing and serving.
And that’s all there is to it! I’d love to hear what quick breads or loaf cakes you like, so do drop me a note and share your favourite versions in the comments section below. Have a good one!
Here are more bakes you might like:
- Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze
- Orange Pound Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Glaze
- Super Moist & Tender Carrot Cake
- Cinnamon Pecan Blondies
- Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- Moist & Fudgy Chocolate Rum Brownies
- Moist & Buttery Lemon Raspberry Cake
Tried this recipe? Leave a review below or share your bakes on Instagram by tagging me @foodelicacy or #foodelicacy.
Cranberry Pecan Loaf Cake with Lemon Cinnamon Glaze
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 eggs
- 120 g light brown sugar
- 80 g caster sugar
- 210 ml buttermilk
- 100 ml oil 90 g or 125 g melted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp orange zest optional, but recommended
- 225 g plain or all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 100 g dried cranberries
- 80 g pecans roughly chopped
For the crumble topping:
- 58 g plain or all-purpose flour
- 42 g brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 42 g chilled butter cubed
For the lemon cinnamon glaze
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 50 g brown sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- ½ – ¾ cup icing sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or more to taste
Instructions
Make the crumble topping:
- In a mixing bowl, combine plain flour, ground cinnamon and sugar. Stir with a whisk to mix well.
- Add chilled butter cubes. Cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter and stop when you get pea-sized crumbs. Chill, covered or uncovered, for later.
Make the cake:
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with extra butter and lightly dust with flour. Shake off the excess flour.
- Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk eggs, brown sugar and white sugar until well combined. Whisk in the oil (or melted butter), buttermilk, vanilla extract and orange zest.
- Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture. Whisk to combine, but do not over mix. Fold in the cranberries and chopped pecans until well incorporated.
- Pour into the prepared pan and level the surface. Grate the chilled crumble topping all over. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester or bamboo skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Once out of the oven, let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and set it on a metal rack until completely cooled.
- Drizzle lemon cinnamon glaze over the cake. Let the glaze set (it sets quickly) before slicing and serving.
Make the lemon cinnamon glaze (optional):
- In a saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring to a simmer over low heat, whisking frequently until all the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in vanilla extract and lemon juice. Then add icing sugar, ¼ cup at a time, whisking vigorously. Continue to add icing sugar until it reaches the consistency you desire. The glaze will start to firm up quickly, so do this step when the cake is cooled enough.
