Cranberry Lemon Bread is a sweet-tart, buttery quick bread bursting with bright, fresh flavor. One bite is guaranteed to lift your mood!
I love quick bread recipes for adding to our brunch spread or as an easy dessert. Banana Nut Bread, Strawberry Pineapple Bread, and this Cranberry Lemon Bread are all fantastic choices. If you want to try some new recipes for the new year, check out all of my Baked Goods Recipes.
Sabrina’s Cranberry Lemon Bread Recipe
You’ll love the tartness from this original Cranberry Bread, and this version adds fresh lemon juice and zest for a burst of flavor. They’re both tart flavors, but they just go together perfectly. This sweet bread makes a delicious breakfast or after after-dinner dessert. In fact, you’ll probably be reaching for a slice at all times of the day. It’s just that good!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest , grated
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cups whole milk
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries , or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour an 8×4 inch loaf pan.
- In a stand mixer cream your butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes then add in the vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest and eggs until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl sift together the flour, salt and baking powder before adding it into the stand mixer on low speed, alternating with the milk until just combined.
- Stir the cranberries in by hand until just combined and pour into the pan and bake for 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About this Recipe
This delicious and easy Lemon Cranberry Bread comes together in just a few minutes and only takes an hour to bake. Since it’s a quick bread recipe, there’s no proofing or kneading the dough. Instead, it is mixed like a cake batter. The easy batter gets loaded with lemon flavor and fresh cranberries for a yummy loaf of bread.
Ingredients
- Butter: This bread starts out with ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, that is creamed with sugar. Softening the butter lets it whip up more easily to get lots of air for soft, fluffy bread.
- Sugar: There is 1 cup of sugar, so the bread is sweet, but it is balanced out with the tartness from the berries and fresh lemon, so it isn’t overly sweet.
- Lemon: With 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of lemon zest, there is loads of fresh, bold lemon flavor in this delicious loaf cake!
- Eggs: Bring 2 large eggs to room temperature so that they incorporate into the other ingredients more easily. The eggs add moisture to the bread and help bind everything together for a good structure.
- Flour: You just need 1 ½ cups all purpose flour for this smaller loaf cake. All-purpose flour is just fine for this rich and moist cake; no need for a specialty flour.
- Baking Powder: To help make the cake fluffy and melt in your mouth tender, you need to add 1 teaspoon of baking powder. The air from the butter mixture gives some lift, but the baking powder makes sure it stays light.
- Milk: For extra moisture, you add ¾ cups whole milk to the batter. The whole milk adds a delicious richness to the cake, too.
- Cranberries: A small bag, about 12 ounces, of fresh cranberries adds the perfect amount of berries without overwhelming the cake. You can also use frozen berries, just thaw and pat them dry so they don’t add too much moisture.
Can this be made ahead of time?
One of the best things about this bread is that it lasts for a long time, so it’s perfect for gifting or making ahead of time and freezing. It can be frozen for about 6 months. Just let it cool completely before wrapping it up tightly and popping it in the freezer. When you are ready to eat it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge and enjoy.
Baking Tips & Tricks
- How to prevent a dense cake
- Do not over-mix the batter. The longer you mix, the tougher your bread will be. Stop mixing once everything is combined.
- Make sure to sift the flour and baking powder before adding them to the mixer. It will make the flour mixture much lighter and easier to mix into the wet ingredients, resulting in a lighter bread.
- How to zest and juice a lemon
- When picking your lemons at the store, look for ones that are firm and feel heavy for their size. You’ll want to zest the lemon before juicing. Use a fine grater for zesting the lemon, which releases the most flavor. If you’re squeezing the lemon by hand, to get the most juice, roll the lemon on the counter first and then microwave it for 30 seconds.
What to Pair With Cranberry Lemon Bread
- Drinks: A cup of Cold Brew, or hot coffee, is just what you should enjoy with your Lemon Cranberry Bread!
- Brunch: Serve this Bread alongside your favorite holiday breakfast treats such as Breakfast Casserole, Pork Sausage, and Stuffed French Toast for an impressive brunch spread.
How to Store
- Store: This bread will keep at room temperature, covered, for about a week. You can extend the freshness of the bread by storing it in an airtight container or storage bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: Make sure to wrap the bread in a sealed container or freezer-safe storage bag. The bread will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer.
Ideas to Serve Cranberry Lemon Bread
- Glaze: Make a lemony glaze by whisking powdered sugar and lemon juice until the sugar dissolves. Drizzle it over the top once the loaf has cooled.
- Gifting: Bake the Bread in mini bread pans to make them the perfect size for gifting. It’s an easy recipe to double or triple for holiday baking. Wrap the loaves in festive plastic wrap before packing them in a holiday gift box to keep the bread fresh.
Alternative Baking Techniques
Muffins
Bake in muffin liners at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Remove the muffins from the muffin tin and allow them to cool on a wire rack.
Bread Loaves
For smaller snack loaves, the perfect size for gifting, bake them in 2 half-sized loaf pans. Bake the mini loaves for 30-35 minutes.
Bundt Cake
If you want to make this full-size cake, you can double the recipe and bake it in a bundt pan. Bake the batter in a well-greased bundt pan at 325 degrees for 65-75 minutes.
Frequent Questions
No need to wait until you can get your hands on fresh cranberries to make this recipe. You can also use frozen cranberries, just be aware that the color will run through the bread significantly more. If you do use frozen berries, rinse and dry them to prevent excess running of the color. Also, be gentle when stirring them into the batter.
If stored properly, this Lemon Cranberry Bread should last about a week at room temperature. It can also be refrigerated for about 2 weeks or frozen for 6 months.
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These photos were in a previous version of this post
Can I double the recipe?
sure!
The flavor was great, almost like measurements were off. I wonder if the 3/4 cup of whole milk is too much. It was more of a runny consistency versus a normal bread batter. Maybe just my experience but wanted to share.
Interesting Emily. I will have to test in the kitchen again. Thank you for your feedback.