Almond Flour Cranberry Orange Bread

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This Almond Flour Cranberry Orange Bread is studded with tart, juicy cranberries and bursting with fresh orange flavor. It's tender and moist and super simple to make with just 9 ingredients! You'll also love that it's naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.

Slices of cranberry orange bread arranged on a pink platter with cranberries and orange slices to the side.

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Table of Contents

What makes this almond flour cranberry orange bread so good?
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make almond flour cranberry cake
Measuring ingredients
Storage and freezing tips
Key recipe tips
Recipe FAQs
More almond flour holiday recipes
📖 Recipe

Every fall, my husband's coworker generously gifts me with fresh cranberries, and this year, my first priority was to test this cranberry orange cake.

Luckily, this cake turned out the way I wanted it to on the first try. So, I have plenty of cranberries left for other recipes, like this chocolate cranberry cake and cranberry oatmeal muffins!

This cranberry orange bread is actually a variation of my almond flour orange cake, except it's made in a loaf pan and 1 ½ cups of fresh cranberries are added to the batter.

For more citrusy almond flour cakes, try this almond flour lemon blueberry bread, almond flour lemon poppy seed cake or almond flour coconut lime cake!

What makes this almond flour cranberry orange bread so good?

The cranberry orange combo is definitely what makes this bread so good! It's sweet, it's tart and one of my favorite Christmas flavors!
I also love that the almond flour keeps the bread moist and tender for days. You can make it in advance and store it in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
It's sweet enough that you don't need a glaze, but you can absolutely add a orange infused powdered sugar glaze if you like.
I love that it works as a holiday dessert, but also perfect with a cup of tea or coffee as an afternoon snack. If I'm being honest, a slice for breakfast is the best way to enjoy it!
You only need 9 ingredients, and this one comes together with just a few bowls, a whisk and a spatula. No electric mixer needed.

Ingredients and substitutions

Below is a brief overview of the ingredients and recommended substitutions. The recipe card at the end of this post includes the exact quantities used.

Ingredients to make almond flour cranberry orange bread arranged in individual bowls.

Almond flour - You'll need blanched almond flour for this recipe. I don't recommend using almond meal as it has a coarser texture (since the skins are not removed before being ground). The fine texture of almond flour creates a soft and tender crumb in this cake.
Cranberries - Fresh cranberries are best for this recipe. If you can't find fresh, frozen will work. You'll just need to add a few more minutes to the baking time.
Orange - One large naval orange should yield enough zest for this recipe and more than enough juice. When zesting your orange, only use the orange part as the white pith underneath has a bitter taste. Some oranges yield more zest than others so I normally buy two just in case.
Eggs - You'll need 4 large eggs brought to room temperature. It sounds like a lot but they help the loaf rise and bind but also add moisture.
Oil - I used extra virgin olive oil, as I usually do in most of my cakes, but you can also use olive oil, avocado oil or vegetable oil.
Cane sugar - Half a cup of cane sugar is needed to help sweeten the cake and take the edge off the tart cranberries. You can substitute with granulated sugar if you prefer. (I recommend substituting by weight not cups).
Vanilla - I used pure vanilla extract, but you can substitute with orange extract if you prefer. I do this with my almond flour orange cake for extra orange flavor. A little goes a long way!
Baking powder - Essential for lift. For the best results, make sure your baking powder is fresh.
Salt - A flavor enhancer. I used fine sea salt, but kosher or table salt work too.

How to make almond flour cranberry cake

Below is a brief overview of the steps to make this cranberry loaf along with photos. For further details, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.

Dry ingredients whisked together in a bowl. — **Step 1:** Whisk together the almond flour, baking powder and salt.

Wet ingredients being whisked together with bowl of dry ingredients to the side. — **Step 2:** Whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, orange zest, juice and vanilla.

Batter stirred together in a bowl with a spatula and bowl of cranberries on the side. — **Step 3:** Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until just combined.

Cranberries being stirred into the batter. — **Step 4:** Fold in the cranberries. Be careful not to over mix.

Overhead of bread batter in a loaf pan. — **Step 5:** Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes.

Overhead of bread cooling on a wire rack. — **Step 6:** Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Measuring ingredients

For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you'll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you'll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.

Storage and freezing tips

Since this bread is made with almond flour, it stays moist for a number of days. We usually keep it stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. For longer storage, you can keep it in the fridge.

To freeze the cake, let it cool completely and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe container. It will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. You can also slice it and then freeze it, but I find it doesn't last as long in the freezer this way. Defrost at room temperature before enjoying.

Key recipe tips

Almond flour. For the best texture, make sure you are using fine blanched almond flour and not almond meal, which is ground almonds without the skins removed.
Measuring flour. If you don't have a kitchen scale, you'll need to measure your flour using the spoon and level method with a dry measuring cup. If you measure your flour by scooping it out of your flour container, it will be packed and you'll end up with too much for the bread.
Room temperature ingredients. To ensure the eggs whisk together easily with the other wet ingredients, make sure you bring them to room temperature. I store my almond flour in the fridge, so I normally bring that to room temperature too.
Orange zest. Before zesting an orange, be sure to thoroughly wash and dry it. (If it's wet, the zest may get clumpy). I prefer to zest oranges that have been refrigerated as this makes them firmer and easier to grate the outer peel.
Grease and line the pan. When making breads, I like to grease the bottom and sides of a loaf pan and then line it with slightly overhanging parchment paper. This makes it easy to lift the cake out of the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Let the cake cool. Almond flour breads need time to cool and set up. If you cut into them when they're still warm, they will not slice neatly and will be crumbly.
Add glaze. While I prefer this cake without a glaze, if you'd like to make it sweeter, you can make a glaze by whisking together ½ cup (70 grams) of sifted powdered sugar with 2-4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice. (The amount depends on how thick you want your glaze).

Side view of a sliced cranberry orange loaf.

Recipe FAQs

Can you make this bread with a different kind of flour?

This is meant to be an almond flour bread, so I haven't tested it with any other flours. I don't recommend a 1:1 substitution with other flours as almond flour has a high fat and moisture content and unique texture in cakes.

Can you use frozen cranberries instead of fresh?

I prefer to make this bread with fresh cranberries, but you can use frozen in a pinch. Just add the frozen cranberries to the batter (don't defrost) and add an extra 10 minutes to the baking time. When I tested it, the loaf took 65 minutes to fully bake. Be sure to test for doneness with a toothpick. Keep in mind the loaf will also brown a little more due to the extra baking time.

Can you use dried cranberries instead of fresh?

I haven't test this, but it should work. As dried cranberries are sweeter than fresh, I would reduce the amount of cranberries to 1 cup.

Can a different size pan be used for this recipe?

This bread turns out best in an 4.5 x 8.5 inch loaf pan. You can make it in a 9x5 loaf pan, but you'll need to reduce the baking time by about 8-10 minutes. When I tested it, the loaf was ready in 45 minutes. The resulting loaf will also not be as high. While I haven't tested it, this cake should also work in a 9-inch round cake pan. You'll just need to reduce the baking time by about 15- 20 minutes.