This Cranberry Orange Mascarpone Loaf Cake combines the classic Christmas fruit combo with a touch of creamy mascarpone for a perfectly soft, tender bread!
Christmas is fast approaching and now that I'm finally out of school for the break, I have so much time to blog for you guys! Yippee! This delicious Cranberry Orange Mascarpone Loaf Cake was recently featured at a brunch party my mom had with some of their friends and it was a HUGE success! This bread features zesty fresh cranberries, orange juice, and creamy mascarpone cheese. It has a fine, soft crumb and a perfect balance of tart to sweet, for a new take on the classic cranberry orange combo!
I don't know if it's just because I'm an obnoxious Italian, but I love finding new ways to use mascarpone! I've put it in Chicken Marsala and Mushroom Pockets and Chocolate Cake and Brownies... and now cranberry orange mascarpone loaf cake. Seriously, just use it anywhere you'd use cream cheese for an extra little somethin-somethin. SO yum! In this cake, since it's not tangy like cream cheese, it doesn't add to the sourness of the cranberries but instead just adds a nice creamy mellow tone.
It had been quite a bit since I'd baked with fresh cranberries, and this cake reminded me of just how tart they are! Wooo-weee! Definitely not in a bad way, but if you grab a slice with a bunch of them in there... watch out 😉 I thought a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top of this cranberry orange mascarpone loaf cake was the perfect finishing touch. If you're wanting something extra, a glaze {like for this apple cinnamon loaf cake} or a cream cheese frosting {like for this cranberry bundt cake} work great.
If you're looking for more cranberry inspo, you can check out my Double Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies, Spiced Cranberry Orange Sangria, Cranberry Jalapeño Baked Brie, and Cranberry Crumb Cake. Happy baking! 🙂
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 8 oz (1 standard container) mascarpone cheese
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia extract {you can sub orange extract}
- Preheat oven to 400F, and butter + flour a 9x5 loaf pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the mascarpone and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Slowly pour in the melted butter, then beat in the egg and orange juice.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, and finally add in the orange zest and Fiori di Sicilia extract.
- Stir in the cranberries by hand, then pour the batter into the prepared pan {it will be thick!}.
- Bake at 400F for 12 minutes, then lower heat to 350F and finish baking for 50-55 min, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you see the top getting a little too brown during cooking, just cover it with some foil.
- Let cool slightly before removing from pan. Serve warm with a sprinkle of powdered sugar!
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