Cream Cheese Cranberry Loaf

This Cream Cheese Cranberry Loaf is a stunning balance of textures: the dense, buttery crumb (similar to a high-end pound cake) is perfectly offset by the tart “pop” of fresh cranberries. Using cream cheese in the batter adds a subtle tang and ensures the bread stays moist for days. This recipe makes two loaves, making it a perfect choice for holiday gifting or stocking your freezer.

Cream Cheese Cranberry Loaf

Ingredients:

How to Make Cream Cheese Cranberry Loaf:

Step 1: Prep and Cream: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, cream together the room-temperature butter, cream cheese, and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy.

Step 2: Add the Liquids: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Tip: Using room-temperature eggs is crucial here! Cold eggs can cause the creamed butter and cream cheese to “seize” or curdle, leading to a less uniform crumb.

Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this to the wet ingredients, stirring just until you no longer see streaks of flour. Overmixing at this stage will make the bread tough.

Step 4: The Cranberry Fold: Gently fold in the cranberries by hand.

Note: If using frozen cranberries, do not thaw them first! Adding them frozen prevents the juice from bleeding and turning your entire loaf pink.

Step 5: Bake: Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 60/70 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Step 6: Cool and Set: Let the loaves cool in the pans for at least 15 minutes. This allows the structure to set so the slices don’t crumble when you cut into them.