Cranberry Pistachio Bread with Orange Glaze

As the holiday season approaches, my baking endeavors take a festive turn. Christmas is my favorite time of year. The enticing aroma of cinnamon, like that found in my delectable Easy Cinnamon Rolls, or the scent of citrus.

And what says Christmas better than the timeless combination of cranberry and orange? It’s a classic duo that never fails to evoke the spirit of the season. If you love the combo, you must try my Cranberry Orange Cheesecake, it’s smooth like velvet and effortlessly melts in your mouth, and the show-stopping Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake with a decadent White Chocolate Glaze.

This latest recipe is a combo of two favorites – the Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake and Pistachio Tres Leches. I present you my Cranberry Pistachio Bread with Orange Glaze, a blend of sweet and tart with a subtle hint of nuttiness from the pistachios and a burst of citrus. It’s so good!

Ingredients

• Cranberries – I highly recommend using fresh cranberries. Feel free to try frozen cranberries, but there will be bleeding of cranberries.
• Orange – Again, make sure you use a fresh orange for the zest and freshly squeezed orange juice. The results are better.
• Pistachios – Use raw pistachios for this recipe. Dry roast them and grind them using a mini food processor.
• Pistachio Extract – I recommend using pistachio extract which I ordered from Amazon, but feel free to use almond extract which is easily available at most grocery stores. Make sure to use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of almond extract as the flavor is much stronger than pistachio extract.
• Green Food Color – I used nontoxic food color for this recipe which I purchased from Whole Foods. If you’re using regular food color, you only need a drop. If you’re using natural or nontoxic food colors like I did, you will need a little more. You can also skip the food color.
• Unsalted Butter – Make sure you use unsalted butter at room temperature.
• Eggs & Sour Cream – Make sure these ingredients are at room temperature.

*See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.*

Substitutions

• Dairy-free – Use nondairy butter and sour cream.
• Gluten-free – Use gluten-free white flour. The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
• Frozen Cranberries – This recipe hasn’t been tested with frozen cranberries, however you may certainly use frozen cranberries. Keep in mind, that the bread color will be overpowered by red. I highly recommend sticking to fresh cranberries. Additionally, frozen cranberries may be sweeter so try this at your own risk.
• Skip the Pistachios – Skip the pistachios in this recipe and you’ll end up with Cranberry Orange Bread.

How to Make Cranberry Pistachio Bread with Orange Glaze

Step 1 – Dry Roast Pistachios

1. Dry roast raw unsalted pistachios on medium heat for a few minutes, then turn off the heat. (Image 1)

2. Transfer the pistachios to a food processor and grind until you have ground pistachios. Set aside. (Image 2)

Step 2 – Make the Cranberry Pistachio Bread

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

1. Cream Butter Sugar – Add butter to a large bowl. Make sure the butter is at room temperature. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter for a few minutes until smooth and creamy. (Image 1)

2. Add white sugar to the butter. Blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. (Image 2)

3. This is what you should have. (Image 3)

4. Add the eggs one at a time mixing the ingredients until well incorporated. (Image 4)

5. Add Wet Ingredients – Now add the sour cream, zest of 1 orange, 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice, vanilla extract, and pistachio extract. Additionally, I added green food color. (Image 5)

TIP – Food Color: If you’re using regular food color, you only need a drop. If you’re using natural or nontoxic food colors like I did, you will need a little more. You can also skip the food color.

6. Mix well until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. (Image 6)

7. Add Dry Ingredients to Wet – Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl – all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, and mix until just combined, do NOT over mix. (Image 7)

8. Now add half a cup of the ground pistachios reserving the rest for the topping. (Image 8)

TIP – Flour Cranberries: This prevents the cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

9. Rinse and dry cranberries. Slice them in half. Sprinkle 1/2 a tablespoon of flour over the cranberries. (Image 9)

10. Add the cranberries to the cake batter. (Image 10)

11. Fold them in – do not over-mix. (Image 11)

TIP – How To Grease a Loaf Pan: I grease the loaf pan with a little butter and dust some flour on top. Flip the loaf tray to remove the excess flour.

12. Grease Loaf – Pour batter into a greased 8.5″ x 4.5″ loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes. I baked mine for 65 minutes, but checked after 55 minutes and every 5 minutes after. To test, the top should be golden brown, and insert a toothpick inside the cake to make sure it comes out clean. (Image 12)

Step 3 – Prepare Orange Glaze

1. Allow the cranberry bread to cool. Once cooled, gently remove it from the loaf pan and place it on a serving platter. (Image 1)

2. In a mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice, and 1 tsp of orange zest. Use a whisk to mix well. (Image 2)

3. This is what you should have. If you’d like to thin out the glaze, add more orange juice one teaspoon at a time. (Image 3)

4. Using a whisk, drizzle the delicious glaze all over the cranberry pistachio bread. (Image 4)

5. Garnish with the remaining pistachios. (Image 5)

6. Optional: For a more festive look, add a few whole cranberries on top and grate a little orange zest. (Image 6)

Serving Suggestions

→ This loaf makes 10 slices of cranberry bread. You can slice each slice even further and end up with 20 pieces of bread. This will reduce the nutrition in half.

→ This tart & sweet bread goes best with coffee and would be great on Christmas morning.

Storage

→ Cover the loaf with a tight plastic wrap. You may store the loaf outside the refrigerator for a few days provided you live in cooler temperatures.

→ Store the bread in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. The cranberry pistachio bread will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.