Winter Spice Cranberry Loaf (Print Version)

A moist loaf with tart cranberry swirls, winter spices, and rich chocolate chips perfect for holiday occasions.

# List of Ingredients:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
06 - ½ teaspoon ground ginger
07 - ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
08 - ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

→ Wet Ingredients

09 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
10 - 1 cup granulated sugar
11 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
12 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
13 - ¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature

→ Add-ins and Swirl

14 - ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
15 - 1 cup cranberry sauce (whole berry or homemade)
16 - 1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

# Step-by-step Instructions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and orange zest if using.
05 - Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
06 - Gently fold chocolate chips into the batter.
07 - Spread half the batter in the prepared pan. Spoon half the cranberry sauce over the batter and gently swirl with a knife.
08 - Repeat with remaining batter and cranberry sauce, swirling again for a marbled effect.
09 - Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. A few moist crumbs are acceptable.
10 - Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cinnamon, ginger, and cloves fill your entire kitchen with the smell of winter in the best possible way
  • Swirling tart cranberry through chocolate studded batter creates those gorgeous marbled slices that make people think you spent hours on them
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are not optional here—cold butter or eggs will curdle your batter and create dense, uneven pockets
  • Overmixing after adding the flour develops gluten and turns a tender loaf into something tough and breadlike
  • The toothpick test should find moist crumbs but not wet batter—underbaked centers never quite set up properly
03 -
  • Chill your cranberry sauce in the fridge for 30 minutes before swirling—it holds its shape better and creates more defined ribbons through the batter
  • Rotate the pan halfway through baking so the loaf rises evenly instead of developing a pronounced dome on one side

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