Cranberry and clementine loaf cake
Serves: 12-14
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Ant Duncan
Cranberry and clementine loaf cake
If you fancy something a bit lighter than the traditional fruit cake at Christmas, this citrusy clementine loaf is the perfect solution. Ricotta in the cake mix helps to keep the texture lovely, light and moist, while the Cointreau adds an optional splash of festive cheer
Serves: 12-14
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
372Kcal
Fat
16gr
Saturates
9gr
Carbs
47gr
Sugars
30gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
7gr
Salt
0.6gr
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp orange liqueur (such as Cointreau), or clementine juice
- 200g ricotta
- 175g soft salted butter, plus extra to grease
- 275g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 250g plain flour, plus 1 tbsp extra
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 150g fresh cranberries (or frozen, defrosted)
- finely grated zest of 4 clementines
To decorate
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- pared peel of 1 clementine, thinly julienned
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tbsp orange liqueur, or clementine juice
Step by step
To store
The undecorated loaf cake freezes well. The iced cake keeps for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Line and grease a 900g loaf tin (10 x 20cm base measurements). Mix the liqueur or juice with the ricotta in a small bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the ricotta. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition, then add the 250g flour and the baking powder and mix gently until all the flour is combined.
- Coat the cranberries in the extra flour then fold them through the cake mix, adding the zest. Transfer to the tin and level the top. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the loaf comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then remove and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Put the caster sugar in a pan with 1 tablespoon of water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a simmer. Add the strips of clementine peel and simmer in the syrup for 5-6 minutes. Lift out with a fork to a lined tray to cool.
-
Mix the icing sugar with the orange liqueur or clementine juice until you have a pouring consistency, then drizzle over the top of the cooled cake. Decorate with the candied clementine peel.Make it gluten freeUse gluten-free flour and baking powder, adding ½ tsp xanthan gum at the same time. Add 1 tbsp clementine juice to the cake batter as well.
