Cranberry-Orange Bread with Grand Marnier Glaze Recipe (2024)

This is one of my best recipes. Love it! This bread disappears in no time whenever I bring it to share. Elegant in presentation it looks as good as it tastes.

I made this bread as Christmas gift for friends- everybody loved it beyond belief! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, I will be making it again and again :)

I agree that this is much like the pound cake we love but with lots of cranberries, a very mild orange flavor and in my case; chopped freshly shelled pecans, (a real advantage to living in the South around holiday baking time!). I made the recipe as shown except adding 2 C of chopped pecans. Due to that addition it made 8 - 6" aluminum foil loaf pans generously filled to a bit over 2/3 full which rose as they baked to a nice rounded top with the traditional 'pound cake/holiday bread' crack in the center. I was somewhat concerned that the batter was too thick due to the pecans but the bread is moist, yet a bit crispy on the top which is wonderful. I will probably sub about half fresh OJ for half of the Grand Marnier next week so the icing has more orange than GM flavor. Yes, I'm definitely making more for holiday visitors' goody plates since they freeze well and so far the reviews have been great. PS My husband gave this a definite thumbs up and sour cream pound cake is his favorite.

This is not really 'bread' -- it is like pound cake. With this recipe, I made 4 mini loaves and a regular-sized loaf. The dough is very thick -- I was worried about this before baking, but the loaves were beautiful -- crusty on top (like pound cake) but moist and buttery inside. I would prefer more orange flavor as I could not really taste it -- I would add a tsp of orange extract. I used fresh frozen cranberries and this was delicious and added beautiful color too. I do think adding chopped walnuts would be great. I baked at 345 for 46 minutes. Note: for pound cakes, the edges brown and the middle should have a creamy stripe down the center that looks unbaked --- place a toothpick about half way b/n the center and the edge and if it comes out clean, it is ready. Otherwise, the cake will be dry. Overall, this was good, but not great. I made this for Christmas gifts for co-workers and I will make something else next time (have not given to them yet so I do not have their review.)

this is sooooo good!!! I soaked my dried cranberries in the grand Marnier too before adding to the batter..

Delightful! My family loved it except after about 2 days it began to dry out. Definitely will try to freeze a loaf next time.

made six small bundts. easy, but a little dry, even with the glaze. nice flavor, pretty appearance.

I have made this recipe for Christmas for the last 2 years. It's very good. The mini loaves are perfect for gifts. Delicious!

I made this recipe by the directions and baked the small loaves. Although the flavor was good, they were way too dense. I had made these as gifts and given out 2 but won't give any more. My very close friend told me that she enjoyed her's but after she warmed it in the microwave. Too much cost and effort for the texture.

OOOOH MYYYY!!!!! This is too good for words. I am shocked at how delicious it is. I will not be sharing the recipe, because I want all of the glory and accolades which are a given when this is presented. Wow!

This is more like a cake than a bread but it is wonderful. Keeps well in the freezer also.

I made this last year as a gift for friends. Fabulous but decadent! Makes a great gift and for personal use if you want to spoil yourself with a special indulgence. Yummy!

Turned out great. A wonderful holiday bread. Instead of Grand Marnier, I used orange juice with a little more of the orange zest. A hit in my house.

5 stars is not enough! Tried this recipe a while back and it is now a staple at our holiday gatherings. It is a sweet cake, so we use it mainly for the dessert table, but also for breakfast. It is also lovely enough to be wrapped and given as a holiday gift! Beats fruit cake by a mile and a half:) I have done different things with the icing, usually without the Grand Mariner.

This was outstanding bread and real easy to make, my kids thought the glaze was a little stong but they loved it. Will make again : )

This turned out GREAT!!! It was so yummy and fluffy. I love the combination of cranberries and orange :) Haven't added the glaze yet- just tried the crumbles left in the pan :)

Made this for Christmas and I think it was the best thing I made. It is very buttery. I added 2 cups of walnuts to the bread and some freshly squeezed oj to the glaze along with liquor. This was to die for!!

This is an absolutely amazing bread! I can't make it often because I want to eat the whole loaf. Everyone that I have made it for LOVES and raves over it! They can't get enough! This replaces all other Cranberry breads in my recipe file!!! I have made it with lemon zest before instead of orange and it was still great!

Great taste, but not a "bread" texture. (Don't expect it to be like a quick bread, it's more like a moist, dense cake.) It rises nicely in the oven, but then falls significantly when cooled. But lovely, rich taste!

I made this bread as a gift for a friend. I made the recipe just as it was written with the same ingredients. I ended up trying a piece of the second loaf before giving it to my friend to make sure it tasted good. WOW!!! It was delicious. I love the taste of the glaze with the bread. I plan to make this a bread for the holidays from now on.

I made this a couple of days ago, and only slightly varied the recipe. I used 1 cup of cranberries, and added in 1/2 cup of chopped dried apricots, as a previous reviewer did. I used 9 Tbsp of Grand Mariner in the glaze, and I drizzled the excess glaze that ran off over slices prior to serving. This was big hit at my office and at home. I will be making this as Christmas gifts this year. Very good & moist bread with the right blend of tart and sweet. The flavor seems to improve with time, assuming it lasts that long!

I first made this recipe for a ladies' afternoon tea and they loved it! Several asked for the recipe and raved about it to each other. I love the fact that it makes 2 loaves and froze the second one for an event today knowing it would also be a hit and it was! This one is now in my 3-ring binder of "KEEPERS"!

This is a pretty bread that has a lot of flavor, but the glaze was very strong and overpowering. I used a different brand of orange liquer which could have altered the taste but it had a strong whiskey taste. I think using half the amount + milk or water would have been much better (and thinned it out some). The bread is sweet and orangey. I made 4 mini loaves and 1 regular loaf from the recipe and gave the small ones as gifts. I just wished I had tasted the glaze before I poured it on...

Texture was fine. The flavor didn't impress me. Very orangy and sweet. The cranberries might be better if fresh so there would be a tart contrast to the sweetness. Disappointed.

I absolutely loved this recipe. It's really more of a pound cake than a quick bread (fairly sweet, and a dense, moist, cakey texture), but I think it's my new favorite holiday desert. I made it exactly as written, except that I used triple sec instead of grand marnier in the glaze because that's what I had on hand. I also baked all the dough in one bundt pan, which took about 75 minutes and came out very pretty. It keeps well at room temperature (well wrapped) so you can make it ahead of time.

I agree with another reviewer, this has good flavor but I'm not impressed with the texture. The loaves didn't seem to rise that much and that could have been the problem. I may make again & increase the amount of baking powder.

I made this bread the past three Christmases precise to the recipe and have never had a problem with it. Very delicious! I made the mini loaves and wrapped them in cellophane to give as Christmas gifts for friends or co-workers and have received rave reviews. Happy Baking!

very tasty but pretty dense. wish it could be lightened up a bit - both in texture and calories. will be making a few mini loaves of this for the neighbors this holiday season.

This recipe is wonderful. I have made many times for the holidays and it never fails to bring raves. I will be making again as everyone who gets a loaf request it again and again

Excellent! I made this a day ahead for Thanksgiving Breakfast and got many great remarks. I was careful not to overstir so I didn't get any crumbling. I did use replace half the liqueur in the glaze with the orange juice and it was good. I didn't find the liqueur flavor to be very strong at all though, so next time I am going to try it as stated in the recipe.

This is a wonderful recipe. My family, friends and co-workers loved it. The only changes I made where I didn't add the orange zest and for the frosting I just made a powdered sugar glaze. Since I took it to work I didn't think the "cheer" was appropriate. It was wonderful without it!

Easy recipe and great results (no crumbling, but I attribute that to the butter content!!). I would love a lower fat substitute (any suggestions?). Also, I was hesitant to follow the icing recipe with so much alcohol since I was giving as gifts, so I used OJ & just a teaspoon of Grand Marnier, and I lightly iced. Probably would have been better if I used more icing, but the bread was delicious. Cranberries and oranges are just meant to be together! I will make again and tweak the icing some more.

This was a very simple recipe to make. It was a little time consuming, but definitely worth it. I made it for Christmas gifts, and not only did people say the presentation was festive but they are still talking about the amazing flavor. I will definitely make this again, even just as a bread to go with a tea! The only change I made was in the frosting, I substituted milk for the Grand Marnier.

THIS IS A FANTASTIC RECIPE. I READ THE REVIEWS BEFORE MAKING. FOLLOW RECIPE AND DO NOT OVERMIX. THE BREAD IS MOIST AND HAS A LOVELY HINT OF ORANGE AND DID NOT CRUMBLE WHEN CUT. I ADDED A HALF TEASPOON OF GRAND MARINIER TO THE BATTER AND ONLY TWO TABLESPOONS TO THE GLAZE. I USED ORANGE JUICE IN PLACE OF ALL THE LIQUOR (TOO STRONG) IN THE GLAZE. THIS BREAD REALLY HAS A UNIQUE FLAVOR AND WAS VERY GOOD WITH OUR AFTERNOON COFFEE. I MADE THE SIX MINI LOAVES AND BAKED THEM FOR ONLY 50 MINUTES (OVENS VARY QUITE A BIT SO WATCH THE TIME). I WILL ABSOLUTELY MAKE AGAIN. REMEMBER, DO NOT OVER MIX AND IT SHOULD NOT CRUMBLE.

We made this delicious bread for Christmas gifts and were very pleased with its appearance, texture and taste. We used salted butter and will probably add pecans when we make it again. I believe you could use orange juice in the glaze also. The loaves will make a wonderful addition to a gift basket.

This had good flavor but I was not impressed with the texture. As another reviewer mentioned, the loaves did not hold together very well compared to other quick breads, which is think is from having too much butter. I do think it could taste even better if it were a lighter recipe, but I don't like the effect of baking with applesauce - maybe some low-fat cream cheese or vanilla yogurt instead of all the butter. I dried my own cranberries and used fresh-squeezed orange juice and the flavor was fantastic. I noted the comments on the glaze and used half water and half rum instead of the orange liqueur and I'm glad I did since the orange flavor was already so strong. The alcohol flavor from the rum was there but not as pronounced as other reviewers have suggested, probably from cutting the amount of it in half. I will definitely try this again, but with alterations to improve the texture.

I made this bread last year to give as Christmas gifts. Everyone loved it. I am going to make it again this year and can't wait to taste it again.

Yummy, yummy - tender, soft buttery loaves that made for perfect snacking. I personally found the alchohol a tad overpowering, but my husband thought it was awesome, so it might be a matter of taste there. I'll make this bread again!

Everyone I've made this for has enjoyed it. For those not wanting to spend a lot for the Grand Marnier, check your local liquor stores. Many have tiny bottles at their check-outs similar to what's served on airplanes. It cost me $1.75 and it was plenty for this recipe.

Incredible. Always a big hit.