Copycat Starbuck’s Cranberry Loaf
Homemade Copycat Starbuck’s Cranberry Loaf is a sweet, moist loaf cake that has a touch of citrus and a delicious, creamy icing on top!
A DELICIOUS FALL AND WINTER TREAT
Usually once a week, I make a run to Starbuck’s for a Frappuccino and sometimes a sweet snack. I love the little loaf cakes they sell throughout the year. I also like to recreate them at home because, well, they just taste better when you make a whole loaf. And it’s fresh too!

I have made their Lemon Loaf and their Gingerbread Loaf. This Copycat Starbuck’s Cranberry Loaf and the Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting are seasonal so it’s nice to be able to make and eat them whenever I want!
SWEET, MOIST AND DELICIOUS!
What really gives this that extra little touch of sparkle is the orange zest and juice. It’s not a strong flavor but it adds that little kick of citrus that really brings out the flavor of the cranberry. Combine all that with the smidgen of cinnamon and you get a seriously delicious sweet loaf cake that is perfect with a cup of coffee in the colder fall and winter months!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- orange juice
- orange zest
- buttermilk
- salted butter
- egg
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- cinnamon
- baking powder
- baking soda
- fresh or frozen cranberries
- walnuts or pecans

HOW TO MAKE STARBUCK’S CRANBERRY LOAF:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375f degrees. Spray bottom of 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, orange zest, buttermilk, butter and egg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.

Stir liquid ingredients into dry with until combined.

Gently stir in cranberries and nuts (if using.) Do not overmix.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Continue to bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer.

Cool loaf in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and cool at least one hour before serving. For the icing: In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar with one tablespoon orange juice and a teaspoon of orange zest. I prefer a thick icing but if it is too thick for your taste, just add a little more orange juice to thin it out.

Spread icing onto cooled bread.

Slice and serve!

Cook’s Note: If you’re using frozen cranberries, be sure to chop them while they’re still frozen. Using a sharp knife to chop cranberries is important because they are thick-skinned and like to roll around on you when you chop them.

CRAVING MORE? GIVE THESE RECIPES A TRY!

Copycat Starbuck’s Cranberry Loaf (+Video)
Ingredients
For the loaf:
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, optional
For the icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar confectioners
- 1-2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
For the loaf:
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375f degrees.
- Spray bottom of 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, orange zest, buttermilk, butter and egg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.
- Stir liquid ingredients into dry with until combined.
- Gently stir in cranberries and nuts (if using.) Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Continue to bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer.
- Cool loaf in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and cool at least one hour before serving.
For the icing:
- In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar with one tablespoon orange juice and a teaspoon of orange zest. I prefer a thick icing but if it is too thick for your taste, just add a little more orange juice to thin it out.
- Spread icing onto cooled bread. Slice and serve!
Video
Notes
- If you’re using frozen cranberries, be sure to chop them while they’re still frozen. Using a sharp knife to chop cranberries is important because they are thick-skinned and like to roll around on you when you chop them.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Made this for my parents and my mom loves it! I substituted with dried cherries. She enjoys it with a black coffee!
This was the best. I made 2 loaves giving one away . Definitely a keeper in my household. Thank you very much.
So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review! 🙂
Made this for the first time today and it is fabulous! Didn’t have cranberries, so I heated a cup of spring water until warm, and added a litttle more than a cup of Craisins and soaked overnight. After draining, I had this beautiful cranberry ‘juice’ to which I added 4 packets of True Orange crystals. That was my orange juice for the loaf and icing. Thanks so much!
Can you make a mini loaf with the recipe?
Brandie,
Can you chop the cranberries in a small chopper, instead with a knife? Also, I made this recipe a good while ago & as I don’t normally have buttermilk on hand would it have worked using 2% milk?
Thanks,
Linda
Hi Linda! You sure could use a small chopper for the cranberries. The buttermilk really adds to the moistness. Buttermilk is thick and rich. You could certainly use 2% milk but you lose a bit of that depth of flavor.
Can you use this as small muffins
This is delicious! I will prepare this evening for my partner. Thank you very much
So good! This is certainly worth a celebration!
This would be a delicious Christmas cake.
Cake looks great!
I would like to try the cranberry loaf. I would like to know if you can use dried cranberries for the fresh and if so how much should you use?
Hi Brenda! You sure could. You don’t get the same pretty inside like you do with the fresh ones though. But I would probably use about 1/2 cup (but you could certainly use more!) 🙂
Hi Brandi,
Thanks for the info, I have alot of dried cranberries and will use them in this recipe.
I like your version of the cranberry loaf! Yum ???? Pinned!!
Thanks so much Kelly Lynn!