Chocolate Cranberry Quick Bread Recipe
Chocolate Cranberry Quick Bread is definitely a treat for anyone who loves chocolate - two different chocolates including a chocolate crumb topping and Dutch cocoa for the most chocolatey taste and look.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 482kcal
Equipment
- 9x5 loaf pan and a regular size muffin pan or jumbo muffin pan.
Ingredients
Chocolate Crumbs
- 6 tablespoons butter, cold (90 grams)
- ½ cup brown sugar (100 grams)
- ¾ cup cake flour (100 grams)
- 3 tablespoons Dutch cocoa (14 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Cranberry Bread
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate (170 grams)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (114 grams or 1 stick)
- 2 cups frozen cranberries (200 grams)
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (245 grams)
- ¼ cup Dutch cocoa (23 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- Zest 1 large orange
- ¾ cup sour cream (170 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla (McCormick is fine ])
- ½ cup chocolate chunks (85 grams)
Instructions
Chocolate Crumb Topping
- Cut the cold butter into pieces.
- Place the dry ingredients in the processor bowl and pulse several times to mix.
- Circle the cold butter over the dry ingredients and pulse the processor until crumbs form. Do not be impatient and to not over process or you will have a paste. Refrigerate while you make the batter.
Chocolate Cranberry Bread
- Due to the fact this is a very heavy batter, use a regular paddle attachment and not a scraper attachment if you have one.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Spray the pan, including the parchment with a non-stick baking release. Set aside.
- Cut the chocolate in small pieces. Melt the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave at half power until the chocolate is shiny and the butter is melted. Whisk to smooth out. If there is any unmelted chocolate, let it sit for a few minutes and whisk again. If there are still a few, briefly microwave and whisk.
- Wipe out the processor bowl and add the frozen cranberries. They must be frozen hard. Pulse to coarsely chop them but don't get them too small. There should be large pieces or even some whole cranberries. Place in the freezer while you finish the batter.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda. It's best at this point to place the mixture in a strainer to make sure there are no lumps of cocoa left. If there are, push them through with a spoon. Mix well.
- Place the eggs, granulated sugar and orange zest in the bowl of a mixer. Beat until completely combined, scraping down as necessary. It took about 3 minutes in my Breville on medium.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla, mixing well, followed by the chocolate/butter. Mix well and scrape down.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low. When most of the flour has been mixed in, add the frozen cranberries and chunk chocolate. Beat on low until all the ingredients are incorporated. The batter will be very heavy.
- Place about ¾ of the batter (915 grams) in the 9x5 pan. Smooth is flat and spread about ¾ of the chocolate crumbs (about 170 grams) evenly over the top, pressing them in lightly.
- Place paper liners in 3 jumbo muffin wells or 6 regular size wells and divide the remaining batter and crumbs among them.
- Bake the chocolate cranberry quick bread for about 70 to 75 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cover the top loosely with foil about ⅔ through. Bake the muffins about 28 to 30 minutes for the jumbos or 15 to 20 for the regular size.
- Cool about 15 minutes before going around the sides of the loaf pan with a metal spatula and placing on a cooling rack. The muffins can be remove after about 1o minutes by lifting them out by the edge of the paper liners.
- Either of these may be frozen, wrapped well and kept for 3 months or so. Thaw at room temperature.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
There is always an abundance of photos to guide you in the post above. If you have questions, look at the photos or read the header of the article. Many of them will be answered there.
As always, I recommend using a scale for accuracy and consistency. Flour, in particular, is difficult to measure by volume. For my recipes, I use 140 grams per cup of unsifted all-purpose, bread or whole wheat flour and 125 grams of cake flour. Others may use different weights so use whatever they suggest.
Unless otherwise noted, salt refers to table salt.
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
________________________________________________
The cranberries have to be frozen before chopping and incorporated from the frozen state.
Both semisweet chocolate and chocolate chunks are used. Chocolate chips can be substituted for the chocolate chunks if necessary.
Dutch chocolate is used for its dark color and mellow taste. I don't suggest using natural cocoa as it requires different amounts of the leavening agents.
Six regular size muffins can be made instead of the 3 larger ones.Nutrition
Serving: 12servings | Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 261mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 590IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 3mg
