Lemon Cranberry Loaf

Published: Nov 2, 2017 · Modified: Aug 21, 2023 by Drizzle · This post may contain affiliate links · 34 Comments

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I love a fresh slice of sweet bread right out of the oven with a cup of tea for an afternoon snack. Lemon cranberry loaf is the perfect blend of tart and sweet flavors. It’s a great summer bread to make when you want something light, but tasty. You can make this for an afternoon snack, nightly dessert, or weekend ladies’ brunch.

This lemon cranberry loaf is not only sweet and delicious, but it’s also healthy as well. It’s not loaded with sugar like most lemon loaves. And non-fat Greek yogurt adds the creaminess it needs in the batter without adding a ton of fat and calories. You can even get a bit of protein from a slice - each serving has 4 grams of protein!

Three reasons why you need to make this recipe!

It’s tart and sweet - the perfect summer dessert combination.

In the heat of summer, you want a dessert that’s light and refreshing. This lemon cranberry loaf is just that. The tartness from the lemon and the cranberries give you the refreshing bite you need to balance out the sweetness of the loaf.

Lemon and cranberry are a classic flavor combo.

Nothing goes better together than lemon and cranberry! But if you’re really not a fan of cranberries, you could technically use any berry that you like. Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, or a mixture of all three would work.

It’s low in sugar!

Most lemon loaf slices from coffee shops or bakeries are going to have about 40 grams of sugar. Per slice! That is a lot of unnecessary sugar. Each slice of this lemon cranberry loaf is just 8 grams of sugar. That is a total of 32 grams of sugar you are not ingesting just by making this recipe at home.

Ingredients you need to make Lemon Cranberry Loaf:

1 egg
2 egg whites (or ¼ cup liquid egg whites from the carton)
3 tablespoons white sugar
½ cup Skry plain yogurt 0% Greek is fine too
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon
1.5 teaspoon lemon zest
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping cup of fresh cranberries.

FOR THE GLAZE

2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon
3 tablespoon confectioners sugar

How to make Lemon Cranberry Loaf (step by step):

Preheat the oven to 375F and spray a regular size loaf pan with some nonstick cooking spray.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg, egg whites, and white sugar until it’s light and fluffy.
Add in the yogurt, apple sauce, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Stir in the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and lemon zest.
Gently fold in the cranberries.
Fill the loaf pan with the batter and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
To make the glaze, mix the remaining 2 teaspoons of lemon juice with 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Once the loaf has cooled a bit, pour the glaze over the top. It does not give you a lot but it is enough to add a light coat to the top of the loaf.
Cut into 10 pieces.

Makes 10 slices. Nutrition info for 1 slice: Calories 120, Fat 1 g, Saturated fat .15 g, Carbs 24 g, Fiber .88 g, Sugars 8.73 g, Sodium 195 mg, Protein 4 g.

WW Points

Egg 0 points
Egg whites 0 points
White sugar 11 points
Skry plain yogurt 0 points
Unsweetened apple sauce 0 points
Vanilla 0 points
Freshly squeezed lemon 0 points
Lemon zest 0 points
All Purpose flour 19 points
Baking powder 0 points
Baking soda 0 points
Fresh cranberries 0 points

FOR THE GLAZE

Freshly squeezed lemon 0 points
Icing sugar, confectionery sugar, or powdered sugar 7 points

4 points per slice based on the WW app recipe creator.

If you’re using an older version of WW, check out these points below.

3 SP on blue, green & purple/3PP

Different ways to change up this recipe:

Like it’s stated above, any berries will work for this recipe. Fresh or frozen, as long as you let the frozen berries thaw before adding them to the batter. And drain off any juice from the thawed berries- you don’t want extra liquid in the batter.
You could make an orange cranberry loaf (a great Christmas flavor!) by substituting the lemon juice and lemon zest for freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest.
This recipe would make fantastic muffins as well. Just place the batter in nonstick muffin tins and bake for about 18-20 minutes.
Add a bit of Lily’s No Sugar Added White Chocolate Chips for a delicious surprise.

Tips and Tricks for Making Lemon Cranberry Loaf:

Lemon cranberry loaf freezes well. Wrap it tightly with Saran Wrap and place it in a freezer ziplock bag. It will store for up to 3 months. To thaw, let it sit on the counter at room temperature overnight.
If you find that your cranberries are falling to the bottom of the loaf while baking, mix the cranberries into the all purpose flour before folding the flour into the batter. Coating the berries with flour keeps them in their place while baking.
If you want more glaze, consider using Swerve Zero Calorie Confectioners sugar along with the lemon juice.

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