Chocolate Cranberry Quick Bread with Cinnamon Glaze
Servings 2 loaves
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa
- 1¾ cup granulated or caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, slightly thawed if frozen, and chopped
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup mild olive oil or other mild vegetable oil*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups shredded zucchini/courgettes about 2 medium zucchini
For the Glaze
- 1 cup icing sugar Icing sugar is also known as confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C or 160°C for a fan oven).
- Grease or line two large loaf pans. If using muffin pans, grease or line with paper liners.
- Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a very large bowl. Stir to mix thoroughly.
- Stir in the chopped cranberries and walnuts. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs.
- Add the olive oil and vanilla and beat together well.
- Stir in the shredded zucchini (courgettes).
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring gently as you go. Be sure to blend in all the dry ingredients, but only until just mixed. Do not beat.
- The batter will be very thick at this point, but don't be tempted to add any more liquid. The zucchini will release some of its liquid while cooking.
- Scoop the batter into the loaf pans, levelling the top a little.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the loaves comes out clean.
- Cool in the loaf pans for 15 minutes.
- Remove the loaves from the loaf pans carefully and cool completely on wire racks.
- When the loaves are completely cool, make the glaze.
- Combine the icing sugar (confectioner's sugar) and cinnamon.
- Gradually add the water, a bit at a time, beating until a smooth, drizzle-able consistency is reached. You may not need all the water.
- Drizzle the glaze over the loaves and allow the glaze to set before cutting.
Notes
* One cup of olive oil may seem like a lot at first, but as this recipe makes two loaves, it’s actually quite modest for a cake. I previously tested a version using half oil and half buttermilk, but after further baking I returned to my original all-olive-oil recipe in December 2025. Both work well, but I prefer the texture and flavour of this version — and it has the added bonus of being naturally dairy-free.
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag #apriljharris on Instagram and follow @apriljharris for more.