Sometimes I get extra excited about a recipe, and this orange blackberry muffin loaf is one of them! Super easy, it’s the best muffin recipe I know with sweet blackberries and orange zest baked in a loaf pan. The results are superb!

I have my go-to muffin recipe and it’s simply the best ever. Also, I just realized it is not yet posted in this blog (the horror, I know).

But, I also realized that it is even better in loaf form. Hence this fabulous orange blackberry muffin loaf. It is amazing, really.

The best part is that it is an old fashioned muffin recipe. Dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another bowl. Barely mix them together and that’s it. Not even a beater is needed. How is that for easiness?

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What berries should you use?

You can use any berry, but I find that blackberries and blueberries work best (alone or mixed) with the orange zest in this type of recipe.

If you opt for lemon zest – that universal favorite! – raspberries are my favorite. But I know blueberries are the most popular.

If you want to use strawberries I prefer them fresh since frozen tend to be too watery and lose flavor, in my opinion. Lime zest will be my first choice, it pairs amazingly with strawberries, as you can see in this strawberry lime danish braid.

What type of pan should you use?

I use a loaf cake pan (or quick bread pan), but you can use a small tube pan. I don’t recommend bundt pans with too much detail since it will probably stick and not unmold well in certain places.

But do use a narrow pan; otherwise, it will take too long to bake the center of the cake and the sides will be too thick from overbaking. What you can use, if you don’t want a loaf, is a sheet cake pan so the cake is wide but not tall, and cut it in squares, similar to a snack cake.

The idea is to use a pan that will bake the center of the batter quickly without overbaking the sides and bottom.

Muffin to loaf pan conversion

It goes without saying that this recipe can be made in muffin form; it is a muffin recipe after all!
It is perfect for 12 regular sized muffins. Any recipe that yields twelve muffins is usually good for an 8×3-inch pan, or similar.

Not exactly what we’re talking about, but any cake recipe that yields one bundt/tube cake is good for about 24 cupcakes. Or two loaf cakes.

About butter and oil in muffin recipes

I make a compromise in terms of using all butter or all oil in this recipe.

Our much-loved butter gives it a great flavor but makes it heavier. Oil makes it less dense but lacks that rich flavor. So, half and half it is. You can use any type of oil, even olive oil which is probably my favorite one. Canola and coconut work well too.

So, I hope you give this recipe a try because it is phenomenal. And versatile in terms of zest and berries.
Enjoy the week my friends!

Other recipes you might like:

Lemon Blueberry Cake
Raspberry Apple Crumb Bars
Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
Lemon Blackberry Teacakes
Easy no-churn Strawberry Ice Cream

Let me know if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it.

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