Sometimes I get extra excited about a recipe, and this citrusy berry loaf is one of them! Super easy to make, I took the best muffin recipe I know and baked it in a loaf pan with sweet blackberries and orange zest. The result is superb and perfect for breakfast and brunch.
A muffin baked in a loaf pan
You have more of the moist crumb, and it makes beautiful morning toast. Yes, I slice it and freeze it, then lightly toast it in the oven for breakfast.
The method is for old-fashioned muffins that I love and swear by. The dry ingredients are in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another bowl; they're lightly stirred together, and that's it. No electric mixer is needed. How is that for easiness?
At some point during testing, with some leftover batter, I also realized that it is even better baked in loaf form. Hence, this fabulous orange-blackberry muffin loaf. It is amazing, really.
Just so you know, muffin recipes can be baked in loaf pans. This is easier when you don't want to scoop and measure each muffin.
What berries can 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! then raspberries are my first choice when in season. But of course, blueberries always work and are the most popular.
If you want to use strawberries I prefer them fresh since frozen ones tend to be watery and not as flavorful. Lime zest also pairs amazingly well with them.
Steps to make blackberry muffin bread
Two preparations
The dry ingredients and wet ones are mixed in different bowls and the both are incorporated.
The key is to stir, not to beat or overmix the muffin batter so it renders a light, soft crumb
Blackberries
Fold them in carefully with a spatula so you don't crush them.
If using frozen berries, use them directly from the freezer without thawing.
Loaf pan
Fill the prepared pan to no more than ¾ of its capacity so the batter bakes well and doesn't overflow during baking.
Baking
Test for doneness by inserting a cake tester or toothpick in the middle of the loaf. As soon as it comes out clean, remove the loaf from the oven.
All ovens and pans are different, so always take the baking times as a guide. Sometimes a loaf cake is golden brown and cracked but the inside isn't fully baked. So check toward the end of the given time. It might take a little longer.
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Blackberry Muffin Loaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup whole milk, at room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, (I use sunflower oil)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons orange zest, packed
- 1 ½ cups blackberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350ºF (180ºC).
- Butter or spray an 8x3-inch (20x7cm) loaf cake pan. I recommend you line it with parchment paper for easier removal. See Notes below for options.
- In a large bowl mix dry ingredients: sifted 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Add 1 cup sugar and stir to combine.
- In another bowl stir together 2 eggs, ¾ cup whole milk, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, lukewarm 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 teaspoons orange zest. Do not beat but mix well until no streaks of egg whites remain.
- Add all of the wet ingredients at once to the dry ingredients.
- Mix until you barely have streaks of flour, but do not overmix. It will be lumpy and not completely mixed. It's key that you don't overmix!
- Add 1 ½ cups blackberries and fold in lightly, trying not to crush them.
- Pour into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is cracked and golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes and carefully remove. Let cool completely.
- You can glaze it, but I find it’s amazing plain. Your call.
- Keep wrapped in film.
Eve says
I used the zest of one orange. I regret not using lemon zest instead with the fresh blackberries- the flavors didn’t jive for me. I also found the amount of baking powder to be too much. I do like the loaf idea, and will give it another shot after I tweak a few things. I may replace the oil entirely with apple sauce, and brush with a honey butter glaze. The batter was wet, and the baking time was 20 min longer- it came out OK form wise. Use parchment as directed.
Gretchen E Escue-Shetler says
I used it for raspberries. If you have anything for a Raspberry loaf/bread I would love it. Looking for a glaze nowe.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Gretchen! You can use the glaze from this blackberry loaf and make it with raspberries.
Bettya says
Thanks Paula. The recipe was easy to follow and I baked Yummy muffins using the metric ingredients. I will definitely be using the recipe again but next time I'll do the loaf.
Homa says
I made this for a girls’ lunch and we all loved it! Easy and delicious. Thank you!
natalie says
Just made this recipe with a mix of blueberries and blackberries, and it is so yummy! I added a bit of fresh orange juice to it and i think think it made it too moist because part of the cake was stodgy and sunk:/ Nonetheless, it is so good paired with an orange glaze!
Paula Montenegro says
Glad you liked it Natalie! Yes, I agree with the juice part. What you can do next time to add more flavor is brush a cold syrup on top when you take them out of the oven, like I do with the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. Have a great day.
Deborah Horger says
Baked this 2 days ago, and liked it so well that I baked 2 more loaves today. Substituted almond milk, because it's what we have, used 2X the amount of blackberries and added chopped walnuts. Delish!
Paula Montenegro says
So happy to hear that Deborah! And great to know it can hold so many more blackberries!
Julie Pickard says
Really easy and very tasty.
I was worried that the mixture was too wet and thought I had done it wrong but it was perfect. I'll be doing this again.
Paula Montenegro says
Glad you liked it Julie!
Kathryn says
I made this but swapped out the blackberries for dewberries. I live in TX, and dewberries grow wild in the spring. Usually, we only make cobblers with them, but I wanted to find some different ways to use them. It turned out so good!! It did take twice as long to bake, but that may just be my oven. I’ll definitely be making this loaf again! Thanks for this fantastic recipe!
Paula Montenegro says
Love that it turned out great Kathryn! I love it too, much better than muffins because it keeps better. Have a great week!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Oh my word, the moistness of this bread is just jumping off the screen at me. It looks seriously delicious. I love the idea of combining strawberries with lime zest (and thank you for the tip about using frozen). Think I'm going to have to try this ... perhaps tomorrow. Or, perhaps tonight. 🙂
angiesrecipes says
This muffin loaf turned out fabulous! Thanks for sharing your recipe, Paula.
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks Angie!