Food Lust People Love: Cointreau Glazed Orange Quick Bread

Fresh orange juice, zest and Cointreau give this lovely Cointreau glazed orange quick bread a fresh, sweet flavor that smells amazing as it bakes.

Perfect for snack, teatime or even as a dessert, this quick bread is a family favorite. Similar recipes are best known in Great Britain as lemon drizzle cakes, but as you can see, any citrus substitution will do nicely.

Cointreau Glazed Orange Quick Bread

For anyone who doesn’t drink or cook with alcohol, the orange liqueur can be replaced with an equal amount of orange juice for both the bread batter and the glaze. This recipe makes one 8 x 4-inch or 9 x 5-inch loaf cake.

Ingredients

For the batter:

½ cup or 113g butter, softened to room temperature, plus more for the pan

1 cup or 200g sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tablespoon Cointreau or Grand Marnier

½ teaspoon orange extract, optional

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (from an untreated or organic orange)

1 ½ cups or 190g flour, plus more for the pan if not using baking parchment

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup or 10 ml milk

For the glaze:

½ cup or 62g powdered sugar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tablespoon Cointreau or Grand Marnier

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Prepare your loaf pan by buttering it and either lining the bottom with baking parchment or dusting it with flour, tapping out the excess.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with the sugar until blended and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, just to blend.

Beat in the orange juice, the Cointreau, the extract if using and the orange zest.

Stir together the flour, the baking powder and the salt in a small bowl; beat in the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with dry, beating well after each addition and using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the bread is risen, the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

To make the glaze, sift the confectioner’s sugar into a small bowl and add the juice and the Cointreau. Stir until you have a very smooth silky glaze.

Slide a thin knife blade around the edges of the cake to loosen it and pour the glaze evenly all over the hot loaf, allowing some to dribble down the sides.

Leave the quick bread to cool completely before turning out of the pan and cutting into slices to serve.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 17th edition of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, brought to you by the letter Q. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the Q recipes below: