Greek Yogurt Cranberry Orange Pound Cake
Yields: 1 pound cake, 12 slices
 
This is one of my all-time favorite cake recipes! It’s supremely tender, thanks to the Greek yogurt, and it’s full of sweet sunshiny taste and festive cranberries. Such a classic flavor combination! Leftovers will keep for at least a week if stored in the fridge tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.
  • 2 ¾ cups (330g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp (15g) freshly grated orange zest (about 2 extra large)
  • 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
  • 3 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp (15mL) liquid stevia
  • ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup (120mL) freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 extra large)
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp (150mL) nonfat milk
  • 1 ½ cups (165g) fresh whole cranberries, diced
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a 9x5” loaf pan with foil. Lightly coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the orange juice and 2 tablespoons of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the cranberries.
  3. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out the cake by the foil and transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 ½ cups (180g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 2 teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, although the cake will be less tender and have a distinct wheat-y flavor.

The cake requires 3 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the cake maintains its shape and texture while cooling. Without all 3 egg whites, the cake will collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.

I do not recommend substituting for the liquid stevia, if at all possible. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too! I buy it online here because that's the best price I've found.) However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the cake, substitute 1 ¼ cups (240g) granulated sugar and omit the milk, but the cake will no longer be clean-eating friendly. You may substitute 1 ¼ cups (240g) coconut sugar and omit the milk to keep the cake clean eating friendly, but it will be much darker in color and the orange flavor will be somewhat muted. The baking time may vary with either of those substitutions as well.

To quickly dice the cranberries, add them to a food processor, and pulse until they’re no larger than ¼ of their original size.

Frozen and thawed cranberries that have been patted dry to remove any excess moisture may be substituted for the fresh. In a pinch, 1 cup of diced dried cranberries that have been hydrated may be substituted for the fresh cranberries. To hydrate the dried cranberries, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, add water until it rises ½” above the cranberries, and cover the top with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the cranberries sit while preparing the cake batter. Just before mixing them in, drain and pat dry.

Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

Do not use a hand-held mixer or stand mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in a dense, gummy, or tough cake. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower sugar}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2016/12/06/greek-yogurt-cranberry-orange-pound-cake/