Zest the orange. Set zest aside. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water until smooth. Set aside.

Add the ¼ cup water, orange juice, cinnamon stick, and sugar to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir until sugar dissolves.

Add cranberries and pour in the cornstarch mixture. Simmer 5–7 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon stick and stir in orange zest. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the cake batter.

Preheat the oven to 335 F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

With a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until creamy and light. Add the sugar and beat an additional minute until slightly fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

Turn the mixer down to low speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the orange zest and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Beat until dry ingredients are just incorporated, being careful not to overmix.

Spread ⅓ of the batter in the prepared loaf pan. Spoon ⅓ cup cranberry sauce over the top and use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it evenly, leaving a ¼-inch border around the edges so the sauce doesn’t touch the pan. Spread another ⅓ of the batter over the sauce to cover it completely. Spread another ⅓ cup cranberry sauce on top, again leaving a ¼-inch border, then cover with the remaining ⅓ of the batter.

Stick a knife or skewer in the batter almost to the bottom of the pan. Run the knife or skewer through the batter in a swirling motion going from side to side from the top to the bottom of the pan. Rotate the pan 45 degrees and run the knife through the batter side to side from top to bottom one more time. Be careful not to overswirl.

Bake 60–70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Remove the cake from the oven and set on a cooling rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out and allow it to cool completely on the rack. Cool completely before icing.

Add the powdered sugar to a medium sized bowl. Whisk in the orange juice until desired consistency is achieved. Add the orange zest and whisk till combined. Pour or spread the icing over the cake. Enjoy!