BAKING DAY ~ Pumpkin Cranberry Loaves

How "fall" are these?

This recipe is an adaptation from the cookbook SUGAR by Anna Olsen.

So today is September 1st. I don't know why, maybe with the changing of a season, or the fact that kids are heading back to school, but I always feel that with September comes a fresh start. The air starts to get a little more crisp each night, and as the temperature begins to drop, the comforting wafts of a fire start to fill the air. With it comes comfy fall clothes and even

more comforting food. I think that's one of the reasons I look forward to the season change. I love the rich colours and the rich textures of fall food. The idea of a bountiful harvest and the awaited family gatherings and the tradition! It's just all so comforting.

Anyway, in honour of the fact that Fall seems to be right around the corner, I made something uber fall this morning. Pumpkin loaves filled with cranberries, raisins, pecans and even pumpkin seeds! It doesn't get anymore fall than this!

Here's the recipe. They're really easy to make, in either muffin tins, mini loaf tins or a regular loaf pan, and the pumpkin puree ensures a moist loaf every time!

Enjoy!

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY LOAF

Ingredients:

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 c. unsalted butter at room temperature

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. canned pumpkin puree

1 tbsp. orange zest

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. orange juice

1 1/2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Carefully add 1 egg at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Stir in pumpkin puree, zest and vanilla and once mixed, stir in juice. Add half of the dry ingredients, only mixing until incorporated, and then the same with the second half. Once mixed, fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into greased tins and cook for 60-75 minutes (until a tester comes out clean).

Now for my alterations - I actually use 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (the above all combined together) and an extra pinch of cinnamon instead of the cloves, cinnamon and ginger separate.

I also substitute half of the orange zest for lemon zest, just for an extra kick.

I prefer freshly squeezed orange juice to bought, but sometimes you just don't want to squeeze oranges! And to be honest, I don't always think you can taste the difference on this one.

As you can see, I use dry cranberries, as well as raisins, pecans and pumpkin seeds. I like the look of them all in the loaf and it's healthy! I just add each until it makes a total of roughly 1 1/2 cups. I also sprinkle a few of each on top just because it looks pretty and some raw sugar for a bit of a sweet crunch.