Time for another pumpkin dessert! This one makes a festive and impressive option for holiday parties. The mild sweetness of the pumpkin bread is highlighted by the decadent icing and contrasted by tart bursts of fresh cranberries. It's become so much a favorite that I've started baking it every year.
The first thing you want to do is cut up your cranberries. They like to roll around a lot, so I find that pulsing them a few times in a food processor is much easier than trying to chop them with a knife.
Mix all your dry ingredients in one bowl and your wet ingredients in another. Combine the two and fold in the cranberries.
Spoon your batter into a loaf pan, and it's ready to go in the oven for about an hour. I highly recommend doing a toothpick test, as five minutes can make a big difference on whether or not the middle of this cake gets properly cooked.
You want to let the loaf cool in the pan over a wire rack for a while before turning it on to a platter. Once it's completely finished cooling, whisk together an icing made with powdered sugar, soy milk and maple extract, then pour it on top and let it drip down the sides. You can sprinkle on some chopped nuts too if you like.
Maple Iced Pumpkin Cranberry Loaf
Makes one 9"x5” loaf
Ingredients
Loaf
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup pumpkin purée (canned or homemade)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons molasses
Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons soy milk
1 teaspoon maple extract
1/3 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted (optional)
Method
- Prepare the loaf. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9"x5” loaf pan.
- Pulse cranberries 2-3 times in a food processor or until coarsely chopped. Set aside.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil, pumpkin, soy milk and molasses in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in cranberries.
- Spoon batter evenly into loaf pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan over a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter and cool completely.
- Prepare the icing. Whisk powdered sugar, soy milk and maple extract together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Pour icing over loaf, then sprinkle with chopped pecans (if using). Allow icing to set, then cut into slices and serve.
Adapted from The Best Pumpkin Muffins by Isa Chandra Moskowitz