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Slices of Christmas quick bread ready for teatime

Cranberry Orange Eggnog Loaf

Filled with cranberries, mixed peel, pecans, and orange flavor combined with eggnog and a whisper of warm spices, this Cranberry Orange Eggnog Loaf is like Christmas wrapped in a quick bread!
Course Bread
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword cranberry orange eggnog loaf, cranberry,, eggnog, quick bread
Servings 12
My Island Bistro Kitchen Barbara99

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp (very slightly rounded) nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp mace
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/3 cup melted butter, cooled to room temperature
  • ½ cup eggnog (not light and no substitutes), room temperature
  • 1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
  • ¼ cup orange marmalade
  • 2 tbsp orange juice, room temperature
  • 2-3 tsp finely grated orange rind
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp pure almond extract
  • ¾ cup coarsely chopped cranberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 2/3 cup + 1 tbsp mixed peel (or a combination of mixed peel and citron)
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • 1/8 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Melt butter and let cool to room temperature but keep it still in liquid form.
  2. Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature – in particular, bring the eggs, eggnog, sour cream, and orange juice to room temperature.
  3. Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9”x5”3” loaf pan with parchment paper and spritz very lightly with cooking oil.
  4. In medium-sized bowl, sieve together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Set aside.
  5. In separate bowl, lightly whisk (or fork stir) eggs just to break them up. Stir in granulated and brown sugars then add the melted butter, eggnog, sour cream, marmalade, orange juice, grated orange rind, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix well to combine.
  6. Pour wet ingredients all at once into well in dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. The batter will be lumpy. Combine the cranberries, mixed peel (and citron, if using) and pecans in bowl. Toss with 1/8 cup all-purpose flour. Fold the fruit and nuts into the batter just until combined.
  7. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake in center of oven rack for about an hour or until cake tester inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. If loaf starts to brown too quickly on top, loosely tent with tin foil for the last 15 minutes or so of baking. Remove loaf from oven and let rest in pan on wire cooling rack for about 15 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and set upright on wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Loaf is best made the day before it is needed. Place loaf in airtight plastic bag and store at room temperature overnight. Loaf freezes well either wholly or in slices.

Recipe Notes

Yield: One loaf, apx. 12-14 slices (sliced approximately ½” thick)

 

 

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