Indulge in the comforting aroma of Cinnamon-Raisin Quick Bread, a delightful treat that adds warmth to any kitchen. Enjoy it for breakfast or as a delightful addition to your afternoon coffee or tea.
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It may be safe to say that you will encounter a fruit cake at some point during the holiday season. This holiday fruit bread is going to make you forget about all the past and present fruit cakes and breads you have been gifted.
You may be wondering why anyone would want to buy one of the boxed versions after you see how easy it is to make one yourself.
I'm slightly obsessed with raisins and any dried fruit and love them in any quick or yeast breads. After apple desserts, they are my favorite sweet to enjoy. I really love to make yeast breads during the holiday season, but you may not love to as much as I do and you may also be pressed for time getting every thing ready for the holidays.
This is a quick bread and it is also gluten-free if you are interested in making one for a gluten-free friend. I'm telling you they will love you for it and will excitedly give you a big hug (well, that's what happened to me when I baked this for a friend that is gluten-free).
Seriously, even if you don't have a gluten-free friend to give it to and have no desire to try a gluten-free flour, make it with all-purpose flour.
You may be wondering why in the world ...
Why do Italians call a quick bread a plum cake ?
I've been told by my friends and some relatives in Italy that it's simply pound cake mispronounced as plum cake. And an Italian plum cake is made like a typical pound cake. Many of the recipes have yogurt and they are usually very simple and very moist.
Any quick bread I make, my mother-in-law calls it "u plum cay" (she doesn't pronounce the "ake" part of the word). So, there you go! That's my story and this is why I called this a plum cake, even though it's not technically a "pound cake", but more a plum cay...hahaha! Silly me!
When the holidays get you stressed and when you feel like there isn't enough time to get it all done, bake one of these breads. I'm telling you there is nothing more relaxing the scent of a freshly baked fruit bread. A hot cup of coffee (or tea)and a slice of this fruit bread will take you away from it all for a few minutes.
Everyone needs to take a pause once in a while, not just during the holidays. How many of us really take the time to sit and relax and enjoy a hot cup of a coffee with an old friend? It's hard to take the time to connect in person with friends, but it is so worth the effort.
So I say, bake one of these super easy quick breads, put on a pot of coffee (or a mocha with your favorite espresso coffee or a pot of tea)and call that sweet neighbor or old friend you haven't connected with in ages to come over.
This holiday fruit bread is so easy to put together. I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour (you could buy the flour directly from their site or even on Amazon). It was so wonderful to receive so many Bob's Red Mill products and I will be sharing more recipes soon!
I soaked the fruit in orange juice. You could also soak it in your favorite hot tea and you could also add a dash of a favorite liqueur to give it a kick. I skipped that part since this was shared with my kids. This bread is best eaten the first day. If you have some leftover (ours goes by so quickly!!), it would be lovely to use in a strata or a bread pudding.
I hope all of you enjoyed the holidays (whatever you were celebrating)and am wishing you a fabulous 2017!! Two more days until the end of the year...phew, that went by in a flash!!
Thank you Bob’s Red Mill for providing me with products to recipe test!.
Some other quick breads to enjoy:
Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Simple Cinnamon Raisin Quick Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups mixed dried fruits I used cranberries, golden raisins, raisins
- ¾ cup of orange juice
- ¼ green tea or use only orange juice
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cups 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Place the dried fruits in a bowl and soak them with the orange juice. Let soak for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray (or grease with butter).
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until frothy and beginning to thicken (about 2-3 minutes).
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and spices.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix well after each addition.
- Add the soaked dried fruit and the liquid and mix together well.
- Scrape batter into the loaf pan.
- Bake for 1/2 on hour at 350 then lower the heat to 325 and bake for about another 20-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Wow, that looks so good and I love the inclusion of all that orange juice!
Krista says
Yummy! I could eat this for breakfast all week!
Laura | Tutti Dolci says
I love cinnamon raisin bread, this looks like the perfect treat with tea! Happy New Year, Lora! 🙂
Angie Barrett says
that is one perfect looking bread! My dad would go crazy over this! Happy New Year!
Cathy says
What a beautiful loaf of bread!
Carrie R says
I love a good cinnamon raisin bread! I bet this would be wonderful as french toast too. 🙂
Dinner then Dessert says
Oh wow, now my coffee feels lonely, I love cinnamon quick breads!
Frank Fariello says
Silly me, I always thought plum cake had plums!