Pumpkin Harvest Bread

This one's a fall classic but my family loves it so much that we make it all year round. It's moist, spicy and goes great with a cup of chai tea. If you feel like indulging a little bit more, try it warm with a generous spread of butter. And, it freezes well which is great in case of unexpected drop-ins... or late night cravings!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned works well)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup butter (melted and cooled)

Method

1. Preheat over to 350. Butter an 8 x4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, soda, ginger, cloves). Toss in the raisins and walnuts.
3. In another bowl or in your mixer, beat eggs until well blended. Beat in brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, and butter.
4. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and combine just until dry ingredients are moistened.
5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 50-55 minutes. Test that it's done with a wooden skewer - it should come out dry.
6. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack until it completely cools, about 1 hour.
7. Enjoy!

Healthy Poppyseed Loaf

Here's a healthier take on the classic poppyseed loaf for times when you want to go a bit lighter. It uses no-fat sour-cream and very little oil to cut back on the calories. There's also some fiber from the whole-wheat flour.

1 cup all- purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup fat-free sour cream (or fat-free yogurt)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola or safflower oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
4 tsps. poppy seeds
rind of 1 lemon (orange rind could also be used)

Icing (optional)
1/2 cup icing sugar
4 tsps. lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat over to 350
2. Prepare an 8x4 in loaf pan. I like to grease the pan with butter and then coat with flour.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together the sour-cream, sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, poppy seeds and rind.
5. Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and using a spatula, stir just until compined.
6. Pour into prepared pan.
7. Bake for about 45 mins. Test that it is done by inserting a wooden skewer into the centre - it should comes out clean.
8. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack, about 10 minutes.
9. Mix icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and drizzle over the loaf.
10. Let cool completely, serve and enjoy!

Orange and Date Kiss-Me Cake

This recipe has become an instant family fav. It produces such a moist, tender and oh so flavourful cake!

It's based on a Pillsbury Bake-Off winning recipe from the 1950s that won $25,ooo, a lot of dough for back then. That recipe uses raisins instead of dates.

For me, the orange, date, walnut combo inspires thoughts of north african / mediterranean fare. Nicole from baking bites says California. Similar climates, I guess.

Recipe
1 medium orange
1 cup dates
1/3 cup walnuts
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk

Topping
1/3 cup orange juice (fresh-squeezed is best)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and lightly flour a 9×13-inch baking pan. Cut orange in half and remove all seeds. In a food processor, puree the entire orange (including peel) until the peel 0 pith has broken down completely and is a smooth pulp.. Add the walnuts and dates and pure into a paste. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk and the rest of the flour. Stir in the orange, date, walnut mixture just until combined and pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the top springs back.

While the cake bakes, whisk together topping ingredients in a small bowl. Pour topping over hot cake and let it sit while the cake cools. Cool completely before serving.