Preserved Lemon & Cranberry Loaf Cake

Before making this Preserved Lemon & Cranberry Loaf Cake, I'd only ever used preserved lemons in savory recipes. Also known as lemon pickles, preserved lemons are made by quartering lemons and packing them tightly in jars with salt, water, and lemon juice. After a few weeks, the salty brine cures and softens the thick lemon rinds,  infusing them with a bright and salty bitterness that's right at home alongside the grilled meats, tagines, and curries common to the North African and South Asian countries where the pickles were developed.

I appreciate the bitter salty tang of the little pickled lemon slivers in lamb stews, mixed into pasta sauces, or as part of a coarsely-chopped garnish over seared fish, but it had never occurred to me to try them in something sweet, until I found myself a bit short on the fresh lemons I needed for a cranberry lemon cake I wanted to make.

The idea of adding what is essentially a type of pickle to a cake might sound odd at first, but the concept isn't anything new. Desserts that combine savory and sweet flavors have been standards around the world for ages, and, in this country,  more and more commonplace on restaurant menus, in bakery cases, and even tucked among the old favorites on our grocery store shelves.

The extra salt that seemed so surprising in that Internet-breaking 2008 New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe, is now as expected in every baking ingredient list as butter and vanilla extract. There are olive oil ice creams, bacon donuts, chile-spiked brownies, and chocolate-covered absolutely everything. Even the business savvy Girl Scouts have hopped aboard the savory-sweet train; they recently announced salted caramel chocolate chip as their 2019 cookie debut.

All that to say that it didn't feel like much of a risk for me to grab that semi-forgotten jar of preserved lemons from my condiment drawer and scoop out a few spoonfuls to dice and combine with freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest. The result was a revelation. The marriage of the fresh and preserved lemons added an additional level of complexity to the classic lemon loaf cake.

I still have quite a bit of cake left, but I'm already thinking about other possibilities for this. Preserved lemon bars might be next on the list.

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Loved this recipe? Here are four other loaf cake recipes you might like:

• One-Bowl Cranberry Sauce Bread
• Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
• Dark Chocolate Mocha Molasses Snacking Cake
• Vanilla Bean Orange Angel Food Loaf Cake
  

And let's connect so you can find out the next time I post! Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates.

Thanks so much for reading!  

Preserved Lemon & Cranberry Loaf Cake
Makes one 9-inch cake

Ingredients
For the cake
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup preserved lemons, coarsely chopped (use peel and pulp)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup apple cider or orange juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

For the topping
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5” loaf pan and line with parchment paper so that it overhangs on two opposite sides.

Combine the sugar, preserved lemons, lemon zest, kosher salt, vanilla, and melted butter in a large bowl or the base of an electric mixer. Beat rapidly with a wooden spoon or a paddle attachment until ingredients are smooth and evenly combined. Beat in the egg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir into the wet ingredients along with the apple cider and lemon juice. Mix until completely incorporated.

Stir in the cranberries. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining lemon zest and white sugar. Use your fingers to rub together then sprinkle over the cake batter. Dot with the cubed butter.

Bake 45-55 minutes or until the top is golden and a tester inserted the center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove and let cool completely on a rack before serving.

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Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread

This easy Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread recipe is a bit of a departure for me since, I'll be honest...vegan baking is usually not my everyday go-to. I love baking with butter. I love baking with eggs. I love baking with milk (or cream!). I use them liberally and think there is nothing wrong with that.

But...

I can also really appreciate the value of some great vegan baked goods like this Vegan Double Chocolate Banana Bread.

I bake and serve them to the vegan yoga groups I cook for up in Vermont. And I love having the recipes in my back pocket when cooking for vegan friends or those with egg allergies or dairy allergies.

Because at the end of the day, I just want everyone to be able to enjoy delicious things.

I also really love vegan recipes on those days when I'm totally out of eggs or milk or butter, and need alternatives that will let me stick to the stuff in my pantry.

(Especially during the winter when I will do EVERYTHING in my power to not have to leave the house.)

This recipe is perfect for those days when you have ripe bananas, but no eggs.

Mashed bananas can often be used successfully as an egg-replacer, and they work especially well in quick breads like this one.

It's just one of those super forgiving recipes that will let you mix up, bake, and serve a sweet treat without much fuss and making use of stuff you already have on hand.

This extra-chocolatey vegan banana bread gets a double-dose of goodness from cocoa and dark chocolate chips. Note that if you want this to be truly vegan, you should make sure the chips have no dairy added (some brands do; some brands don't).

This produces a rich and moist cake that's not too sweet and perfect for breakfast or brunch or a late-afternoon snack.

(And hey...if you want to toast it up and spread it with a bit of butter or cream cheese...I'd be totally OK with that, too.)

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Loved this recipe? Here are three other vegan recipes you might like:

• DIY Vegan Nutella
• Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies
• Blueberry Chocolate Espresso Sorbet

And let's connect so you can find out the next time I post! Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates.

Thanks so much for reading

Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe
Makes 1 9x5” loaf

Ingredients
3 medium overripe bananas, mashed until smooth
1/3 cup oil (use vegetable, peanut or a light olive oil. coconut oil works, too, but keep in mind that it will add slight coconut flavor to the bread.)
3/4 cup brown sugar OR coconut palm sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup non-dairy milk (coconut, almond, cashew, etc.)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips*

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5” nonstick loaf pan with baking spray or vegetable oil, and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together bananas, oil, sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips, then pour into prepared pan.

Bake about 45 to 55 minutes, or until cake has risen and is slightly cracked, and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen and remove from pan. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

*note that not all chocolate chips are vegan, so be sure to check out the ingredients

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Chocolate Coca-Cola Quick Bread + 5 Make-Ahead Christmas Breakfast Tips

The holiday season usually brings along a bevy of overnight guests and party invitations, for which a recipe like this Chocolate Coca-Cola Quick Bread will most definitely come in handy.

This moist and not-too-sweet bread is rich with hints of chocolate and a touch of classic Coca-Cola flavor. It's lovely on its own with a mug of your morning coffee, or toasted with a spread of jam or cream cheese as a quick snack later in the afternoon.

It's one of those snacky cakes that can be left on the counter all day for enjoying as you wish.

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Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

I'm not sure that I can technically call whatever that was going on outside my window yesterday "a blizzard," but let's just go with it. (It was definitely some kind of crazy.)

The polar vortex has struck again, and I'm on a self-imposed lock down. I had an event to attend last night, and was actually super excited about it (it was 60s ski party themed!!), but...I could barely get around the block, let alone 100+ blocks.

So instead of parties and cocktails, it was braised lamb shanks and The Mindy Project (so good!) and working on the couch in my fleece-lined leggings (admittedly, not a bad compromise).

Oh...and there was cake.

(Because there should always be cake.)

We're lucky to still have a few slices of my Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake leftover from last weekend's brunch. I love this cake. It's moist and tender with the perfect amount of tart fresh cranberries and dark chocolate chips studded throughout.

The recipe is adapted from a beautiful coffee cake I found on Joy the Baker's site. Her's is a majorly gorgeous cake with pecans and streusel and icing. It was what I originally planned to make for my brunch, but I got lazy and skipped the struesel and icing and nuts. (And added chocolate. And extracts.)

I did keep one very awesome thing about the original recipe, which is that the main liquid in it is orange juice. Just pure juice--no buttermilk or anything else! It adds this lovely flavor to the whole thing and is (to me) the perfect winter cake.

Great in the late morning with a mug of coffee. Lovely as a light dessert after lunch. And simply fantastic in the evening when snuggled up on the couch watching television.

Even better? This recipe makes 2 loaves with no extra work. One to keep and one to share. Or one to eat and one to freeze (for later).

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Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
Makes 2 9x5-inch loaves. Adapted from Joy the Baker.
 
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups orange juice (use something fresh and pulpy--or squeeze your own!)
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups whole fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line two 9x5" loaf pans with parchment paper so that it overhangs on the sides.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, eggs, orange juice, zest, and extracts.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined with no dry spots left. Gently fold in the cranberries and chocolate chips.

Divide the batter evenly between loaf pans, and bake about 50-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from loaf pans and let cool completely on a rack. 

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Dark Mocha Molasses Snacking Cake

I've always been of the opinion that an everyday cake is a very necessary thing.

I love the idea of a snacking cake that can sit around on a plate or cake stand, ready to be sliced into as an afternoon treat, an easy dessert, or even a slightly naughty breakfast. People always say that they like to keep such things on hands for "unexpected company," but I don't really believe that such a thing exists. At least not in New York City.

(And thank goodness because it's 2pm as I write this and I'm still in pajamas with a frizzy bun sitting in the middle of my living room, which is completely in disarray. I may be ready with cake, but in absolutely no other way am I prepared for "unexpected guests"! I think that if someone were to show up at my door uninvited, I'd probably just hit the floor in a panic refusing to open the door until they left.)

But I digress.

I have a few such easy cakes in my repertoire, this Dark Mocha Molasses Snacking Cake being one of my new favorites. It's a rich, dark chocolate cake with strong hints of molasses and espresso. I based it off of Smitten Kitchen's Everyday Chocolate Cake, but changed it quite a bit. I swapped in all dark sugar (I used a fantastic organic dark sugar from Wholesome Sweeteners that smells strongly of molasses), replacing the buttermilk with very strong and very black coffee.

I also added pure molasses, to play off the deep, slightly bitter notes of the brown sugar, and Kahlua because I once read that a touch of alcohol in cooking makes everything taste better (scientifically speaking, not just socially).

The result is a very dark, moist, black-as-night cake with incredibly rich flavor. If you like coffee and dark chocolate, you'll love this one. If you enjoy those rich bitter notes of molasses in things like gingerbread and sticky toffee pudding, well then this is definitely the cake for you.

I have a special fondness for molasses. I think it's because I grew up reading a lot of books about girls in dreary surroundings who ate stodgy puddings sweetened with molasses while waiting for their beaus to return from the war.

There is something rather virtuous about molasses, too. All those minerals and iron. Make it. Have a bite. I think you'll understand what I mean.

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Dark Mocha Molasses Snacking Cake Recipe
Serves 8. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's "Everyday Chocolate Cake"

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons molasses
1 large egg, room temperature
1 cup strong black coffee, room temperature
1/4 cup kahlua (or substitute additional black coffee, for a non-alcoholic version)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, molasses and egg until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the coffee and kahlua until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until completely blended and no lumps or dry spots remain. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake 60 to 75 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan about 15 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack completely. 

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