Cranberry-Orange Tea Cake

This sweet loaf is more a dessert than a bread - a delicious end to your evening, but also a perfect tea time treat.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup vegan sugar
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped sweetened dried cranberries*
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup plain non-dairy milk
• 2 tablespoons melted vegan butter
• 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
• 1 Ener-G egg
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup vegan powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange juice

1. Lightly spoon both flours into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.  Combine the flours in a bowl with the sugar, cranberries, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center of the mixture and set aside.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, orange rind, and Ener-G egg.  Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until moist.  Pour the batter into an 8x4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes - a wooden pick inserted in the center should come out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes in the pan on a wire rack, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Before serving, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice.

Drizzle over the bread, and cut into 12 slices.

Serve with tea, of course, as the name of the recipe suggests.

*I recommend dried cranberries that are sweetened with apple juice rather than sugar, to avoid any potential bone-char filtration. Whole Foods and Eden Foods both sweeten their cranberries with juice.

Nutrition Info:
12 servings (1 slice), Calories 184

Tasting Notes:
This cake reminded me of a holiday sweet bread, and of the mini cranberry panettone I labored over once years ago, except that it has the texture of a cake instead of a yeast bread. The orange flavor was quite perceptible, both from the rind in the bread and the glaze on top, providing a subtle citrusy sweetness throughout. The glaze hardens quickly to form a nice coating on top, and my only complaint is that the interior of the bread is a touch dry (but that might be because I left slices out on the counter for a little while).

Rating: 
3.5