Bready or Not Original: Marmalade Pecan Bread
Orange marmalade is delicious stuff atop an English muffin or toast, and it’s also amazing incorporated into this Marmalade Pecan Bread.
If your jar is large enough, you can use some marmalade in the glaze, too–but worry not if your jar is smaller. Just use orange juice instead!
This bread has a tender, delicious crumb. You get some orange in every bite, and the pecans pieces add a great crunch for contrast.
This is ideal for a breakfast or brunch, but really, it would be a nice bedtime snack, too. Something cozy, delicious, and a touch sweet.
I cut the bread into slices and found it froze and thawed well, too. A tiny bit of glaze stuck to the plastic wrap, but it wasn’t that bad at all.
Modified from Taste of Home Church Potluck 2015.
Bready or Not Original: Marmalade Pecan Bread
Equipment
- 9x5 loaf pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 12 ounce orange marmalade jar or a 10oz jar with a modified glaze
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup orange juice plus more, if needed for glaze
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Cut a piece of parchment to fit long-ways in the loaf pan, extending up either side. Grease the pan, place the paper inside, then grease again. Set aside.
- If using a 12 ounce jar of marmalade, measure out two ounces to set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until blended. Add eggs, one at a time. Gradually mix in the 10 ounces of marmalade.
- In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet, until just combined. Fold in the pecans.
- Pour batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes; check on bread, and cover with foil if it is becoming too browned on top. Continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes (that is 60 to 65 minutes total), until the very middle passes the toothpick test. Let rest in pan for about 10 minutes, then use the parchment sling to pull the bread out to set on a cooling rack.
- After the bread cools completely, mix together the remaining marmalade and the confectioners' sugar to form a thick glaze; alternatively, if a smaller jar was used, add orange juice by teaspoons into the sugar until a thick glaze is formed.
- Let set for 20 minutes before slicing in. Store at room temperature in a sealed beg or plastic wrap. Bread can also be sliced and frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Book Blog: A Master of Djinn(Dead Djinn Universe #1) by P. Djèlí Clark
I review everything I read and post reviews on Goodreads and LibraryThing. That’s not enough. Good books are meant to be shared. Therefore, I’m spotlighting some of my favorite reads here on my site.
A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe #1) by P. Djèlí Clark
out now in print and ebook; BookShop, B&N, and Amazon [affiliate link]
I received a galley of this book via NetGalley.
P. Djèlí Clark is one of the best historical fantasy authors out there right now, and his debut novel proves it yet again. I’ve enjoyed his novellas set in this same magical, steampunk-tinged Cairo as well as his Nebula-nominated Ring Shout, but this novel is even better because it delves deeper into the setting, into the characters.
The set-up of the book uses the formula of most mystery novels: it begins by showing a murder, though the victim’s perspective. It then switches to the investigation. Fatma is a dapperly-dressed woman, one of few who work within the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. She’s called to the scene of a disturbing mass murder that reeks of magic, and soon encounters something she finds even more disturbing: she has been assigned an enthusiastic new partner. The gruff detective wants no part of this arrangement, but together they start an investigation that abounds in dark magic, conniving angels, and powers no human should command.
The book doesn’t shy away from the horrors of colonialism, homophobia, and racism. The world feels realistic, even filled as it is by djinn and spirits and old gods reborn. Fatma is a fantastic heroine–a rare lesbian lead character. She’s smart, impeccably-dressed, and I couldn’t help but root for her from the very start. The plot of the book has many twists and turns, and while I predicted the identity of the Master of Djinn early on, that didn’t spoil my enjoyment one bit.
I hope there are many, many more books set to come in this world.
Read MoreBready or Not Original: Vanilla Applesauce Cake
Some days call for a no-fuss apple cake. This Vanilla Applesauce Cake is for those kinds of days.
There is no need to worry about procuring apples, or having them go bad, or the effort to peel and slice them. This cake uses applesauce, which loads the cake with beautiful flavor.
The cake also has the gentle flavor of a great combination of spices. The finisher is no-fuss, too: a top crusted with coarse sugar that adds a touch more sweet and a tiny crunch.
Want to serve this cake for just a few people? No problem. Slice up the cake, and freeze individual slices for later.
Modified greatly from a Heilala Vanilla ad in Bake from Scratch Magazine, September/October 2019.
Bready or Not Original: Vanilla Applesauce Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- offset spatula
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup applesauce or about 2 individual serving cups of applesauce
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or soured milk (see note)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coarse sugar as topping, such as turbinado, maple, etc
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Cut parchment paper to fit in the base of a 9-inch springform pan. Apply nonstick spray with flour to bottom and sides of pan. Add parchment and spray again. Set aside.
- In a big bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, ginger, and cloves.
- In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, applesauce, buttermilk or soured milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing well.
- Pour batter into the pan and smooth out with an uneven spatula. There will likely be bubbles in the batter. Gently tap the sides of the pan and thump it on the counter to get them to rise and burst. Using a spoon, sprinkle the coarse sugar all over the top as evenly as possible.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then release sides. Let cake cool completely on base for several hours.
- Slice into wedges and serve. Cake keeps well in a sealed container at room temperature and pieces can also be wrapped individually and frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Notes
Beth Cato: Now on Wikipedia
I recently discovered that someone spent incredible time and effort to create a Wikipedia page about me. It’s quite comprehensive. The information is culled from my bibliography page here on my site as well as other resources.
I can’t say I mind–I’m more baffled than anything because of the effort involved. Thanks, stranger!
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