Cranberry Loaf

Gluten-free cranberry loaf with a delightful sweet tart flavour and moist crumb.

A lovely holiday treat that incorporates a sweet, moist orange flavoured cake with hits of tart cranberry. Perfect for entertaining guests along with coffee or tea. Also, makes a great dessert with the addition of a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of coconut whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce or orange syrup.

The version of this recipe as written is gluten free; however, if this is not a dietary concern the cassava flour and tapioca flour can be converted to all-purpose flour instead. Similarly, the monk fruit sweetener can be replaced with granulated sugar at the cost of higher calories per serving. This recipe is also suitable for ovo-lacto vegetarians and is dairy-free.

For the holidays I like to add a little orange-flavoured liqueur, but this too will increase calories and added sugar to an otherwise sugar-free treat.

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TIP: To add a little holiday spirit, use Cointreau or Triple Sec. If those aren't available, I have used Southern Comfort in the past with excellent results.

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Ingredients

(Makes 8 servings)

• 1, 1/2 cups cassava flour (or 2 cups all-purpose flour and omit tapioca flour)

• 1/2 cup tapioca flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup monk fruit sweetener (or granulate sugar)

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice

• 1/2 cup water, lukewarm

• 2 tablespoons spirits (optional - Cointreau, or Triple Sec)

• 2 tablespoons plant-based butter, melted

• 2 cups fresh cranberries, halved

• 1/2 cup walnuts, crushed

• 1 tablespoon orange zest, grated

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Directions

Great loaf pans for this recipe!

Preheat oven to 325°F / 165°C and prepare a loaf pan by greasing it and lining with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sift in the cassava and tapioca flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sweetener.

In a medium mixing bowl beat the egg, then add the orange juice, water, and butter (and spirits, if using). Mix well the add to dry ingredients, stirring to combine. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes then stir again. The baking soda will have started reacting to the orange juice to add more air to the batter.

Add cranberries, nuts, and orange zest and mix well. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature. The loaf will shrink a little as it cools.

Slice and serve.

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Nutritional Information Per Serving:

total calories = 222 | total fat = 7.05g | saturated fat = 1.15g | cholesterol = 24.38mg | sodium = 328.38mg | net carbohydrates = 58.28g | dietary fibre = 4.11g | sugars = 2.88g | protein = 2.8g