Pumpkin Loaf with Orange and Raisins

Pumpkin is definitely NOT only for pumpkin pie!!! This recipe is my adaptation of the "Pumpkin and Orange Breakfast Cake with a Fresh Orange Syrup" from Regan Daley's book 'In the Sweet Kitchen'. I have added orange juice soaked raisins, and this time I also topped it with some of the Pumpkin Seed Streusel that was left over from making the Pumpkin Streusel Tart. 


Start off by pre-heating the oven to 350F and lightly greasing a loaf pan. Mine was 8 1/2" x 4 1/2".

In a small saucepan place 1/3 cup of raisins, and add enough orange juice to just cover them.

Bring to a boil, then turn the heat off and allow them to soak while you prepare the loaf batter.

Crack the eggs and put them into a small dish. You will need:

1 whole egg
2 egg yolks (keep the egg whites, you will need them for the next step)

Place the 2 egg whites into  the bowl of an electric mixer, and whip to firm peaks.

Scrape the beaten egg whites out of the bowl, and set aside for later.

In the same mixing bowl, place:

1 cup of butter
1 cup white sugar
zest of 1 orange

Cream until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down occasionally.

 Add the whole egg and egg yolks, one at a time, scraping the bowl down in between additions.

Add in 1 cup of pumpkin.

I had exactly enough leftover from making Thanksgiving desserts.


Mix to combine.

Now add all the dry ingredients at once:

2 cups - 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt


Mix until just combined.

Scrape the bowl down well, and add in the soaking raisins, along with the orange juice.

Mix briefly, just enough to combine the raisins and juice.

Now it's time to fold the beaten egg whites in.

Start by adding 1/3 of the egg whites to the batter, and folding them in.

Add the remaining egg whites into the batter once the first third has been incorporated and the batter is a little bit looser.

Scrape the batter into the loaf pan and spread it evenly.

Sprinkle the streusel over the top of the loaf, if you are using it.

For the recipe, see the post 3 Thanksgiving Desserts: Pumpkin Streusel Tart.










Bake the loaf until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and dry, about 1 hour, depending on your oven and the size of loaf pan you
use.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before removing from the pan and slicing.

• The original recipe calls for a syrup, made from the juice of 1 large orange and 1/2 cup of sugar. Bring these to a boil, boil for about 2 minutes, and then serve alongside the cake, to be drizzled over. I have never made the syrup, I find the cake is moist enough, especially with the addition of the raisins and orange juice.
• As I mentioned in the recipe above, this is the first time I have used streusel with this recipe. The pumpkin seeds in the streusel added a nice crunch, and the cinnamon gave a new dimension to the flavour. Again, I only did this as I had made a bit too much for the Pumpkin Streusel Tart,  and wanted to use some of it up.
• The cake freezes well, whole or sliced and individually wrapped.
• The raisins can be omitted...the original recipe does not call for them, I just chose to add them in. 
• I did not have navel oranges, only honey tangerines, so I used the zest from one of those.
• You can omit the streusel, and make an orange glaze. If the loaf is baked in a bundt pan, this works nicely, especially if you are serving it to guests. Combine 2 tablespoons of orange juice with enough icing sugar to make a thick, but still pourable glaze. You can add 1 teaspoon of orange zest if you like. Pour this over the top of the cake, slowly, allowing it to trickle down the sides. 
• Substitute baked, mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin.
• If you open a can of pumpkin to make the loaf, you can freeze the remaining pumpkin. Just be aware that it will separate after it defrosts, but it still works for baking.
• The recipe makes enough for 1 loaf, 1 bundt pan or 8 - 12 muffins, depending on the size. The baking time will have to be adjusted for the bundt pan and muffins, especially the muffins as they are smaller and will bake a lot faster.