How to Make Cranberry Orange Nut Loaf

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By hobartian
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cranberries, walnuts and orange flavored

This is a colorful, delicious loaf full of cranberries, orange flavorings and walnuts. Instead of butter, it uses apple sauce to keep it moist, light and lower in calories. Topped with orange flavored white icing and decorated to your desire, it is sure to be a crowd pleaser; great for a late afternoon snack at Thanksgiving or as a mid-morning pick-me-up after a heavy bout of shopping on Black Friday. Of course, this treat is good anytime of the year (you may need to use frozen cranberries if fresh are hard to come by).

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

2 large oranges
2 cups plain flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup apple sauce
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp poppy seeds

Step 1

Prepare oven by setting oven temperature to 350 degrees. Lightly grease bottom and sides of a loaf pan with butter, line with wax paper cut to fit then lightly grease the wax paper. Set aside.
Step 2

Roll oranges across counter a couple of times to increase amount of juice to be obtained then squeeze oranges enough for ¾ cup juice. Grate peel from oranges for 1 tbsp. peel. Set aside.
Step 3

In a large bowl, sift flour together with baking powder, soda and salt. Add sugar.
Step 4

In a smaller bowl, beat egg then add apple sauce, orange juice and peel; stir well. Pour into flour mix and stir until moistened and blended.
Step 5

colorful ingredients inside the loaf

Chop cranberries into halves or quarters and add to the flour mix along with the chopped walnuts. Add poppy seeds last and stir to blend.
Step 6

ready to bake

Turn mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake 55-60 minutes. Check with a skewer inserted after 50 minutes as ovens vary; take out if skewer is dry once removed. Leave in pan 5 minutes then turn onto cake rack to cool completely. Carefully peel off wax paper and allow to cool completely.
Step 7

When cold, top with white icing flavored with 1 tsp. orange juice and decorate with chopped walnuts. The sweetness of the icing balances the tang of the cranberries.