Pumpkin Ginger Bread

Nothing says fall like pumpkin anything - pie, cake, muffin and of course bread. I love the hint of ginger and spices in this recipe.

Ingredients
3 cups Splenda
1 cup applesauce
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
2 can 15oz. pumpkin
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
3-1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 boxes of raisins

Steps
1. Preheat over 350 and grease 2 9"x5" pans
2. Mix Splenda, applesauce, eggs
3. Add water
4. Add pumpkin and spices
5. In separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder
6. Combine dry to wet
7. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick test that they're cooked inside
8. Let cool about 10 minutes then transer to a wire rack

We served this with some pumpkin cream cheese we had left over from a bagel brunch we had the other day.

Orange Poppy Bread

This month's word is oranges. My parents have a couple of orange trees in their backyard that provide a bounty of oranges starting this time of year. We saw them last weekend and they brought over the first bag filled with oranges. Feeling inspired to bake something easy that I can give out to others I thought of making a bread. Which are great for breakfast, desert and snacking.


Ingredients:
4 cups All-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups Splenda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1-1/2 cups orange juice
3 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray and flour 2 9x5 loaf pans.
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In separate bowl mix eggs, juice, zest and oil. Add poppy seeds, cinnamon and cranberries.
4. Slowly add flour mix until just combined.
5. Divide batter among pans and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
6. Cool on wire rack.

Wrap in plastic wrap or foil. The breads keep well chilled for 1 week or frozen for 1 month. Makes 2 loaves.

Healthy & Sweet Breads

This makes an amazingly healthy bread that tastes sinnfully sweet and moist because of the pumpkin. It may seem a bit heavy but I love that it uses no oil. You just need to be careful to cook the bread long enough without overcooking it. I cut a small piece to be certain. This recipe is the same for making Zucchini-Walnut and Carrot-Raisin.

Zucchini-Walnut Bread &
Carrot-Raisin/Cranberry
Makes 2 loaves

2 cups shredded zucchini
or 2 cups shredded carrots
3-1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp baking soda & baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1 cup Splenda
1 cup canned pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.

Clean the zucchini or carrot, cut off the ends, and shred using a grater.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.

With a mixer (or the amazing Magic Bullet) beat the eggs until frothy. Add the applesauce a little at a time. Gradually add the sugar and pumpkin.

Add the dry ingredients. Then add add zucchini or carrots. Slowly mix in the nuts and/or raisins and cranberries. I'm a little partial to zucchini with nutty walnuts and carrots with the sweet raisins and cranberries but this is just good with any combination!

Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 for at least an hour. Insert a toothpick in the center to check it comes out clean. Place on a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and cool completely. Then slice a piece and say to yourself you got your daily vitamins.

WARNING: this is moist in the middle because of the pumpkin.

Plum Good Loaf

This month's word is PLUMS which are in season and in abundance from our plum tree (well, actually our neighbor's tree but they don't mind). With so many plums I decided to make a plum good & healthy cake that I could share with others. I'm waiting to hear what my parents and my sister & her husband think, but my husband said give me seconds which I take as a good sign. And you could not tell I used healthier substitutes.

(Makes 1 loaf)

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (I used Smart Balance "light" butter spread)
1 cup Splenda
3 eggs (I used an egg substitute)
2 cups all-purpose flout
1/2 tsp each baking soda and powder
sprinkle cinnamon
about 1/2 cup plum puree (I used our "Magic Bullet")
plum slices
Glaze (steps at the end)

Steps:
1. Preheat oven 300 degrees and grease & flour loaf pan.
2. Mix softened butter & sugar.
3. Add beaten eggs.
4. In new bowl, mix flour, baking soda & powder and cinnamon.
5. Slowly combine the dry mix to the creamed mix. (I recommend using a wooden spoon.)
6. When nicely mixed, add in the plum puree.
7. Spread 1/2 the batter in pan, single layer plum slices skin side down, then rest of batter.
8. Bake 70 min (or until toothpick comes away clean).
9. Transfer to cooling rack for about 15'ish minutes.
10. Use a knife to loosen loaf from pan and glaze the finished loaf.

For Glaze: Heat on the stove over med-high heat 1-2 sliced plums, 2 tbsp water & 1/4 Splenda. Take off stove when glaze has only a few small plum pieces and let cool for a few minutes. Drizzle on top while loaf is still warm.

Here I am pouring the remaining batter into the loaf pans.

The finished plum cakes.