Harvest Loaf

If you are looking for a great last minute holiday gift for your neighbors or co-workers, try this delicious Harvest Loaf Cake! It can be made for any winter holiday and is sure to warm the hearts of your family and friends on cold winter days. Homemade baked goods are truly a gift anyone will appreciate. Besides, since most people give cookies or candy for Christmas, this Harvest Loaf is a nice change.

I made 8 mini loaves last night and it only took about 1.5 hours from start to finish! I tripled the recipe and filled 8 mini disposable loaf tins. (6 are gifts, 2 are for our Christmas Morning Breakfast)

Here is the recipe, I got it from one of the personalities on my favorite radio station!

HARVEST LOAF CAKE

½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
½ t salt
½ t nutmeg
¼ t ginger
¼ t cloves
¾ cup canned pumpkin
1 pkg (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts, DIVIDED

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, beating well. Stir together flour, soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Add to butter mixture alternately with pumpkin, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, beating well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips and ¾ cup of the chopped walnuts.

Pour batter into greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of chopped walnuts. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 65 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool cake. Drizzle glaze over cake. (Note: recipe will easily double, triple or quadruple to make more cakes)

GLAZE
½ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 T light cream
Dash each of nutmeg and cinnamon

Stir together sugar, cream, nutmeg and cinnamon. Drizzle over cooled Harvest Loaf Cake.

Holiday Baking

Since I put up my decorations in November, one can only assume that my holiday shopping was complete by the first weekend in December, and you would have assumed right!

Not only are all my presents purchased, but they are wrapped and looking beautiful under the tree. Now the only task is to complete the holiday baking.

I spent the entire weekend baking delicious cookies from scratch for family and friends! I have been helping my mom bake Christmas cookies and fudge every year since I can remember. This year I braved the baking alone, due to my mom's handicap she can no longer help in the kitchen. I missed sharing poorly sung holiday tunes with her as we made all types of Christmas cookies from chocolate chip, peanut butter, Russian teacakes and sugar cookies in holiday shapes. I did her proud, baking all day until I literally ran out of stick butter. I brought her warm cookies from the oven, shared the fudge pot with her, and of course let her roll the Russian Teacakes in powered sugar.

I still have another whole day of baking ahead. Tonight I'll be heading out for more stick butter and baking ingredients! I'm also considering buying a Gingerbread house kit. I have never made one, but I think it might be fun to try, and it would be a cute centerpiece for the Christmas Eve food buffet!