Cranberry Almond Loaf

This quick bread is light in texture and not too sweet. This recipe makes 2 loaves. Keep one for yourself and bring one to a holiday party as a hostess gift.

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups of light sour cream
1 and 1/2 cups chopped fresh cranberries

In a large mixing bowl, beat (on medium speed) oil and sugar. When light and somewhat fluffy, add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add extract and cranberries. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Beat after each addition.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 loaf pans with Pam. Spoon batter evenly into the 2 pans. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour. When a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean, the loaves are baked.

After removing from pans, place the loaves on a rack to cool. While still warm, drizzle glaze (recipe below) over the loaves on cooling racks. Make sure you have a cookie sheet under the racks to catch the excess glaze. Allow glazed loaves to cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap.


Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar; 2 Tablespoons orange juice; 1 teaspoon almond extract. Combine all and mix until smooth.