This time of the year I tend to become a little bit “homesick.” And when I say home, I mean New York City. I have lived there for almost four years and had the chance to experience all four seasons several times. And while I enjoyed each season for its very own reasons, I believe that fall is still my favorite one.
There are just so many things I got to know and love about fall in NYC. The abundance of colors when the leaves are changing in Central Park, the decorated houses in the West Village (my favorite neighborhood that I was lucky enough to call my home) around Halloween. And the crisp air when riding my bike to work along the Hudson River with the sun still providing enough warmth to not needing gloves just yet. And the pumpkin spiced smell that seemed to take up the entire city.
Everywhere you’d go you’d be lulled by the smell of pumpkin spiced lattes or other pumpkin-flavored treats. My favorite bakery Amy’s Bread was no exception. It was hard (or rather impossible) to resist the smell of freshly baked pumpkin treats. And why would you?
So I would step into the cozy bakery, and instead of the traditional pumpkin pie, I would always go for the pumpkin walnut cranberry bread. Thinking of it now, I can almost taste the smooth texture of the flavorful cake filled with tart cranberries and crunchy walnuts…
Instead of booking a flight to NYC (which is incredibly tempting though), I tried to cure my homesickness with baking, Amy’s pumpkin walnut cranberry bread!
I made some smaller adjustments, reducing the amount of sugar and substituting two-thirds of the all-purpose flour by wholegrain spelt flour. Using fresh cranberries adds a nice tart flavor to the bread, but if you can’t get any, feel free to use dried ones (soak them in water before adding them to the batter).
Whether you love fall as much as I do, or you are just a huge pumpkin lover, this pumpkin walnut cranberry bread is a great and easy treat to make (I also recommend checking out these pumpkin cheesecake bars!). And it freezes well so that you can hold on to that fall mood for much longer.
Have fun baking and don’t forget to tag #bakeandnourish when sharing your pictures!
Love,
Marion
Pumpkin Walnut Cranberry Bread
A moist flavorful treat for the fall. Recipe from Amy's Bread.
Ingredients
- 100g walnuts
- 145g unsalted butter, melted
- 3 organic free-range eggs
- 350g pumpkin puree (when homemade, used 1 small Hokkaido pumpkin)
- 180g raw cane sugar
- 100ml water
- 200g wholegrain spelt flour
- 100g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 100g fresh cranberries
- Demerara or turbinado sugar (coarse brown sugar), to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F and grease a loaf pan (25x12cm / 9×5-inch).
- Step 2 Place walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5-7 minutes until they begin to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Chop them roughly or break them in small pieces using your hands.
- Step 3 In a large bowl mix melted butter, eggs, pumpkin puree, sugar, and water and whisk until combined.
- Step 4 In a separate bowl, mix the two flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
- Step 5 Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and fold in gently. Add the cranberries and walnuts and incorporate them quickly. Make sure not to overmix!
- Step 6 Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with demerara or turbinado sugar (optional).
- Step 7 Bake in the oven for around 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Step 8 Remove from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan. Transfer the cake to a wire rack until completely cool.
