It’s the first weekend in October, raining outside, and I’ve set the thermostat for the upcoming colder weather. There’s something great about turning off the furnace in April, and equally great about turning it back on in the fall. October on Thetis usually gives us an evenly mixed bag of warm & sunny days and cool & rainy days. Giving us time to say good-bye to summer, and start to appreciate and accept the upcoming winter.
The trees are laden with apples and pears, which desperately need to be picked before the raccoons settle in to eat them all. The oak leaves are starting to show their bold reds, with the maples just starting to have golden crowns. I love this time year, it inspires me to get back in the kitchen to create some new things, and test out some simmering ideas I have. Here’s this week’s offering, a very light pumpkin loaf, studded with bright cranberries and pungent ginger. Drizzled with a vanilla-cinnamon glaze, it slices beautifully, and is perfect for snacking. Enjoy it as you feel the autumn settle in around you, like a well-loved blanket.
4 – 1# loaf tins (5¾” x 3”) or 2 – 2# loaf tins (8½“ x 4½“)
Ingredients
½ c candied ginger, diced into approximately ¼“ pieces (about 60 gr)
½ c fresh or frozen cranberries (about 85 gr)
2½ c flour (350 gr)
2 t baking powder
2 t ground ginger
¾ t salt
¾ c canola oil
1 c sugar (¼ c + ¾ c)
1 c brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 – 14oz/ 398 ml tin of pumpkin purée
Glaze:
1 c icing sugar
1 ½ T milk or cream
½ t vanilla
½ t cinnamon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°
Lightly grease the bottoms of your pans.
In a small bowl, toss the ginger and cranberries with ¼ c of the white sugar.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt.
Into the bowl of a mixer, put the canola oil, the remaining ¾ c of white sugar, the brown sugar, and the eggs.
Beat for 2 full minutes.
Add in the pumpkin and beat for another minute. 
Note: The mixing of the “liquid” ingredients can be done by hand with a whisk, but be sure to completely emulsify the first four of these ingredients before whisking the pumpkin in thoroughly.
Add the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients and mix until incorporated.
Stir in the sugar dusted ginger and cranberries, along with any loose sugar.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smoothing the tops.
Bake in the center of the oven for 30-35 minutes for the 1# pans, and 50-55 minutes for the 2# pans.
Test with a toothpick for doneness.
Let rest for 10 minutes after removing from the oven.
Slide a sharp knife around the sides of the loaves before removing from the pans, and finish cooling on racks.
When the loaves are cool, mix the glaze.
Into a small bowl put the icing sugar, milk, vanilla & cinnamon.
Whisk together until smooth, adding a few more drops of milk if needed to mix to a drizzling consistency.
Put the glaze into a small sealable bag.
Diagonally snip off one of the lower corners of the bag, about ¼“ across.
Drizzle the glaze back and forth over the loaves.
Let the glaze set.
Cut the loaves into ½” slices, and enjoy.
