Forget the Fruit Cake! Bake One of These Gluten-Free Quickbreads for the Holidays
If you're loathe to try your hand at yet another "great" fruitcake recipe this holiday season, you're in luck. We've created four festive quickbread recipes that are perfect for the holidays. Wrap them up with a ribbon for the road, or keep them out on the counter for all-day snacking. The best part? You won't be slaving away in the kitchen all day. When it comes to prep time, these quickbread recipes stay true to their name. Just pulse the ingredients in your food processor or stir them straight up in a bowl — no creaming butter necessary. Then, just let your oven do all the heavy lifting and enjoy these gluten-free quick breads that make the most of the season's feel-good flavors.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Pecan Loaf Cake with Streusel Swirl
Make the gluten-free flour blend: In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, xanthan gum and salt.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. To make the streusel, in a small bowl, stir together the flour, walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the butter and, using your fingers or a fork, blend together until coarse crumbs form.
To make the loaf cake, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla until smooth. Add to the flour mixture; stir until just combined. Transfer half of the batter to the prepared loaf pan, top with half of the streusel topping and the remaining batter; swirl the streusel into the batter using a butter knife. Top with the remaining streusel and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan, set on a wire rack.
Cranberry-Poppy Loaf Cake with Lemon Glaze (pictured at top of post)
Make the gluten-free flour blend: In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, xanthan gum and salt.
Make the loaf cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar until pale yellow and frothy. Whisk in the oil, lemon zest, vanilla and buttermilk.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, poppy seeds and cranberries. Whisk into the wet ingredients until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool completely in the pan, set on a wire rack.
Make the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over the icing and using an offset spatula, spread over the loaf cake to coat; sprinkle with poppy seeds and dried cranberries, if using.
Make the gluten-free flour blend: In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, xanthan gum and salt.
Make the loaf cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, yogurt, oil and eggs. Add to flour mixture and whisk until combined. Stir in the carrots, raisins and pecans. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan, set on a wire rack.
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated canola oil or unflavored coconut oil, melted if solid
Make the gluten-free flour blend: In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, xanthan gum and salt.
Make the loaf cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour blend, almond flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until pale yellow, 1 to 2 minutes; whisk in the oil. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the apples and chocolate chunks. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan, set on a wire rack.