Cherry Orange Loaf Cake

By thatjerseygirl

Ingredients

• For Cake:
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1/4 cup + a little extra canola or vegetable oil
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons flaxseed meal or 1/4 cup flaxseed ground in small food processor
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• For Frosting:
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Soak cherries in a bowl of hot water for at least 20 minutes.

2. Pour a little vegetable oil—a teaspoon or less—into a 4×8-inch loaf pan and wipe with a paper towel to coat the bottom and sides. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of sugar. Shake, tilt and tap the pan to spread the sugar evenly and coat sides and bottom. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine flaxseed meal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well to mix ingredients evenly.

4. In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk, remaining 1/4 cup of oil, orange zest and vanilla. Drain cherries thoroughly and blot dry with paper towels.

5. Combine remaining 1 cup of granulated sugar and eggs in another large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at high speed for 3 minutes until pale and thick.

6. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, alternating with buttermilk mixture. Start and end with the flour mixture.

7. Stir cherries and chopped pecans into batter, mixing carefully to distribute them evenly.

8. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350º for 55 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

9. Cool in pan for 5 minutes on wire rack. Then remove cake from pan and allow to cool completely on wire rack.

Frost the cake: Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting it. Combine powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl. Mix it carefully, pressing on it with the back of a spoon to smooth out any little lumps of powdered sugar. And don’t mix the frosting until you’re ready to use it—it will harden quickly and become unusable if you make it ahead. Drizzle over top of cake.