Tart Cranberry Lemon Bread

A few years ago I created a recipe for cranberry lemon bread.  As a lover of tart-sweet breads, I never found a recipe that was "sparkling" tart...puckering lemon and tart cranberries with a lemony-vanilla cake-like bread.  Many experiments later, this bread is our hands-down favorite, loaded with cranberries and walnuts.  The batter is VERY stiff and it almost needs to be patted into the loaf pans.  It makes 3 generous 9 x 5 loaves so some can be frozen.

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. lemon zest
Juice from 2 lemons +  jam to equal 1 1/2 cups (I used homemade yellow plum preserves)

4 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

About 3 cups fresh/frozen cranberries (I use a 16oz bag)
About 1-1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Cream butter & sugar.  Add eggs.  Add zest & juice/jam mixture and mix all.  Sift together dry ingredients and blend into wet.  Last add berries & nuts and mix together.  (A KitchenAid reigns supreme here).  

Lightly spray or butter three 9x5 loaf pans.  Place batter (stiff!!)  into pans and press down, if necessary.  Bake in 350 degree oven until done (about 45 minutes; I usually determine by the smell and/or pressing center of loaf).  Let cool and slice.  Like most breads, it tastes even better if you can restrain yourself and let it rest a couple days.

*Also waiting to make my pumpkin latte.  Etsy has been so busy, among other things.  Per MySweetCreations suggestion, I am going to buy some vanilla syrup (or make some).

Stay tuned!!