Nutty as a fruitcake? We’re guilty. How about you? If you’re feeling a touch of holiday insanity, try this delicious quick bread recipe. It’s terrific with coffee. In front of the fire. Nice music floating through the air. You know: like a holiday!

Polenta Fruitcake Quickbread

 

 Ingredients

2 cups           All purpose flour

1 cup             Polenta

¾ cup           Sugar

1 ¼ t               Salt

1 ½ t               Baking powder

3 t                   Ground ginger

½ t                  Ground nutmeg

 

½ cup             Raisins

½ cup             Dried cranberries

½ cup             Dried Turkish apricots, chopped

½ cup             Dried sour cherries, chopped

1/4 cup Macadamia or Pecan nuts, crushed (optional)

 

1 ¼ cup           Nut milk (macademia is wonderful!)

½ cup              Maple syrup

3                       Large eggs

 

To add after baking:

 

¼ cup    Amaretto

¼ cup Fresh orange juice

2 T Powdered sugar

 

 Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a loaf pan generously.

 

In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk to mix all dry ingredients except dried fruits. When blended, add the dried fruits. With clean hands, toss the fruits well, using your fingers to separate any bits that are stuck together. The goal is to coat the exterior of the fruits so that they do not sink to the bottom of the loaf.

 

In a separate bowl, whisk all wet ingredients together. Add to the dry mixture, and fold just until blended. Transfer immediately to loaf pan, and put in oven to bake approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or when a wooden skewer emerges cleanly from the loaf.

 

Remove from oven. Run a thin rubber spatula along the sides to loosen. Whisk together orange juice, sugar and Amaretto. Pour over the loaf while still cooling in the pan.  

 

Remove when completely cool. Serve in slices slathered with unsalted butter.