Spiced Cantaloupe Bread
Anyone have a taste for cantaloupe -- but in loaf form?
I love seasonal quick bread and I know what you’re thinking… CANTALOUPE!? Yes, cantaloupe. This deliciously sweet melon makes for a very moist and tender loaf. That’s right, moist! We are breaking all the food rules and making desserts anyway we can, with whatever we have on hand. It’s summertime and melons have reached peak season. In this spiced cantaloupe bread recipe, you’ll taste absolutely no flavor from the melon itself, but the cantaloupe lends itself to providing body, texture, and moisture for quick bread. Who knew! I didn’t!
Melon is a hard flavor to elevate. We have our melon salads, our cold melon soups and that’s about it. Now we have melon bread! As a chef, I love to learn and create. When I learned that cantaloupe can be used in quick bread and have the same moistening effect as zucchini or carrots, that blew my mind! I had to try it.
As I was creating my interpretation of this dessert, I couldn’t help but think about my Grandma. My grandma loved her some sweets. She was the curator of a deadly marshmallow-heavy Hawaiian salad every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know she would have loved this cantaloupe bread recipe. I would have probably told her what is was after she took a bite too. She loved when I brought her a new “crazy” dessert I was experimenting with like homemade peanut butter cups or chocolate-covered homemade marshmallows. Desserts always have a special place in my heart for my G-ma. Try this recipe at home and go bring it to someone whose mind it will explode!
Spiced Cantaloupe Bread
Ingredients for bread:
- 1.5 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup cantaloupe, blended or grated
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Ingredients for icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Prepare a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt and ground cloves.
- Using a stand mixer, combine the softened butter and sugar until butter gets fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, until mixture is combined.
- Add in half the flour mixture to the egg mixture, mix until flour just combines, then add in all the cantaloupe and mix until combined, followed by leftover flour and mix until no flour can be seen.
- Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 -75 minutes.
- Once a toothpick in the center of the loaf comes out clean, remove from the oven, and let cool for 25 - 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine all icing ingredients with a whisk until a smooth icing is formed. While the cake is warm, drizzle it with icing, making sure to get every corner.
- Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Once Upon a Chef..