Baking

Drizzled Pumpkin & Orange Tea Loaf

"This tea loaf is moist, healthy and delicious. If you wish, you can forget the frosting and just dust it with icing sugar. You can enjoy it sliced and plain, or spread with butter at breakfast or teatime, or as a snack" - Heather Thomas

20 minutes prep, 1 hour cook

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing

200g light brown sugar

4 medium free-range eggs, separated

250g pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and grated

Grated zest and juice of 1 small orange

A few drops of vanilla extract

75g chopped walnuts

75g ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped

200g self-raising flour

A pinch of sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

100g ground almonds

For the orange drizzle:

125g icing sugar

2 tbsp orange juice

Grated zest of ½ orange

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3. Lightly grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment.

In a bowl, beat together the sugar and egg yolks until fluffy, pale and creamy. Add the grated pumpkin, along with the orange zest and juice, vanilla, walnuts and apricots. Sift the flour, salt and spices and fold into the mixture, along with the ground almonds, moving the spoon in a figure-of-eight movement.

In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold gently into the pumpkin mixture. Do not beat or overmix.

Spoon the mixture into the lined tin and bake for 50–60 minutes, or until well risen and golden brown. You can check whether the cake is cooked by inserting a thin skewer into the middle – it should come out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the orange drizzle, mix the icing sugar and orange juice together in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the loaf and then scatter over the orange zest. Leave to set.

Cut into slices to serve. The loaf will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in a cool place for 2–3 days.