spice bread recipe, cake boss cake pan review and giveaway

The chilly September mornings and evenings put me in the mood for warming spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Good thing the nice folks from Cake Boss [of TV show fame] sent me one of their new loaf pans to review. I revisited the recipe for Rue Des Rossiers Spice Bread from my second cookbook [scroll down for the recipe] using So Delicious Cashew Milk and was on my way to testing it out.

The Low Down
In short, I love this pan and can't find anything bad to say about it. First, I love the little handles on this load pan. They make it easier to pull from the hot oven. The little red "Cake Boss" logos are more than just decoration; they actually give you some traction so you don't drop your new baked good. And it's sturdy… not thin, but nice and substantial. I was happy to see that my spice cake baked perfectly – edges were just slightly crisp and insides were perfectly even.  But the real test came when it was time to see if the bread would stick....

The suspense was awful...

Tada! Nothing to worry about. Easiest. Bake-flip. Ever. 

And check this out: hardly any residue. A quick swipe with some dish soap, and the pan was clean.

Where to buy You can find the full line of Cake Boss bake ware at Michael's. Also, you might want to stop by your local Michael's  this Saturday, September 28 to try their "I love to Bake" Cake Roulette game for another chance to win these fabulous bakeware products.

Win a Cake Boss Load Pan To enter to win the loaf pan I reviewed, just leave a comment and tell us the first thing you'll bake if you win it. US readers only, please. I'll announce the winner next week – don't forget to leave a contact method. Good luck. Until then, try my vegan, autumnal spice bread recipe...

Rue Des Rosiers Pain D’Epice

This quick bread traditionally shows up in bakeries throughout France in the weeks before Christmas, but to me, it seems more like a Hannukah sweet, which is why I’ve named it after the Rue Des Rosiers (a popular street in one of Paris’ Jewish neighborhoods). I love this spice bread for breakfast, slathered with Earth Balance and marmalade, along with a cup of hot, mulled tea or cider.

• 1 ½ cup almond or soy milk
• 2/3 cup agave nectar
• ¼ cup molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 cups flour
• ¼ cup soy flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp cloves

Makes 1 large or 4 mini loaves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan or 4 mini loaf pans

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

3. In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Do not overstir.

4. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. (Bake 20-24 minutes for mini loaves.)

Variations:

Add ½ cup of any of the following, or a combination:

• Dried cranberries
• Raisins
• Chopped dates
• Chopped, dried figs
• Toasted walnuts, pacans or almonds
• Candied ginger
• Chocolate or carob chips