Orange Loaf

"It's barely the beginning of the fall baking season and I'm already a little weary of the pumpkin, cinnamon, maple and other typical fall baked treats. This was a refreshing break. As this was baking..." See more I already decided it was worth it for the aroma alone - SO fragrant of fresh orange. It must have been a combination of the recipe itself, my adding two tablespoons of vegetable oil to ensure a moist cake, and cutting back on the baking time by several minutes that I did not experience the dryness other reviewers reported. This cake is soft, with a dense but tender crumb, very light, buttery (I did use butter rather than the margarine called for) and prominently, pleasantly orange. The term "glaze" in the recipe is misleading, as this is really not a glaze at all. It's actually a flavored simple syrup that soaks into the cake, infusing it with added moisture and flavor and should not be skipped or altered. A delightful change from heavily spiced, heavily frosted or overly sweet treats. Delicious, satisfying and very pretty too. Whether or not the the cake would turn out as good and moist without the 2 T. of oil I added, I'm not sure - what I do know is that if you add it, you won't be sorry. And be careful not to overbake!"

"The flavor of this bread was oh so orange! Quite delightful. However, I'm giving it 4 stars because the "glaze" was too liquidy to be considered a glaze. I followed the recipe exactly and it made so m..." See moreuch that I think it calls for reducing the "sugared juice" in the pan to thicken it into a glaze. Otherwise it was very good! Update: Made it again and this time simmered the glaze until it redused to about half and then removed the bread from pan and brushed it on. Came out much better! 5 Stars! On a side note, I accidently added only 1/2 cup sugar to the bread and it still came out delightful! Great way to cut back!"

"Every Christmas for as long as I can remember, my mother makes orange loaves and delivers them to the neighbours. She was improvising on another loaf recipe, though, and most often the loaves would f..." See moreall, although they tasted great! I took her recipe, and came on-line. Lo and behold if this orange loaf isn't EXACTLY the same as mom's, except for a bit of extra flour, which is all that was needed to keep it nice and rounded on the top. I emailed mom with the recipe, which she used this year. Thanks for helping improve on one of my favourite Christmas traditions! As for the glaze, Mom's loaf only called for half of this one, and I thought the amounts listed here would make way too much. I made 2 loaves at once---one with only half the glaze(like mom's), and one as this recipe calls for. I liked this one the best. It made the loaf nice and moist. Just be sure to let the loaf sit as required to let the glaze soak in. Thanks again-- this is a great loaf, and I've made 8 of them to give away in the last month, following in my mother's footsteps."