During the fall we look for any way to use pumpkin. Soft cushions of brioche soaked with a vegan pumpkin custard, make this easy dessert an autumn and holiday showstopper.

We love our favorite allergy-friendly brioche for this bread pudding, but you could use challah, French bread, or other crusty loaf.

Try this old-fashioned dessert that’s never out of style!…

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With fresh blueberries so plentiful, we couldn’t resist making this quick bread. It’s a spin off from the Strawberry Pound Cake recipe we developed for Allergic Living Magazine. The soft, buttery crumb is perfectly dense without being dry and crumbly.

While pound cake is traditionally made with a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, we’ve made some adjustments for a great tasting loaf that’s free of the butter, eggs, and wheat flour.

The Method

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with dairy-free margarine. Set aside.
• Make 3 flax eggs by whisking together 3 tablespoons of flaxseed meal with 1/2 cup of water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. If egg allergy is not an issue and you’re not vegan, you can use 3 whole eggs in place of flaxseed meal and water.
• In a medium bowl, combine a gluten-free flour blend (such as King Arthur’s Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour), fine or medium grind yellow cornmeal, baking powder, xanthan gum (if not in flour blend), and salt. Set aside.
• Cream dairy-free, soy-free margarine and sugar using a hand-held mixer. Start on low and increase to medium. Blend until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. If using a KitchenAid or similar stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream the margarine and sugar.
• Return to flax eggs and whisk vigorously; it will be gelatinous. On low speed, gradually blend flax eggs and vanilla into creamed margarine. The mixture may curdle slightly as seen in photo below.

• In 3 stages, alternate adding flour mixture and alternative milk (such as unsweetened gluten-free oat milk or hemp milk) into creamed mixture on low speed.
• In a small bowl, toss 1 tablespoon of gluten-free flour blend with 1-1/2 cups of fresh blueberries that have been rinsed. Gently stir the lightly coated blueberries by hand into the batter. Spread batter level into prepared loaf pan.
• Bake on oven’s middle rack until done, about 60-70 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack about 15 minutes. Gently invert cake onto cooling rack. Let cool completely, at least an hour.

So Many Ways to Enjoy

Serve a slice with our sweet and tangy lemon curd and more fresh blueberries.

Enjoy with an alternative whipped cream and fresh strawberries and blueberries.

Contrary to most quick breads, we find this loaf better the second day. We like to toast the slices on a grill or in a skillet. How about maple syrup? Oh yeah! It’s almost like French Toast, and just as good.

Chef Mary’s Tips

• The light coating of flour around the blueberries will absorb some of the fruit’s liquid, making them less likely to sink.
• The purpose for adding dry and liquid ingredients alternately is that whipped margarine and sugar cannot absorb much liquid without separating. Beginning with dry ingredients and alternating with liquid ingredients will produce a better pound cake.
• Before measuring flour, use a spoon or whisk to fluff up the flour in the container or bag its in. Rather than scooping the flour with a measuring cup, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until it is heaping. Use a knife or other straight edge tool to level the flour across the top of the measuring cup. Scooping flour directly into your measuring cup packs the flour so you can end up with significantly more flour than the recipe calls for.

For another variation of this delicious quick bread, check out our Strawberry Pound Cake at Allergic Living.

 

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