Apple Cider Doughnut Loaf Cake

Liqueur

You can create a homemade liqueur and then sit back and enjoy the pleasure that those soul-warming potions can bring as gifts. Tie a bow on the bottle. Done.

Homemade liqueurs don’t take a lot of prep time. However, they do require advance planning and patience during the aging period. My favorite is limoncello, an Italian-inspired liqueur made from fresh lemons, liquor and simple sugar syrup. It has become extremely popular over the past several years and can be used in baked goods and as a cocktail ingredient. But it is most often served ice cold right from the freezer, poured into small glasses. Due to the required aging period, you might have to add this to next year’s list. Or make a batch to enjoy after the holidays.

Quick bread or loaf cake

Or if baking is more your style, how about a loaf-shaped, unfrosted cake or quick bread? They are easy to gift wrap and can be made in advance (see do-ahead tips).

In my book, an apple cider doughnut is one of the best bets in the bakery box, both in flavor (apple and spices) and texture (the crunch, crunch of sugar-salt-cinnamon-nutmeg coating).

An apple cider doughnut loaf cake captures those lovely traits.

The apple note comes from reducing apple cider to intensify the sweet-tart beauty; it’s used in the batter, atop the cake just out of the oven (poured into puncture holes made with a toothpick) and again combined with melted butter and brushed on the cake’s exterior. That final flourish helps the sugar and cinnamon mixture adhere to the surface.

Banana bread dotted with semisweet chocolate chips is a snap to prepare. The addition of chocolate chips to a traditional banana bread creates a lovely surprise. The bread stays fresh for at least three days when wrapped airtight, making it a great candidate for gift-giving.

My favorite way to gift-wrap the loaves is to tie a piece of fabric around them. First wrap a loaf in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Set it on a piece of thin fabric (such as organza, voile or handkerchief linen). The cloth needs to be large enough to tie in knots on top of the loaf when pulled from the sides, and then from the ends. Tie those knots and the job is done.

Happy holidays and stay safe.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread