My husband is a fan of chocolate, orange and ginger combo so I decided to bake something special for him. Here is a delicious recipe for a soft quick bread that is packed with fresh orange juice, zest and crystallized ginger. The crumb of this loaf is amazing and you don’t need a lot of ingredients.

The chocolate glaze sets very nice so it won’t be messy when you slice and serve.

Video for this recipe is on Instagram, don’t forget to follow me. Click HERE.

Let’s start with the recipe.

Yield one loaf pan

Ingredients

For the loaf

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup white granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

orange zest, from 2 medium-large oranges

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup crystallized ginger chips. You can add more if you want to. This is the brand I like to use. Click HERE.

For the chocolate glaze

4 tablespoons dark cocoa powder

1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1.-Pre-heat oven 350 F. Grease a loaf pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

2.- In a small bowl mix: flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3.- In another bowl and using an electric mixer, beat butter for 2 minutes. Add sugar and cream both ingredients for 2 more minutes until light and fluffy.

4.- Add eggs, one by one, mixing well after each addition.

5.- Mix in juice and zest. Mix. You will notice the batter curdles, but don’t worry, it will all come together.

6.- In low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until you don’t see any leftover flour. Using a spatula, fold in the ginger chips.

7.- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few dry crumbs.

It is very important that you know that each oven works different, so I suggest that you check your bread after 40 minutes of baking time. The top of the bread should get a nice golden brown color but not too dark. If you think your bread is getting to dark but it still needs baking time, grab a piece of foil, cover it and finish baking.

8.- Let it cool completely on top of a cooling rack.

For the chocolate glaze

1.- In a bowl sift chocolate powder and powered sugar.

2.- Add in water and vanilla extract. Mix very well until you it is smooth and you don’t see any lumps.

3.- Pour glaze on top of your cooled bread and let the glaze set for at least one hour.

4.- Serve, cut and enjoy!

If you have any question about this recipe, send me an email to [email protected]