The clouds part, and a chorus of angles sing as a picture of this Vegan Cranberry Pistachio Loaf appears. 🎶 "Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh"Â 🎶
Too dramatic? NEVER!
But seriously, does this or doesn't this loaf look heavenly. It does. It really does. Pour me some coffee and serve me a slice of this cake and you just found my happy place. The cake is moist, sweet, and I love how every now and then you get a tart taste of cranberry or a crunch of pistachio.
Not a fan of all that icing? It's totally fantastic without and still looks just as pretty as a picture. ...well it is a picture, so... you get it. I am loving how the cranberries and pistachios make this loaf so festive! Perfect to serve Christmas morning or during the holiday season.
Now for story time: Find a comfortable seat. Ready?
I became friends with Andrew from One Ingredient Chef, when I unsubscribed from his blog newsletter. Let me explain. I decided to follow all of my favourite people on Bloglovin' because as a blogger, I get A LOT of email, and I thought it would be easier to keep track of my favourite blogs this way. I didn't want Andrew to get offended so I sent him an email explaining and it turns out we became good buds and started sending music videos back and forth to each other. (I like reggae, he likes dance).
Then one fine email day, we thought it might be fun to do something where we could collaborate on some awesome vegan ideas, and so we came up with something we like to call the Vegan Mystery Box Challenge!
"What is this mysterious challenge", you ask?
Andrew and I selected 3 mystery ingredients, and then we challenged vegan (or mostly vegan) bloggers from across the web to create a recipe using these three ingredients! Everyone posts their recipes at the same time, and share each others recipes with our readers to see what everyone came up with! How fun is that, right!? It's very fun.
We were so excited when so many people signed up, and I was even more excited when I saw how different each and every recipe turned out.
So what were the three mystery ingredients? Cranberries, pistachios, and coconut milk! (Yeah, we went for the holiday colours). The recipe I came up with was this Vegan Cranberry Pistachio Loaf.
Check out all of these amazing recipes from the first ever Vegan Mystery Box Challenge:Â
Magic Fruit Cake Bars with White Chocolate Drizzle by One Ingredient Chef
Cranberry Cheesecake & Pistachio Stuffed Vegan French Toast by Connoisseurus Veg
Pistachio Crusted Cranberry Cashew Coconut Cheese by Lemon and Coconut
Cranberry Pistachio and Mango Salad by Veggies Save the Day
Cranberry Cointreau Coconut Ice Cream with Candied Pistachios by Vegan Yack Attack
Cranberry Pistachio Donuts by Two City Vegans (Casey)
Cranberry Pistachio Gingersnap Truffles by Two City Vegans (Alix)
Warm Barley Bowl with Roasted Brussels, Sweet Potatoes and a Coconut Curry Dressing by Taste Space
Whole Wheat Cranberry Pistachio Vegan Biscotti by Veggie Inspired Journey
Coconut Pistachio Cashew Cheese Panini with Cranberry Jam by Peppers and Peaches
Toasted Pistachio Rice Pudding with Candied Cranberries by The Lazy Vegan Baker
Pistachio and Cranberry Cream Sandwich Cookies by Love Me Feed Me
Vegan Meringue Nests with Cranberry Coconut Whip and Crushed Pistachios by The Viet Vegan
Vegan Coconut Quinoa Salad by Beets Not Meats
Cranberry Orange & Pistachio Muffins With Vanilla Cream by A Virtual Vegan
Gourmet Lazy Cabbage Rolls by Choose to Cook
Sweet Potato Coconut Curry with Cranberries and Pistachios by The Tofu Diaries
Lebanese Semolina Pudding (Layali Lubnan)Â by Lands and Flavors
Vegan Chocolate Cranberry Cake by The Seasonal Diet
Jolly Bollywood Holiday Curry by Sexie Veggies
Are you not blown away by that list!? I am seriously so impressed at how many people participated AND how many creative recipes everyone came up with. It just shows that you can take the same 3 ingredients and have endless ways to prepare them! So much fun.
Let me know in the comments if you love this challenge, and if you think Andrew and I should start working on round two! If you're a vegan blogger and would to join in on the fun, sign up for the next Vegan Mystery Box Challenge. Follow the Vegan Mystery Box Challenge on social media with #VMBC
Once you are done drooling over all of the recipes, we return to my cranberry pistachio loaf cake, and I'll show you how to make this heavenly cake.
Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk together all the wet ingredients in a medium bowl.
Pour the wet into the dry, and stir until just combined. Add in the cranberries and pistachios and mix in. Be careful not to over mix.
Pour the batter into a lightly greased loaf pan, then sprinkle some more cranberries and pistachios down the center of the batter. Bake for around 1 hour until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
If you wish to make the icing, mix together all the icing ingredients, then drizzle over the completely cooked cake.
Vegan Cranberry & Pistachio Loaf
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup light oil, (such as canola or vegetable oil)
- 2 tablespoons orange or lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the fruit & nuts:
- 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen cranberries, (plus ¼ cup for topping)
- â…“ cup shelled pistachios, (plus 1 tablespoon for topping)
For the Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- To make the loaf: Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Lightly grease a loaf pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl whisk together all of the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add in 1 cup of cranberries, and â…“ cup pistachios into the batter, and stir until they are just mixed in. Don't over mix your batter.
- Pour into the prepared pan, then sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of cranberries, and 1 tablespoon of pistachios down the center of the batter. Bake for about 55 to 65 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- To make the icing: Mix all of the icing ingredients together. When the cake is completely cool, drizzle the icing over the cake.
Nutrition
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Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
Arrhiannon says
Sam, I am wondering if I could sub appplesaice for the oil. I am wfpbnooil in my quest to better health. I would also use a different milk. Probable ripple or maybe forager cream, which have less fat. Thanks for your thoughts.
Yulca says
Hi, I made this as is (soooooo good!) and in a wfpb-ish version with coconut yogurt instead of oil, using half ap & half whole grain spelt flour, date sugar instead of regular, a touch more liquid, and they came out really fluffy & yummy. Will try all whole grain spelt flour next time, but didn't want to mess with all of Sam's carefully curated ingredients at once :-D.
Leanne Woodall says
Amazing recipe! So moist & flavorful! I made this for Thanksgiving & it was a huge hit! I'll be making this one again ~ thanks for the great recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Thrilled you loved it, Leanne 🙂
Shirley Price says
Why all the sugar? And while flour?
Candace says
Speaking only for myself, Shirley, I modify Sam's recipes to be gluten-free, and in that process drop the sugar and replace it with whatever healthier sweeteners I have on hand. I am especially fond of her vanilla cake, it has always come out just fine for me for both flavor and texture. Mine don't always look picture perfect, since I may have used some coconut sugar or date syrup, but quite edible. With nourishing health as a priority, I feel being delighted by food is also important! That is why I'm a frequent visitor to Sam's excellent website, I enjoy her bright and delicious creativity. 😉 Haven't figured out a substitute for the powdered sugar, tho, so I just leave it off. Enjoy!
Denise says
You can powder your own sugar be it organic cane, coconut, or dried dates. You need a small coffee grinder.
Jenny says
Hello!
This was the first recipe I’ve made from your site, but it won’t be the last! This Cranberry Pistachio bread was SO delicious! I made it as a thank you gift for non-vegan friends, and they had no idea it was vegan! They loved it! Thank you for such a great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Jenny! I hope you enjoy many more recipes 🙂
Monica says
Amazing recipe. I make it regularly. Everyone LOVES IT. This is one of my favorite recipes by far.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you loved it, Monica 🙂
Karen says
The recipe was easy-to-follow and delicious! However, I only realized after the fact that most refined sugar and especially powdered sugar is NOT Vegan. Even though the only ingredient may say sugar, the process uses bone char to whiten it. Might be good to note that in your recipe, and whether beet or unrefined sugar would work in place.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Karen, using bone char in sugar isn’t very common anywhere other than the US. Always good to double-check with the brand you are purchasing. I use Redpath here in Canada and they say on their site that it’s vegan-friendly. A good tip is that organic sugar is always vegan.
Laurie says
How far ahead can I make this? Will it be ok on day 3? Or can it be frozen? Looks delicious and perfect for Christmas morning!
Sam Turnbull says
I think it should freeze beautifully. I think it should keep about 3 days as well. Enjoy!
Janine says
OMGoodness Sam, this recipe is SO GOOD!! I made this today as a trial run (I have not made it before) because I plan to take it to a Holiday Party next week, and the host asked me to bring a vegan dessert. Between the flavor and that absolute moist richness, the fresh cranberries and pistachios, it is an absolute winner! I followed your recipe exactly, and the only thing I added was one tsp. of pure orange extract in addition to the grated orange rind for that extra orange flavor. Oh, and I baked it in a cake pan, as I wanted it to turn out like a coffee cake rather than a dessert bread. We cannot stop eating it in this house! Thank you so much for sharing this Sam! I love your cookbook and I love all of your recipes! : )
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful, Janine!! So thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Tonya says
Is the coconut milk used in this recipe the kind in the can?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes it is 🙂 Full-fat coconut milk is the canned kind. The kind in a carton, intended for drinking has been watered down significantly. Enjoy!
Debbie says
I was wondering if you used a 8 x 4 pan or a 9 x 5 ?
Sam Turnbull says
Good question! My loaf pan is 8" x 4" but a 9" x 5" would also work, it would just be a bit shorter of a loaf. Enjoy!
Yulca says
Made this, served it to a lot of omnis, and everyone loved it!
Successfully used dried cranberries instead of fresh ones (reduced sugar to 1/2 cup, which was perfect) & walnuts (in my pantry) instead of pistachios (not in my pantry). Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Great! So happy you enjoyed it!
Michelle says
Can a different plant milk be used?
Sam Turnbull says
Yep, but it won't have the richness or flavour of coconut. ENjoy!
Susan says
I'm going to try this with almonds. I love pistachios but they don't love me. All but almonds and peanuts give me mouth sores - ah well! But I know almonds and cranberries are a great combo 🙂 Might even try your vegan croissants with some almond paste and sliced almonds inside and maybe a few dried cranberries to boot 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, almonds would be delicious and love that idea for the croissants!
Ashleigh says
This is so pretty, I can't wait to bake it. It will be perfect for holiday gatherings!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes it is! Everyone I have served it too loves it 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
Nabela says
Hello Sam, in cakes and sweets, can i substitute the white flour to wholewheat or any other flour?
Thanks
Sam says
Hi Nabela,
Different flours react very differently in baked goods, so you can't usually substitute them one for one. For example whole wheat flour is much heavier and denser, so it would totally change the texture of the loaf, so using 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour for every 1 cup of every all-purpose flour is often what people try. Here is a flour substitute guide that can help you. Keep in mind if you do substitute flours it will change the texture and outcome of the recipe, and you can't really know how it will work until you try. Hope that helps!
Ann S says
I made this for holiday gifts and they were a hit! I used a gluten-free baking flour, and roughly chopped the nuts and berries that were stirred in, but left the ones on top whole. And don't you know, those gift loaf pans are smaller than the regular ones, so I had enough batter left over to make a little loaf for myself 🙂
It is just delicious!
Sam says
Yay! That's awesome. So great to hear that it worked with a gluten free flour as well!
Kristi says
Just had to come back to say that this is a huge winner! My dad couldn't stop eating it. The icing is definitely a required step. Delicious! Perfect recipe, thanks Sam!
Sam says
Yay!! So happy you and your dad loved it Kristi! Thanks for coming back and leaving your review 🙂
Katherine says
I made this for our gathering yesterday and everyone loved it. I am not normally a cranberry fan but this cranberry pistachio loaf was incredible. It was easy, quick to put together and moist and delicious.
Sam says
Yay! That's awesome!! I'm so glad you and your family loved it so much! Thanks for coming back and leaving your review Katherine 🙂
Kristi says
Oh yum! I love cranberries and pistachios but never would have thought of pairing them. This looks absolutely delicious and now I know what our Christmas morning breakfast will be. Do you think it would be okay to make it the night before? Should I wait to frost it until morning? Do you buy unsalted pistachios?
Sam says
Hi Keisti,
Making it the day before is perfect. I would frost it the day before as well if it cools completely in time, because then the icing has a chance to set, so it's not all drippy on your fingers... Errr fork, I mean fork. Haha! Unsalted or salted pistachios would both work great. Enjoy!
Veronica says
Can you please tell me if there is a sub for the coconut milk? I have the lame allergy of coconut but I LOVE cranberries and pistachios. Thank you for creating this recipe!
Sam says
Hi Veronica!
I think you could sub another non-dairy milk and it would work fine. I would opt for a creamier milk (as opposed to a thin milk), especially for the icing. Let us know how it turns out!