Christmas Morning Cornbread Loaf Cake

Christmas Morning Cornbread Loaf Cake is flavored with vanilla bean, nutmeg, and rosemary, and studded with cranberries; it doesn’t any more festive!

I love hearing about holiday breakfast traditions. Some people do the bulk of the work the night before with something like a strata or bread pudding that just has to be baked in the morning. Others make a huge batch of pancakes or waffles and get the whole family involved. Or maybe it’s the classic failsafe, bacon, eggs, and toast.

In my family, we frequently go the route of homemade pastries. Sometimes it can be as simple as muffins or scones, but if I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll take on a batch of homemade Cream Puffs before anyone else is up. There’s nothing better than waking up to freshly made pastries on Christmas morning!

But let’s be honest, in terms of pastries, it’s a commitment of a few hours and sometimes there’s only time for something quicker, like muffins, scones, or even quick bread, which can be whipped up the night before!

A while back I came up with a recipe for Christmas Morning Scones {aka Vanilla Bean, Nutmeg, and Rosemary-Scented Scones} that somehow captures the essence of Christmas morning. (And to all of you who have emailed me saying that my scones are now a part of your family’s Christmas morning tradition, know that you are the reason I blog.)

I wanted to morph those scones into something with a similar flavor profile, and quick bread came to mind. I used cornmeal because I wanted the texture to be a little different than a basic quick bread. The texture of this cake is similar to a cornbread pound cake, but just a bit lighter. I used dried whole cranberries that I plumped in boiling water before adding to the batter; if you want them flavored, you could reconstitute them in hot tea (maybe cinnamon tea?) instead.

The other integral flavor components are vanilla bean, a hint of nutmeg, and a touch of rosemary. There is a sweet, slightly woodsy aroma going on that makes me think of Christmas trees and pine forests and I can’t think of anything more festive.

Here are a few other ideas that would be great for Christmas morning:

Cream Puffs (Profiteroles)

Christmas Morning Scones {aka Vanilla Bean, Nutmeg, and Rosemary-Scented Scones}

Eggnog Muffins with Cranberry Filling

And here’s even more inspiration from around the web:

• Cranberry Orange Cinnamon Rolls from Two Peas & Their Pod
• Banana Bread French Toast from Add a Pinch
• Spinach and Gruyere Cheese Quiche with Hash Brown Crust from Happily Unprocessed

What is your family’s Christmas morning tradition?