Melons aren’t the greatest keepers so this spiced cantaloupe tea loaf is the perfect destination for any melon abundance you may have!
You might think this is a weird combination, cantaloupe in a tea loaf? But why not! When I was making it, Remo, a.k.a hand model, a.k.a hubs, was complaining and kept making faces and saying gross, over and over again, but I kept saying you just wait and see. And if he wasn’t going to like it, well then I’d just be eating spiced cantaloupe tea loaf the whole day because this recipe makes 2 good size loafs.
But that’s ok, fine by me, I can eat this tea loaf all day long if that’s what it takes. But really, why not use cantaloupe in a tea loaf? As I was making this and grating the cantaloupe, I was thinking maybe I should strain it, but then I thought no, we would want all those juices in my bread. Good idea, the tea loaf is freaking amazing!
I made this over the weekend with my friend and we had so much fun in the kitchen, drinking Sangria and cooking and baking. Did I mention it was all before noon? That’s just how I roll!
So I had a little accident while I was making these, and I don’t blame the Sangria one bit. One of the baking pans cracked. My mistake, as I took the loaf pans out of the oven I put them on a hot stove and I think, from what I can remember, although things are a bit vague now, that that’s how it happened. Not to worry, I was able to salvage my gorgeous loaf out of the pan all in one lovely piece. The trick was to let it cool.
This loaf, this gorgeous sweet tea loaf. Did i mention it has ginger and cinnamon and cantaloupe? A fresh from the farm melon is a gorgeous thing in the summer! So if you’ve got leftover melons well this loaf is a must!
If you guys love this recipe, and most importantly make it yourselves, please let us know. Take a picture and tag it #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
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Spiced Cantaloupe Tea Loaf
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 tsp cinnamon ground
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ginger ground
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups sugar granulated
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups ripe cantaloupe grated
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 F degrees.
- Grease and flour two 5x8 inch loaf pans. Put the flour, cinnamon, salt, ginger, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl and whisk to blend.
- With an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, beat the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a bowl until well blended and slightly frothy. Fold in the grated cantaloup. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold until just blended; don't overmix or your tea cakes will be tough.
- Divide the batter between the loaf pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry, about 1 hour. Let cool on a rack, then invert. Serve just slightly warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information:
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Gayle says
Half of one loaf was GONE within a couple hours. My husband and I both love it. A very unique yet yummy taste.
Janice Bontius says
Do you measure the cantaloupe before or after grating it? Thanks
Jo Cooks Team says
After grating. Enjoy!
Janice Bontius says
This was amazing! No more throwing out leftover cantaloupe from a fruit tray 😊
L. Davidson says
Spicy cantaloupe tea loaf
What a hit! Followed the recipe to a tee, except I added a grated apple! My husband’s new favourite!
jo says
So glad you liked it!
L.Davidson says
I made this again today, actually made two! My adult son wanted one and my husband asked if I could make it again! Making it again, I realized I didn’t follow your recipe to a tee. Replaced vegetable oil with apple sauce and cut the sugar by 1/2 cup and added one grated apple! But amazing tea loaf!
CL says
I bought a large cantaloupe from Costco and it turned out to be a bit to dry to eat on its own. So I googled for a recipe for a loaf and your recipe turned up. I followed your recipe with a substitution of 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 cup white flour. It worked wonderful. Awesome recipe! Delicious!
Megan Schroder says
Great recipe! I bought a gigantic cantaloupe from Costco and wondered what else I could do with it aside from cut it up. This recipe is nice. I think maybe it could use a little more spice and a little less sugar. I also used Apple sauce instead of the oil. Super clever and definitely a keeper of you find yourself with too much ‘loupe!
Krust says
This cake was absolutely stellar! My family loved it! This is the perfect way to use up cantaloupe, and I added some apple, too! Definitely making this again!
Joanna Cismaru says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Lyne says
This cake didn’t disappoint. I cooked in a 8 inch square tin on 150c for 1hr 20min. Did cover cake with tin foil for the last 20min. Looking forward to making the Nutella magic cake.
jo says
Glad you liked this Lyne. 🙂
Roberto says
I mAde it and It’s dElicious, I just add some clove and some nutmeg to makE it moRe sPiCy.
MaryJo says
This sounds very good. I’m guessing grated cantaloupe is very juicy – did you drain it before adding to the batter?
jo says
No I didn’t. If you find the batter is too wet just add a bit more flour.
Mel says
Is the batter supposed to more on the wet side OR more on the dry side?
Have lots of melon leftover so will try this recipe.
Joanna Cismaru says
It’s more on the wet side. Let me know how it turns out.
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
I would have never thought in a million years to put cantaloupe in a bread. But why not—I think that was an inspirational idea. There is no problem with the yumminess factor as far as the photos goes.
Quick breads like this are always so versatile and everyone likes them. Good job! And yep, I am sure nothing whatsoever was caused by you drinking Sangria with other baking friends. Hmmmm
jo says
LOL thanks Carol! Let me know if you try the bread, it’s amazing. 🙂
Judy says
How do you grate a melon?
What colour skin does s cantaloupe have?
Can I bake it in a round/square baking tin and if so how long in the oven?
How you doing Jo?
jo says
Hi Judy, Nice to hear from you again. I’m doing just fine. The color of a cantaloupe’s skin is gray-green. Basically I just cut the cantaloupe in half, cleaned the middle part out and cut it in slices and then I cut each slice in half and grated it, I found it easier to grate with the smaller pieces. You’d still need 2 baking tins because this recipe does make 2 breads so I think the time would be the same. Make sure you do the toothpick test though to make sure it’s done inside.
Carla says
This was helpful! I have this prepped to make as there’s always too much cantaloupe and it need variety, and also to not be wasted! I’ve done a few modifications, but I am all about trying from a template! I cannot wait! Thank you!
Estelle says
I LOVE cantaloupe, so this will be a MUST try this weekend. Thanks!!!
jo says
You’re welcome! 🙂 I’m sure you’ll love it!
Suné Moolman says
This looks beautiful! What a brilliant idea. I’m very fond of cantaloupe, I’ll definitely give it a try. Thanks.