Spiced Cantaloupe Tea Loaf – This unique recipe uses sweet, juicy ripe cantaloupe, a touch of cinnamon and ginger, all baked into a warm loaf. Perfect alongside a piping hot cup of coffee or tea. Serve with a pat of butter, and never go back to your regular loaf recipes!
You might think this is a weird combination. Cantaloupe in a tea loaf? But why not! As I was making this and grating the cantaloupe, I thought maybe I should strain it. But then I thought, no! We would want all that moisture baked in my bread. It was a great idea, the loaf turned out absolutely perfect!
I had so much fun in the making of this tea loaf, drinking Sangria, cooking and baking. I know cooking can be a source of stress for some, but easy recipes like this quick bread are a perfect way to just enjoy yourself! Dump, mix, bake, and enjoy your beautiful creation.
Ingredients
Keep scrolling for to the recipe card for the full list of ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!
- Flour – I used all-purpose.
- Spices – Ginger and cinnamon.
- Salt – Season to taste.
- Leaveners – Both baking soda and baking powder.
- Sugar – Granulated.
- Eggs – Use large eggs.
- Vegetable oil – You can use melted butter instead. For a healthier alternative, applesauce will do the trick.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla paste or fresh bean can be used.
- Cantaloupe – Nice and ripe! Flesh grated on a box grater.
How to add mix-ins
Want to add some chopped nuts, sweet chips, seeds, etc.? After mixing the batter, gently fold your mix-in(s) of choice in before scraping into the loaf pans. You can also sprinkle the mix-ins on top of the loaf before popping it in the oven.
How to make spiced cantaloupe tea loaf
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8×5 inch loaf pans.
- Make the batter: Whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and leaveners in a bowl. Beat the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a separate large bowl with an electric mixer or whisk. Fold in the cantaloupe. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and fold until just blended.
- Bake: Divide the batter between the two loaf pans and bake for 50-60 minutes. Let the loaves cool for 5-10 minutes in their pans, then remove them and let them cool fully on a wire rack.
How to tell when my tea loaf is done baking
Once the top of your loaves are set and have cracked, you can start to check if they’re done. Insert a toothpick into the thickest part of your loaves. When it comes out clean, you can take them out of the oven. If there is still some batter left on the toothpick, continue to bake for 5-10 minutes at a time.
Make sure to test both of your loaves for doneness. Ovens can have warm and cool spots. You may even have to swap the loaves’ positions in the oven if one is cooking faster than the other.
Tips for making the best tea loaf
- Make sure your cantaloupe is nice a ripe for a moist bread.
- Use both baking soda and baking powder to get optimal airiness.
- Don’t over-mix! Just blend the ingredients until they come together. An over-mixed loaf = a dense loaf.
- Make sure the oven and loaf pans are fully prepped before starting. You’ll want to get the mixed batter into the pans and then the oven as fast as possible.
- Swap the positions of your two loaves in the oven half way through to make sure they bake evenly.
- Let the loaves cool for 5-10 minutes in the loaf pan before turning them out. This way, they won’t have a chance to fall apart.
How to store tea loaf
Store your loaf in a large airtight container, freezer bag, or on a cake plate covered with a dome. It’ll last 2-3 days at room temperature or 1 week in the fridge. You can microwave your slices for 5-15 seconds to warm them up just a little bit before digging in.
Make sure your loaves have cooled down fully before storing them to avoid condensation in the container. I find storing them un-sliced is best for maximizing freshness.
How to freeze tea loaf
Just like the section above, make sure the loaves have cooled down fully before starting any of these suggestions. Wrap the loaf or loaves well with both plastic wrap and foil. They’ll last frozen for 3 months.
In this case, they’ll actually stay fresh if you freeze them sliced. If you just want to grab a slice or two at a time for a quick snack, pre-slice the loaf. Wrap each piece with plastic wrap or foil and store them sealed in a large airtight container or freezer bag.
Thaw overnight on the counter or in the fridge. You can also pop them into the microwave straight from the freezer, plastic wrap removes, and zap them for 5-10 seconds at a time.
Check out my favorite quick bread recipes here:
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Banana Blueberry Bread
- Cranberry Quick Bread
- Lemon Poppyseed Bread
- Banana Nut Bread
- Skinny Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Old Fashioned Lemon Bread
- Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread
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Spiced Cantaloupe Tea Loaf
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ginger ground
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups sugar granulated
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups cantaloupe ripe, grated (only the flesh)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 F degrees. Grease and flour two 5×8 inch loaf pans. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, ginger, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
- With an electric mixer or a whisk, beat the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a bowl until well blended and slightly frothy. Fold in the grated cantaloupe. 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
- Recipe yields 2 loaves.
- Nutritional information is per slice and assumes 10 slices per loaf.
- Store your loaf in a large airtight container, freezer bag, or on a cake plate covered with a dome. It’ll last 2-3 days at room temperature or 1 week in the fridge. You can microwave your slices for 5-15 seconds to warm them up just a little bit before digging in.
- Make sure your loaves have cooled down fully before storing them to avoid condensation in the container. I find storing them un-sliced is best for maximizing freshness.
I made this into muffins. I made some with chocolate chips (since my daughter won’t eat muffins without chocolate chips) and some without. I loved the ones without!!! I blended the cantaloupe since I was starting from chunks and used 2 cups. I also used 1/4 cup of applesauce and reduced the oil to 3/4 cup. I also used 1/4 cup brown sugar and reduced white sugar to 1 3/4 cup. And I always like to increase the vanilla, so 1 tbsp. Also reduced the ginger to closer to 1/4 tsp. I did both regular size and mini muffins. The neighbor kids and my daughter were devouring the muffins (and wouldn’t drink the smoothie I made with the leftover cantaloupe). The muffins reminded me more of a zucchini bread and really didn’t taste of cantaloupe. Which means that I loved them!!! Thank you so much for the recipe. Now I can have a way to use up the melon that nobody can finish after days of eating it.
My pleasure! Glad to hear it worked for muffins.
I made this recipe and love it! I have to eat gluten free so I used gluten free 1 to 1 flour (bobs red mill). I also added 1 tsp lemon juice. Made into muffins baking at 375 for 20 min. Yummmm! To top them off I made a vanilla buttercream icing. Delicious! Thanks for this great idea
I thought what strange way to use cantaloupe, wow it’s so good. Will make it again for sure. I cut sugar back 1-1/2 cups , my melon was so sweet. I think maybe a cup would have been good with as well. Never heard of bread made with cantaloupe til today, moved this into my favorites! Was out of pecans used walnuts it’s delicious.
Right? It sounds strange but it works!
My breads are barely baking in the oven but I can already tell they will make me proud. I’m sharing it with my friend. Thank you for the recipe. A lot of times, grocery bought cantaloupes aren’t good enough to be eaten as it is. This is such a lifesaver.
I didn’t have quite enough cantaloupe, so I substituted unsweetened applesauce, about a half a cup. This was a very delicious recipe!
This was a perfect solution to using up a cantaloupe that wasn’t super for serving fresh. We were all surprised at the result – how delicious and easy. I added orange zest to the batter, and decreased the cinnamon to 1 tsp. Next time I might add chopped pecans. Thank you for this recipe.
How did you grate the cantaloupe?
On a cheese grater!
This was a very good bread recipe – so moist and the spices were subtle so it was great with a cup of tea.
Thank you for this recipe. I cooked it in a bundt pan and it turned out wonderful. We eat it toasted with cream cheese for breakfast. I’m already planning on making it again.
That sounds so good! We’re glad you love it 😊
The flavor was fantastic, but the bread collapsed. I’m sure this it’s my fault, since this far from the first time it’s happened. I wonder if you know what could have gone wrong? I rushed to get the loaves in the oven ASAP and I took care not to overmix the wet and dry ingredients. Yet, they’re doing a remarkable pancake impersonation…
Thank you for your time!
One of the main reasons a quick bread collapses is because the pan was probably overfilled, so the batter reaches the top of the pan and still needs to rise but since it won’t have where, it will collapse.
Do you think this would work with a honeydew? My fruit & veggie box accidentally came with that instead of a watermelon. With my kids the watermelon would be gone in an hour, but nobody wants anything to do with the honeydew. I tried it, and it’s not very sweet – almost like a slightly sweet cucumber. It is juicy, so maybe if I went a little over on the sugar and spices? Maybe adding an apple is a good idea too? Appreciate any advice – I don’t want to throw it out but none of us are fond of it as fruit to eat.
For sure, give that a try! A bit more sugar will help; use your discretion as per your own sweet preference.
Now I have another way to use frozen cantaloupe
Love the idea to use cantaloupe
Any tips on how to pick a sweet and ripe cantaloupe? I can never tell if they are soft or hard inside.
Here’s a great resource for you: https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/fresh-pick-cantaloupe
Thank you. I really love the idea of using cantaloupe, such a unique and uncommon ingredient to use in a cake. I saw the title Spiced Cantaloupe Tea Loaf and got intrigued.
Do you remove the rine before grating or do you grate rine & flesh?
Just the flesh!