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My collection of holiday quick breads, loaf cakes, and pound cakes are perfect for baking in mini loaf pans for holiday gifting!
Most of the loaf cake and quick bread recipes from the Great Island kitchen can be directly converted to mini loaf pan recipes, you just have to know a few tricks and tips.
what types of cakes and breads can be baked in mini loaf pans?
Loaf cake and quick bread recipes that are baked in regular loaf pans are your best bet. They have the proper texture and will translate easily to the smaller pan.
Bundt and pound cakes also have the sturdy texture appropriate for mini loaves.
Snack cakes and coffee cakes like my Cranberry Orange Cake or my Gingerbread Cake are also good choices, they have a lighter cake texture than the other types, above, but will still work in mini loaf pans.
how to convert quick breads and loaf cakes to mini loaf pan recipes
1. Choose your recipe
- Choose a recipe from my list below.
- I highly recommend doubling the recipe, at least, so you’ll have plenty of batter to work with for multiple mini loaves.
2. Baking time
- Mini loaves bake much faster, expect areduction in baking time by 25-50%.
- 4.5 x 2.5 inch mini loaf pan: 18-22 minutes (start checking at 18 minutes)
- 5 x 3 inch mini loaf pan: 22-25 minutes (start checking at 22 minutes)
- 6 x 3 inch mini loaf pan: 25-30 minutes (start checking at 25 minutes)
3. Oven temperature
- Possibly increase the temperature by25-50°F (15-28°C)compared to the original recipe.
- Some recipes might require aslightly higher baking temperaturewhen using mini loaf pans. Why? Mini loaves have a higher surface area to volume ratio compared to regular sized loaves. Increasing the baking temperature helps to ensure that the inside of the mini loaves cooks through evenly without overbrowning the outside. I suggest doing a test at the original oven temp and raise it only if necessary.
- Remember to monitor the mini loaves closely to avoid over baking, they are small!
4. Calculate your yield
How many mini loaves can you expect from a regular loaf pan recipe? It depends on the size of your mini pans:
- Mini Loaf Pan Size:4.5 x 2.5 inch = 3-4 mini loaves.
- Mini Loaf Pan Size:5 x 3 inch = 2-3 mini loaves.
- Mini Loaf Pan Size:6 x 3 inch =1-2 mini loaves.
5. Prep the pans
- Since you’re most likely gifting your loaves, you want to ensure they pop out of the pans easily.
- Consider using paper mini loaf liners like these or make small parchment ‘slings’ so you can easily lift the loaves out after baking.
6. Divide the batter evenly
- Divide the batter evenly among the mini loaf pans using a scoop or measuring cup.
- You can also set them on a kitchen scale to ensure they are filled equally.
- Fill the pansno higher than about 3/4 fullto allow for rising during baking.
The mini loaf pans I use
I think mini loaves should be of the same quality you expect in your regular pans, so these from Nordicware are a good choice. Most mini loaves range from a 1.5-3 cup capacity, so these are right in the sweet spot at 2 cup capacity.
For convenience I also like this 8 cavity mini loaf pan, below, from USA.
LOAF CAKE RECIPES
- Apple Cider Doughnut Loaf Cake
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf
- Gingerbread Loaf Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Apple Cider Doughnut Loaf Cake
4.85 from 98 votes
My apple cider doughnut loaf cake is the fall cake of your dreams. This quick and easy apple bread tastes just like a soft moist cider doughnut!
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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf
5 from 5 votes
Warm up your day with a slice of better-than-coffee-shop chocolate chip pumpkin loaf!
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Gingerbread Loaf Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
4.79 from 41 votes
Gingerbread Loaf Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a moist coffee shop style gingerbread cake with tons of holiday flavor.
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QUICK BREAD RECIPES
- Brownie Bread
- Buttermilk Lemon Bread
- Date Nut Bread
- Maple Oat Nut Banana Bread
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bread
- Nutella Banana Bread
- Orange Cardamom Bread
- Amish Cinnamon Bread
- Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
- The BEST Cranberry Orange Bread
Brownie Bread
5 from 19 votes
Brownie Bread is an easy chocolate quick bread ~ it's your favorite brownies baked up in a loaf pan for the perfect Fall treat.
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Buttermilk Lemon Bread
3.85 from 195 votes
My Buttermilk Lemon Bread is a tangy lemon loaf that practically sings with fresh lemony flavor, and I’m spilling all the secrets to this perfect citrusy pound cake right here!
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Date Nut Bread
4.99 from 86 votes
Date nut bread is rich, moist, and delicious. If you love banana bread and zucchini bread, then you need to add this retro quick bread to your recipe collection.
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Maple Oat Nut Banana Bread
4.87 from 22 votes
Maple Oat Nut Banana Bread might make plain old banana bread obsolete. This loaf cake has sweet, maple-y, cinnamon-y flavor in every bite!
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Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bread
4.59 from 90 votes
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bread is the perfect quick bread…moist, peanutty, and loaded with chocolate chips! It makes an indulgent breakfast or snack.
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Nutella Banana Bread
5 from 8 votes
Nutella banana bread is moist and chocolatey with ribbons of Nutella swirled right into the batter ~ yum!!
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Orange Cardamom Bread
5 from 8 votes
Orange Cardamom Bread is a warmly spiced Fall loaf cake bursting with citrus flavor! The secret is my famous orange sugar!
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Amish Cinnamon Bread
5 from 49 votes
Amish Cinnamon Bread is an fabulous no-knead quick bread made for sharing!
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Carrot Bread
5 from 25 votes
Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting is packed with shredded carrots, nuts, and coconut, then iced with a thick layer of everybody's favorite frosting!
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Cranberry Orange Bread
4.54 from 13 votes
Making Cranberry Orange Bread is one of my favorite holiday traditions. It's an easy quick bread with a crazy light delicate texture, and the unique flavor combination of sweet citrus and tart cranberries.
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POUND CAKE RECIPES
- Triple Coconut Pound Cake
- Modern Fruitcake Recipe!
- Maple Pecan Pound Cake
- Pistachio Cardamom Pound Cake
- Perfect Buttermilk Pound Cake
- Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake
- Chocolate Pound Cake
- Triple Vanilla Pound Cake
Triple Coconut Pound Cake
3.98 from 122 votes
My Triple Coconut Pound Cake is a triple threat coconut cake for serious coconut lovers only ~ this moist loaf cake goes from breakfast to dessert!
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Modern Fruitcake
4.85 from 26 votes
My modern fruitcake is a lightened up classic Christmas cake that won't weigh you down, and will never get re-gifted, guaranteed!
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Maple Pecan Pound Cake
5 from 17 votes
Maple Pecan Pound Cake is the ultimate fall quick bread, with layers and layers of rich, caramelized flavor from browned butter, maple syrup, toasted pecans, and brown sugar.
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Pistachio Cardamom Pound Cake
3.96 from 132 votes
Pistachio Cardamom Pound Cake features a classic Middle Eastern flavor pairing of warm cardamom spice and crunchy pistachios — it's an unusual and delicious cake perfect with coffee or tea.
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Perfect Pound Cake
5 from 57 votes
Perfect Buttermilk Pound Cake is that once in a lifetime recipe made with the perfect ratio of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. This easy bundt cake always comes out perfect, and you'll be baking it for years to come.
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Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake
3.55 from 35 votes
Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake is a quick and easy one bowl loaf cake recipe that showcases one of my favorite flavor combinations for spring and summer!
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Chocolate Pound Cake
3.44 from 754 votes
Everyone should have a rich Chocolate Pound Cake in their recipe file, preferably right up front — this dark chocolate loaf cake is topped with a creamy chocolate ganache.
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Vanilla Pound Cake
4.17 from 84 votes
A classic vanilla pound cake with layers of vanilla flavor baked right in!
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SAVORY LOAF RECIPES
- Beer Bread Recipe (easy, no yeast!)
- Paleo Fruit and Nut Breakfast Bread
- Cranberry Pumpkin Cornbread
- Paleo Fruit and Nut Bread
- Guinness Bread
- Copycat Raincoast Crisps® Crackers
Easy Beer Bread
5 from 10 votes
No yeast beer bread is one of those easy bread recipes that's almost too good to be true. Five ingredients, in one bowl, it takes about a minute to make!
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Paleo Breakfast Bread
3.47 from 319 votes
My quick and easy Paleo Fruit and Nut Bread is grain free, dairy free, without added sugar. This quick bread is also amazingly versatile ~ serve it for breakfast or as an energizing healthy snack. It also happens to be absolutely fabulous toasted!
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Cranberry Pumpkin Cornbread
5 from 9 votes
Warm up your fall meals with Cranberry Pumpkin Cornbread ~ serve it with soups, stews, chilis, and it's a must on the Thanksgiving table!
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Chunky Fruit and Nut Quick Bread
4.05 from 43 votes
Chunky Fruit and Nut Quick Bread is packed full of healthy fruits and nuts ~ the smell of a couple of slices of this bread in the toaster will get anyone out of bed in a hurry!
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Guinness Oatmeal Bread
4.84 from 12 votes
A ridiculously easy beer bread you can throw together in just a few minutes!
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Copycat Raincoast Crisps Crackers
5 from 34 votes
Homemade Raincoast Crisps are a copycat version of the famously beautiful and crunchy crackers that dominate cheese boards everywhere, and they're so easy to make!
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