Mandarin Orange Pumpkin Bread

2/3 cup butter
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 whole eggs
16 oz. canned pumpkin, or equivalent fresh
2/3 cup freshly squeezed mandarin juice
1 mandarin
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cups chopped pecans, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray non-stick coating on bottoms of six to eight small loaf pans or two 9x5x3 loaf pans.
Zest mandarin and set aside zested peel, then cut off and discard pith. Chop mandarin and pumpkin in food processor. In a large bowl or mixer, cream butter and sugar together, then add eggs one at a time until mixture is smooth.
Add pumpkin/mandarin mix, fresh-squeezed mandarin juice, and zested peel. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice together.
Slowly add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. Stir in optional nuts and pour into loaf pans. Bake until knife or toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for larger loaf pans and 20-25 minutes for small pan.
Cool completely, then remove from pan. Slice each loaf into 1/2 - 3/4 inch slices. Makes 12 servings.
- recipe submitted by Christina Abuelo