Baking with fresh currants

We have never had such a great crop of currants as this year, particularly red currants.  We seem to have been picking them forever and now have to think of more and more ways to use them.  You can use them instead of blueberries in muffins for example, or you can use them in this easy to make loaf.

Red currant loaf

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh red currants destrigged
small quantity icing sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and orange peel, and beat well.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the creamed mixture and stir gently.
Fold in the red currants and fill a greased or paper-lined loaf tin two-thirds full and bake at 180°C for 40-45 minutes or a skewer comes out of the loaf clean.
Cool for 5 minutes before placing on wire rack.
Dust with icing sugar when the loaf is completely cooled.