Citrus berry loaf

Baking

Citrus berry loaf

Baking is the one those things that has always made me comeback to myself, it grounds me. I spent a few years getting a pastry and bread diploma at Le Cordon Bleu, and after hours of being on my feet, running around with trays of macarons, layering opera cakes and endlessly baking bread loaves, croissants and baguettes, I would get home with a smile on my face, happy and content.

As a mom, I find myself multitasking in my sleep. But for some reason, the moment I take out my baking pans, everything else fades away and I’m able to do just that; Bake. It’s calming, and I think of it as my own personal way of working on mindfulness and meditation (I can imagine my dad reading this and rolling his eyes as he has tried for years to get me to meditate on a daily basis, twice a day, but we can talk about that in another post)

Speaking of mindfulness, life needs to be about balance, which is something that at times (ok quite often), is hard to achieve. Healthy eating is a must at our home and even though we don’t have many dietary restrictions, our meals are mainly plant based. When it is time to bake something, I go for whole wheat, almond or quinoa flour, as well as chia seeds and hemp hearts. These happen to be some of the ingredients in this citrus berry loaf. There’s also greek yogurt in it, which makes it super light, giving  it a very tender crumb, and the citrus zest enhances the flavours of the fruit.

This loaf keeps well for 3 days, or it can be frozen.

* Almond flour also works well in this recipe*


Citrus Berry Loaf



Total Time

Ingredients

  • 1  1/2whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp hemp hearts
  • 1  1/2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 cup raspberries (you can use fresh or frozen)
  • 3/4 cup blueberries
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp lime zest
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup sugar 

For glaze :

  • 1 cup confectioners sugar
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Use a 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch , grease and flour the pan, placing parchment paper on the bottom.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder into one bowl and add the berries, chia seeds and hemp hearts. In a second bowl, mix the yogurt, eggs, vanilla, sugar and zest.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ones and with a rubber spatula, fold the oil into the batter until is well incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.

While the cake is in the oven, cook the 1/3 cup of lemon juice with 1/3 cup of sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

Once the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Place on a baking rack over a sheet pan and while the cake is still warm, pour the lemon – sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Let cool.

For the glaze, and this is an optional step, combine the confectioners sugar with the lemon juice and pour over the loaf.

Make it a part of your next brunch!

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4 Comments

  1. OMG. Just made this (sans glaze) and it is SO. GOOD. The perfect remedy for post-nap crankiness and a delicious partner to a hot cup of tea 🙂

    1. Happy you liked it! Ours didn’t last long 🙂 my girls were taking it to school and sharing it with friends. Xx

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