Hey fellow readers, welcome to my ‘Strawberry and Kiwi Loaf’ recipe. I baked this loaf for the first time and I fell in love- it is an ultimate favourite of mine and I’ll be sure to make it one of yours too. Let me briefly explain why- I promise not to bore you (hopefully).
Firstly, strawberries and kiwi are my go to fruits. Strawberries are the nation’s much loved berry, I mean who doesn’t like strawberries *insert thinking emoji*, especially with double cream! Whereas its sidekick (kiwi, in this case) may not have quite the same effect and so you may think, what a weird combination! However, I kid you not, this combo works wonders on the taste buds and what better way to use up a load of ripened kiwis before they shrivel up and wrinkle away into mouldy mushy green puree. Not a pleasant thought, I know. Secondly, as it contains two awesome fruits, it is therefore, in my eyes, classed as a ‘five-a-day’ kinda snack so that ticks all the right boxes almost immediately. Ding, ding ding! Thirdly, isn’t it just a beautiful sight of different colours: leafy green, ruby red, silvery grey, golden brown. I could honestly stare at it all day, truly mesmerising! The delicate textures of both the fruits blends in really well with the soft “moist” texture of the sponge. It is a mix of sweet and sour and the little black seeds of the kiwi give a nice tanginess. I also added sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds as an additional bonus to give an extra crunch to the loaf. Seeds are a great source of fibre and protein and also gives your skin that summertime glow, so what more do you need in a cake?! Now, I know by this point your mouths are drooling to bake this beauty so let’s move straight onto the recipe.
I would like to point out that the original recipe is by Amanda Carlisle, otherwise known as ‘afewshortcuts’. Check out her blog and Instagram for more delicious recipes. There are some ingredients which I either didn’t use or measured a smaller amount than was required- I will highlight these in brackets below. This recipe is for 2 loaves- but any additional batter you can use to make muffins or to make one loaf, then half the measurements.
What you will need:
384g of plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon of salt (I used none)
402g of sugar (I used half this amount)
4 eggs
294 ml of vegetable oil
144g diced strawberries
144g diced kiwi (peeled)
Instructions:
1) First, preheat the oven to 350F (gas mark 4)
2) Grease a loaf tin and place greaseproof paper inside
3) Combine dry ingredients (plain flour, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar)
4) Make a well in the centre and add eggs and oil
5) Beat ingredients for about 1-2 minutes until mixture is smooth and of medium consistency
6) Add strawberries, kiwi, pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds and stir slowly
7) Fill loaf tin and sprinkle a few seeds on top
8) Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer/toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9) Once cooked, wait for cake to cool completely before taking out of tin and then enjoy!
Zeelicious tips & tricks:
As you have noticed, I used half the amount of sugar stated in the recipe. I tend to reduce my sugar intake with all my baking recipes and use half or more than half than usually required as we all know the deathly consequences of sugar. Also, in this recipe the strawberries replace the need for a huge amount of sugar as these are naturally sweet in flavour as with many fruit based recipes.
You will also see that salt is mentioned in the recipe and this is something I most definitely do not include in any of recipes as there is NO need for it and makes no difference, so please try refrain from using salt as it has no health benefits, even if it is just a teaspoon or half a teaspoon!
For best results, sieve the flour, baking soda and cinnamon together to remove lumps and create a smooth mixture.
To protect the loaf from burning, you can place aluminium foil over the tin within the halfway mark.
BUT this cake does taste great with custard, making it a nice warm dessert to have with your cuppa. ;)
Hope you enjoy this recipe and for any more mouth-watering bakes then feel free to check out my Instagram --> @Zeeliciousbakes :D