For this month’s #BakeTogether, Abby suggested we make a simple summer fruit cake. I love #BakeTogether because it’s super flexible; Abby gives us a base recipe and from there we can go in any direction that we desire. I decided to use berries my daughter and I had recently picked to make a pretty and healthy quick bread.
We really enjoyed this bread. It’s moist and fruity, with a bright touch of lemon, and a little bit of heft from the whole wheat pastry flour. It makes a nice snack or dessert, but also works for breakfast; I see no reason why you couldn’t turn this batter into muffins, if you like. I used a combination of blackberries and raspberries but suspect it would be delicious with blueberries or strawberries, too. Use orange or lime zest instead of the lemon, if you prefer.
I was a little aggressive mixing my berries into the batter, so they kind of disappeared in there (and turned the bread a subtle shade of pink). If you want to have more whole berries in your bread, take care not to break them up when folding them into the batter.
Recipe for Whole Wheat Summer Berry Bread with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
For the cake:
- *2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
- *2 teaspoons baking powder
- *1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- *1 cup organic sugar
- *1 cup plain Greek yogurt I used non-fat because I accidentally purchased it, but I do prefer the full-fat kind
- *1/4 cup organic coconut oil warmed so it’s liquid, if necessary or melted organic butter
- *3 eggs
- *zest from 1 large lemon preferably organic
- *1 cup summer berries preferably organic or at least “no-spray” (I used a combination of raspberries and blackberries)
For the glaze:
- *1/4 cup organic powdered sugar mixed with 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease loaf pan with melted butter or organic coconut oil.
- 2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt until well blended. Add the sugar and whisk again.
- 3. In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt with the coconut oil, and eggs. Add to the dry ingredients and mix all the ingredients until well blended. Mix in the lemon zest, then scatter the berries over the top of the batter and gently fold them in.
- 4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- 5. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then remove the bread from the loaf pan. Using a toothpick, poke holes into the top of the bread, then pour the glaze all over the top.
- 6. Allow to cool completely before slicing the bread.
