Leili and I are big tea drinkers. Unlike coffee, teatime can happen anytime for me. Tea is an underrated beverage – it has the unique qualities to awaken and soothe one’s spirits. Needless to say, tea is my main squeeze.
When I am relaxing with an inviting cup of tea, I like a sweet snack to accompany the experience. So I thought I would take a hack at this afternoon-snack-baking scenario and I’m pretty proud of the results.
I always find the marriage of raspberries and lemons to be quite pleasing. They’re both tart but never overstep each other – they always compliment each other. These mini loaves bring me one step closer to spring.
I’ve recently discovered my obsession with Meyer lemons. They are less aggressive in tartness and have a faint floral note. As for the raspberries, you can substitute with blueberries since they do hold up better in heat. If you do try them with blueberries, let me know how it goes.
However, the raspberry-lemon combination is incomparable and the walnuts add some wonderful crunch to this spring inspired recipe. Get your mugs and oven ready.
Raspberry Meyer Lemon Loaf
By W.
Makes 3 mini loaves
Inspired by Simply Recipes
2 cups raspberries
¾ cup maple syrup
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Meyer lemons, zested and juiced
½ cup chopped walnuts
1½ cup all purpose flour
4 oz. melted butter
1 egg
½ cup whole milk (or milk of your choice)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare the bread pans by buttering them.
Prepare a small bowl with flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk gently to break up the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, combine the melted butter with maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla sugar. Mix thoroughly. Next, add milk and lemon juice. When everything is combined, add the egg and repeat. Everything may look a little lumpy but that’s okay.
Pour the flour mixture into the large bowl. Gently fold everything together until a wet batter is formed. Finally, add raspberries, lemon zest, and walnuts into the bowl. Gently fold again until everything is evenly distributed.
Transfer the batter into three mini bread pans. Allow at least ½” room on top for the loaves to rise. Garnish with additional raspberries if desired. However, I did this and they just sunk into the loaves. I’m still getting over it.
Let them bake for 45-50 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when you stick a fork or toothpick in and it comes out clean.
Once they’re out of the oven, let them cool for at least 30 minutes.
One the loaves have completely cooled, you can wrap them up and store them in the fridge for up to two weeks.
