Nowadays, I spend 9 months of the year eating gorging on apples and bananas, so you better believe I make every effort to enjoy all the summer fruit possible, even if that means spending $800 on berries. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But not really. Locally grown berries and fruits are mad expensive. I get why and I’m not complaining (well, I sort of am, but you know what I mean).
Given this obsession, I recently found myself with a large surplus of berries, and that’s how this loaf was born. Literally, I had 10 baskets of various berries in my fridge, and my partner imposed a berry blockade until I could finish half of them. I made popsicles out of some of the berries, and then I decided I’d bake a cake. But since it was hot and sweaty out, I wanted to keep it light and summery.
I decided on strawberries and red currants because I thought it would make a pretty loaf with dotted red jewels. As you can see, I was right.
If you can’t find red currants (unfortunately these beautiful gems are not so common), feel free to use raspberries or another small berry instead, or just use more strawberries. The lemon zest and generous amount of lemon juice in this recipe give the cake a nice zing and freshness, so be sure not to skimp on these ingredients.
I received a few questions on Instagram asking whether this loaf could be made with gluten-free flour. I haven’t tried this specific recipe with gluten-free flour, but I have tried a few similar loaves with gluten-free flour. I like a 50:50 mix with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend and a superfine almond flour.
With regards to the other ingredients, if you prefer not to use vegan butter and want something less processed, you can use coconut oil. If you don’t want a coconut-y taste, use a refined coconut oil instead of a virgin coconut oil.
And for the coconut yogurt and sour cream, I like the combination of both – the sour cream adds a slight tang, the coconut yogurt adds a little lightness, but you can definitely use just 1/2 cup sour cream or 1/2 cup vegan yogurt instead of half and half.
Those are all the tips I have for this loaf, so go get to baking!
Strawberry Lemon Red Currant Loaf
Ingredients
Strawberry Lemon Red Currant Loaf
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk + 2 teaspoons lemon juice (use soy milk for nut-free)
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
- 1/4 cup coconut yogurt or other non-dairy yogurt
- 1/4 cup vegan sour cream
- 2/3 cup organic sugar
- 1 medium lemon, zested
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and cut into small slices
- 1/2 cup red currants, removed from stalks
- Sugar Glaze (optional, recipe below)
Sugar Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons almond milk
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
Strawberry Lemon Red Currant Loaf
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a 8×4 loaf pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Mix together the almond milk and lemon juice and stir. Set aside for 5 minutes to curdle.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
- In a large bowl, add the melted vegan butter, yogurt, sour cream, sugar, lemon zest, almond milk mixture, vanilla and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk until the sugar is well combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
- Spoon a third of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and scatter over a third of the strawberries and red currants. Repeat with another layer of batter and berries two more times, ending with a layer of berries.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick from the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before lifting loaf from the pan. Cool on a wire rack and then drizzle with the Sugar Glaze, if desired.
Sugar Glaze
- Pour the powdered sugar into a bowl. Gradually add the almond milk and lemon juice and whisk together until you achieve your desired consistency. Add more liquid for a thinner glaze.
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Hello!
I am converting the ingredients to grams and I have a question about the strawberries? 1 cup is meant to be meausured whole or sliced? Because it gives me two different numbers. Thank you! :)
Hi Denise, measure the strawberries once they’ve been hulled and cut into small slices! Enjoy!
I love your web site but this Strawberry loaf has a gazillion calories. It might be vegan but it’s not healthy with the flour, sugar, sour creme and conf sugar. I’m sure it’s delish but this has a ton of calories. Why don’t you post the nutritional values for this recipe??? Most vegan sites don’t put nutritional values on their web site. I totally understand why. And I know your answer about this lifestyle and not counting calories. I’m 66 and I count calories. Won’t come back to your web site because of a lack of nutritional values being listed. Sorry.
“Truly FIRE!” That was the overall consensus in my house! Everything balanced perfectly together. Perfect recipes for strawberry season!
HeyyI tried it with raspberries and other berries it was AMAZINNGGGLYY goodI topped it with homemade coconut butter 😋😋😋Thanks!!A vegan frenchie
Aww yay that’s so nice to hear! Topping it with homemade coconut butter sounds AMAZING. Hope you’re doing well and staying safe!
looks so beautiful 😍😍
I have to try, thx for the recipe 🤗
Thank you so much, Rita! I hope you enjoy it :)
Yum, that really sounds so good! Will go on my list 😍
Yay, glad to hear! Thanks love!
Hi! Can I use silken tofu to replace the sour cream? Thank you!
Hi Georgina. I haven’t tried that, so I can’t be certain, but it should be a good substitute, as the texture is quite similar. Just be sure to blend up the silken tofu before adding it to the liquid ingredients so you don’t have any clumps. Another option is an yogurt of your choice :)
Beautiful loaf!! Any idea what I can use instead of sour cream? No chance I’ll find some any in my supermarket
Hi Janina! Thank you for stopping by. A plant-based yogurt of any kind will work just fine! Hope you enjoy it :)
What a magical loaf! I love those jewel berries too! So beautiful and elegant. I can’t wait to try this if I can find some red currants.
Aww thank you so much for your kind comment, Cindy! Hope you find those red jewels :)
I always love the way your loaves turn out…gorgeous, perfect texture, as well as unique & delicious combination of flavors! The red currants are a fabulous addition. You gotta snag those babies when you see them!
You are too kind! Thank you for flattering me haha :) Yes, I just bought more today because I fear they will be out of season soon!
Such a beautiful loaf.. so true the red currants look like Jewels.. wonderful recipe I am going and baking a lemon blueberry loaf right now.
Hi Priti! You are so sweet. Thank you! Lemon blueberry is one of my favorite baking combos, I bet it was insanely delicious!