July 15, 2018

(Updated Feb 24, 2021)

Strawberry Lemon Red Currant Loaf (Vegan)

Name: Strawberry Lemon Red Currant Loaf
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 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)); 1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar; 2-3 tablespoons almond milk; Juice of 1/2 lemon

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This Strawberry Lemon Red Currant Loaf is a zingy, fresh and flavorful cake that's perfect for summer Lemony and bright, light and tender yet buttery.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins

5 from 3 votes

Strawberry Lemon Red Currant Loaf (Vegan)

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!