Blackberry & Fennel Loaf with Berry Icing
This loaf is quite fabulous with pops of deep-flavoured blackberries and a subtle hint of fennel humming in the background. If you don’t have fennel seeds (now you know how easy they are to harvest) leave them out, or if you happen to have ground fennel use that. I am not a big fan of purchasing pre-ground spices as they lose their flavour over time. To grind a small amount of whole spice I use a mortar and pestle, or for larger quantities of spices I use often such as cumin or coriander, I use a coffee grinder that I reserve specifically for grinding spices.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (125ml) olive oil (or use 125g melted butter)
- ⅔ cup (180ml) natural yoghurt
- ⅓ cup (70g) sugar or ¼ cup honey
- 2 free-range eggs
- zest of half a lemon, about 2 tsp
- ½ tsp fennel seeds (see above), finely ground in a mortar and pestle
- 1 ½ cups (220g) plain flour (can use spelt or gluten-free flour mix)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup (about 120g) fresh or frozen (not thawed) blackberries
Blackberry Icing:
- ¼ cup blackberries (thawed if frozen)
- 1 tbsp natural yoghurt
- 100 g (about 4 rounded tbsp) cream cheese
- 2-3 tbsp icing sugar
- Fresh blackberries to decorate (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan 160ºC). Grease a 10cm x 20cm loaf tin (can also use a 20cm round cake tin) and line it with baking paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the oil (or melted butter), yoghurt, sugar/honey, eggs, lemon zest and ground fennel seeds. Use a whisk to mix well.
- In a separate (larger) mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Toss the blackberries in the flour mix to lightly coat (this will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf while cooking). Make a well and add the wet mixture. Use a spatula to fold until just combined - don’t over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack.
- Once the loaf is cool, make the icing. Place the blackberries in a sieve and use the back of a spoon to press out the juice and discard any seeds. Add the yoghurt, cream cheese, and icing sugar to taste. Mixing until smooth. Spread the icing over the top of the loaf and decorate with fresh blackberries if using. The icing will firm up over a few hours or it can be eaten straight away, slicing to serve.
- The loaf can be stored in a sealed container for up to 3 days.