In my little world of self-indulgence, everything has to iced, slathered with butter, served with cream or have chocolate on it and I wouldn’t have it any other way! So when I made the feijoa, gingerbread loaf I was very indecisive about icing it, I wanted to…I really really did, with either caramel icing (frosting) or a lemon drizzle. It took me about a day (yes a whole day because that’s how important icing is to me) to decide that there’s beauty in leaving some things ‘simple simon’ and just because I’m a sweet tooth doesn’t mean everyone else is (always thinking of No 1!). Then I realised I can simply make some lil’ baby loaves and ice those instead! So these are the same loaf, but cute mini versions that have a nice, zesty lemon glaze and some crystallised ginger on top.
I love my mini loaf tin, I 100% recommend getting one. Usually, you can make any standard-sized loaf recipe and get 6 mini loaves from it, obviously, they’ll take less time in the oven (I would start inserting a skewer or knife in them around half of the baking time of the recipe).
INGREDIENTS
Loaves
200 g butter
1 cup / 150 g loosely packed, soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons / 60 g of golden syrup
½ cup / 50 g walnut pieces (or halves)
1 cup chopped up feijoas (approx. 5 large)
2/3 cup / 170 ml milk
2 medium-sized eggs (I used size 6’s)
2 cups / 300 g standard flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
Lemon Glaze (Optional)
1 small lemon (you will need ½ teaspoon of the zest & 5 teaspoons of the juice)
½ cup / 75 g icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
2 teaspoons /10 g melted butter
40 g crystallised ginger (¼ cup when chopped)
Makes 6 mini loaves
Notes
- When adding feijoas to loaves, cakes or muffins they are best used when they are just ripe, straight from the tree or recently picked. As they ripen they seem to lose a bit of their sharpness and their flavour can get a little lost in the baking process.
- I like toasting nuts before adding them to my baking as it brings out their nutty flavour and crisps them up nicely so that their ‘crunch’ isn’t lost when they are mixed with wet ingredients and baked but if you are pressed for time don’t worry about toasting the walnuts, it’ll still be tasty!
- I know, for a fact that many people do not like crystallised ginger but if you’d still like to scatter something on top, the same amount of walnuts would be just as nice or of course, you can just leave them as is. 🙂
STEP BY STEP
Loaves
For these, you will need a 6 or 8 hole, ‘mini loaf pan’.
First things first, place the butter, the brown sugar and the golden syrup in a medium-sized saucepan.
Over a low heat, stirring often, melt it all together, being careful not to bring it to a boil as it will get too thick.
Once melted, if it hasn’t combined nicely, give the caramel a good whisking until it is and then leave it aside to cool down.
If you are toasting the walnuts, preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F fan-bake oven or 180°C / 350°F conventional oven, on bake, with a rack situated in the centre of the oven.
Place the walnuts in an ovenproof dish (if you have walnut halves, roughly chop them up into pieces first).
Toast them in the oven for 5 minutes, toss them well and then return them for another 3 – 5 minutes or until they are 2 or 3 shades darker (just not burnt, like I have done too many times to count, lol). 🙂
Then leave them aside to cool down.
After the walnuts are toasted (or if you aren’t using them) turn the oven to 150°C / 300°F fan-bake oven or 170°C / 325°F conventional oven, on bake, with a rack situated just below the centre.
Next, peel the feijoas (or cut them in half and scoop out the insides with a teaspoon) and then…
…roughly chop them up into little pieces.
Next, place the flour, the baking powder, the ground ginger and the salt in a large bowl.
Mix it all together and then set it aside.
Then place the milk and the eggs in a small bowl and…
…whisk them together until they’re nicely combined.
Now, whilst quickly whisking, pour the egg and milk mixture into the ‘caramel’ and keep whisking until it’s blended together nicely.
Now make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour all of the milky, ‘caramel’ mix in.
Stir it in the centre, very quickly, turning the bowl at the same time.
The dry ingredients will gradually fall in from the sides and when it stops falling in by itself, scrape the remainder in with your spoon and then continue stirring until it’s all just combined.
- This is how I mix my ‘wetter’ batters like crepes, pikelets and pancakes to help avoid lumps.
Lastly, add the walnuts and the chopped feijoas and gently fold them in.
All done!
Give the tin a light spray with the cooking spray…
…and evenly divide the batter between 6 of the holes.
Pop it them in the oven and bake them for 30 minutes or until golden brown and/or a skewer or small, sharp knife inserted into the centres comes out clean.
Once done leave them in the tin for at least 10 minutes before…
…gently lifting them out with a knife and placing them on a cooling rack.
Lemon Glaze
Best to make this when the loaves have thoroughly cooled and you are ready to ice them.
If you are using it, roughly chop up the ginger into little pieces.
Then, melt the butter in the microwave and set aside.
Also, zest and juice the lemon.
Place the ½ teaspoon of zest and the 5 teaspoons of juice in a bowl along with the icing sugar and the melted butter.
Mix it all together until it’s as smooth as possible.
Drizzle the glaze over the loaves and place the chopped ginger over the tops before it sets.
Serve with butter to spread. 🙂
Keepin’ em fresh – Keep them in an airtight container, in the pantry for up to 4 days.
Related Posts…
Feijoa & Banana Muffins
Feijoa & toasted walnut gingerbread mini loaves, drizzled with a zesty lemon glaze & topped with crystallised ginger
Ingredients
- 200 g butter
- 1 cup / 150 g loosely packed, soft brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons / 60 g of golden syrup
- ½ cup / 50 g walnut pieces (or halves)
- 1 cup chopped up feijoas (approx. 5 large)
- 2/3 cup / 170 ml milk
- 2 medium-sized eggs (I used size 6's)
- 2 cups / 300 g standard flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 small lemon (you will need ½ teaspoon of the zest & 5 teaspoons of the juice)
- ½ cup / 75 g icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
- 2 teaspoons /10 g melted butter
- 40 g crystallised ginger (¼ cup when chopped)
Instructions
- For these, you will need a 6 or 8 hole, 'mini loaf pan'.
- Place the butter, the brown sugar and the golden syrup in a medium-sized saucepan and over a low heat, stirring often, melt it all together (being careful not to bring it to a boil as it will get too thick).
- Once melted, if it hasn't combined nicely, give the caramel a good whisking until it is and then leave it aside to cool down.
- If you are toasting the walnuts, preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F fan-bake oven or 180°C / 350°F conventional oven, on bake, with a rack situated in the centre of the oven.
- Place the walnuts in an ovenproof dish (if you have walnut halves, roughly chop them up into pieces first).
- Toast them in the oven for 5 minutes, toss them well and then return them for another 3 - 5 minutes or until they are 2 or 3 shades darker. Leave them to cool down.
- After the walnuts are toasted (or if you aren't using them) turn the oven to 150°C / 300°F fan-bake oven or 170°C / 325°F conventional oven, on bake, with a rack situated just below the centre of the oven.
- Peel the feijoas (or cut them in half and scoop out the insides with a teaspoon) and then roughly chop them up into little pieces.
- Place the flour, the baking powder, the ground ginger and the salt in a large bowl, mix it all together and then set it aside.
- Place the milk and the eggs in a small bowl and whisk them together until they're nicely combined.
- Whilst quickly whisking, pour the egg and milk mixture into the 'caramel' and keep whisking until it's blended together nicely.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour all of the milky, 'caramel' mix in.
- Stir it in the centre, very quickly, turning the bowl at the same time. *The dry ingredients will gradually fall in from the sides and when it stops falling in by itself, scrape the remainder in with your spoon and then continue stirring until it's all just combined.
- Add the walnuts and the chopped feijoas and gently fold them in.
- Give the tin a light spray with the cooking spray and evenly divide the batter between 6 of the holes.
- Bake them for 30 minutes or until golden brown all over and/or or a skewer or small, sharp knife inserted into the centres comes out clean.
- Once done leave them in the tin for at least 10 minutes before gently lifting them out with a knife and placing them on a cooling rack.
- Wait until the loaves have thoroughly cooled before making the lemon glaze.
- If you are using it, roughly chop up the ginger into little pieces.
- Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside.
- Zest and juice the lemon and place the ½ teaspoon of zest and the 5 teaspoons of juice in a bowl along with the icing sugar and the melted butter. Mix it all together until it's as smooth as possible.
- Drizzle the glaze over the loaves and place the chopped ginger over the tops before it sets.
- Serve with butter to spread.
- Keep them in an airtight container, in the pantry for up to 4 days.
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