Sunday Paper Dinner Table: Lemon Raspberry Loaf

The Sunday Paper Dinner Table: At The Sunday Paper, we believe in the power of meaningful conversations around the table as a foundation in building a more caring, kinder and compassionate world.  We want to inspire you and encourage you to gather virtually at your tables, open your hearts, and open your minds each and every week with the help of our Meaningful Conversation Starter and suggested recipe. Then report back to us and tell us about the experience. Cheers!

Meaningful Conversation Starter

What fuels your fire and makes you feel invincible? How can I help you to have more of that in your life?

We love loaves! Versatile and simple to prepare, this one is extra special because it tastes like summer and also happens to be vegan. If you’ve had our vegan and gluten-free treats before, you’ll know that we only release those recipes when they taste as perfect as all of our dairy- and wheat-laden pastries. This one passed the test with flying colors. Studded with raspberries and poppy seeds and topped with a tangy glaze, this citrusy quick bread will be your new favorite Ovenly treat, vegan or not.

Raspberry Lemon Loaf

Ingredients:

Loaf:

• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil (plus more for greasing the loaf pan)
• 1 cup sugar
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2¼ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
• ⅔ cup plain almond milk
• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (if using fresh raspberries, freeze for at least 30 minutes before using)

Raspberry Glaze

• 4 raspberries (fresh or thawed)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with canola oil. Using a piece of parchment paper that is the length of the loaf pan and about three times its width, press in the parchment so that there is overhang on the two long sides. Lightly grease the parchment with canola oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the canola oil and sugar until well blended. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract and whisk to emulsify until light and fluffy.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together 2¼ cups of the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds.

Add half of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until just combined. Then add all of the almond milk and mix until fully incorporated. The mixture will be wet.

Add the other half of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

In a small bowl, gently mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour with the raspberries to coat.

Gently fold 1 cup of raspberries into the wet ingredients until just coated. Move slowly in this step to keep the raspberries intact.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 75 to 80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. The top of the loaf will be a light golden-brown color when done. Place on a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

While the loaf is baking, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, use a small rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to smash the 4 raspberries down to create a puree.

Add the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar to the raspberries. Whisk until the mixture becomes smooth and is bright pink in color. The consistency should be thick (similar to cake batter) and spreadable, but not hard.

If needed, add more confectioners’ sugar, one tablespoon at a time, to reach desired consistency.

Using a small offset spatula (or butter knife), place a few large dollops of the Raspberry Lemon Glaze over the top of the loaf and smooth over in a back-and-forth motion from the center to the outer edges to cover entire loaf.