Category: Other Recipes

How to Make Raspberry Crumble Loaf Cake with Lemon Drizzle

Posted on by craig

While this pre-garden period drags on where there is no outdoor stuff to do, I continue to explore indoor projects. One of our goals every year is to use up what we have stocked away by the time we start stocking away new stuff from this year’s harvest. I’ve been eyeing a bag of raspberries I froze from last year that’s looking for an excuse to be eaten.

Fresh raspberries

My bestie and I often hop on Zoom calls and tackle food projects together, so to use up my raspberries, we whipped up a raspberry crumble loaf cake with lemon drizzle. It’s not too sweet, has a bit of tartness from the raspberries, a sweet crumble topping, and a light lemon drizzle. It pairs perfectly with coffee or tea to make a nice afternoon snack.

The recipes I was looking at as inspiration all called for heavy kitchen appliances—a stand mixer with special attachments, a food processor—but this recipe here can all be done by hand without much effort. If you prefer to use a stand mixer and/or food processor, I’ll include those instructions as well, so you can adapt your method to what tools you’d like to use or not use.

A slice of raspberry crumble loaf cake with lemon drizzle waiting to be eaten

How to make raspberry crumble loaf cake with lemon drizzle

This batter comes together pretty quickly and you’ll soon have this in the oven. While you could certainly eat a warm slice when it’s fresh out of the oven, I’ve found it tastes better once it’s been refrigerated and is nice and chilled. Regardless of how you eat it, let’s learn how to make it!

Step one: Make the crumb topping

Add 90 grams of flour (or 3/4 cup), 66 grams of sugar (or 1/3 cup), and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a bowl. With a whisk or fork, give it a quick stir to fully mix the ingredients. I find baking projects work best with the flour and sugar weighed, so if you have a scale I recommend pulling it out, but if you prefer to use the volume measurements, that’s fine too!

Add five tablespoons of cold unsalted butter, cut into small slices or cubes. With a pastry cutter, potato masher, or fork, combine ingredients until you get a crumbly sand-like mixture. I’ve found that it looks like it’s not working and it’s just clumping together, but as I keep going at it with the pastry cutter, it’ll suddenly turn and all come together to the desired consistency.

Crumble topping fully mixed and with a sand-like texture

If you prefer to use a big Kitchenaid-style mixer, you can put all of this in the mixing bowl, use the paddle attachment and sit it to mix on low until you reach the desired consistency. Alternatively, if you have a large food processor, you could pulse the whole thing in there until the consistency is reached.

Put the crumb topping aside until needed.

Step two: Make the batter

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl—180 grams (1 1/2 cup) flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Give it a quick stir with a whisk or fork to combine ingredients.

In a separate, larger bowl, combine wet ingredients—1/4 cup vegetable oil, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 large eggs, 3/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt (I used Greek yogurt), and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Give this a good mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine ingredients.

If you want to use a Kitchenaid-style mixer, combine all the wet ingredients in the mixer’s bowl and use the whisk attachment until well-blended. If you’re using a mixer, remove the bowl from the mixer for the remaining steps.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined and most lumps have disappeared. Be careful not to over-mix it.

Step three: Assemble the cake

Pour the batter into the greased/sprayed loaf pan.

Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of frozen or fresh raspberries on top. Gently press the raspberries down so they embed in the batter, but do not submerge them. The end result will be cake with a layer of raspberries.

Using clean hands, pick up handfuls of crumb mixture and distribute them evenly over the cake, gently squeezing as you do so to create larger crumbs for a variety of textures and sizes.

Fully assembled raspberry crumble loaf cake ready for the oven

Step four: Bake the cake

Bake the cake for 55-65 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if it’s done; a toothpick should be inserted in the centre and removed and there should be no wet batter on the toothpick. The raspberries may get in the way and make it difficult to do an accurate test, so you may want to move some raspberries aside with the gentle help of a butterknife.

Let the cake cool. When cool, remove from pan and transfer to a plate or serving dish.

Raspberry crumble loaf cake fresh out of the oven

Step five: Make the lemon drizzle

In a cup or small bowl, add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tablespoon of milk (milk alternatives work fine, I used almond milk), and 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice. Give it a stir with a teaspoon and it’ll soon come together to make a runny whiteish drizzle. If you feel it’s too thick, you could add a tiny splash of lemon juice or milk (like 1/8 of a teaspoon) to thin it out a bit.

Then, scooping it up with a spoon, drizzle it over the cake.

Raspberry crumble loaf cake with lemon drizzle

Step six: Enjoy!

You can slice into the cake at any time, but I do find it tastes better once it’s been in the fridge for a while and is nicely chilled. To keep it from going dry after slicing into it, put it in an airtight container or cover it with plastic wrap (you can put toothpicks in the cake to prevent the wrap from coming in contact with the cake). It’s best to consume within a few days, but good luck letting it last that long!

A slice of raspberry crumble loaf cake with lemon drizzle waiting to be eaten

Raspberry Crumble Loaf Cake with Lemon Drizzle

5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

Crumb Topping

  • 90 grams Flour (about ¾ cup)
  • 66 grams Sugar (about ⅓ cup)
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • 5 Tbsp Butter, cold and cut into small cubes

Cake

  • 180 grams Flour (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp Baking Soda
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
  • ¾ cup Sugar
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • ¾ cup Plain Unsweetened Yogurt (can use Greek yogurt)
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 ½ cups Raspberries, fresh or frozen

Lemon Drizzle

  • ½ cup Powdered Sugar
  • Pinch Salt
  • ½ Tbsp Milk or Milk Alternative
  • ½ Tbsp Lemon Juice

Instructions
 

Make the Crumb Topping

  • In a bowl, combine all crumb ingredients. With a pastry cutter, blend the ingredients until they come together and form a sand-like texture. Alternatively, you can do this in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a food processor.

Make the Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350℉ and spray a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
  • Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a bowl and mix with a wire whisk or fork until evenly blended.
  • In a separate, larger bowl, add oil, sugar, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Mix using a whisk, spatula, or spoon until evenly blended.
  • Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl. Mix until lumps have mostly disappeared, being careful not to over-mix (so do this manually rather than with a mixer).
  • Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle raspberries on top and gently press them partway into the batter.
  • Sprinkle crumb topping on top, gently squeezing fingers while doing so to create larger crumbs.
  • Bake for 55-65 minutes. When done, test with a toothpick—when inserted into the cake, it should come out clean and free of batter. If the raspberries are in the way and making it difficult, gently move some aside with a butterknife and try again.
  • When baked, allow to cool. Transfer to a wire rack when safe to do so.

Make the Lemon Drizzle

  • Combine all drizzle ingredients in a small bowl or cup and stir until thoroughly mixed. Using a spoonful at a time, drizzle over the cake.
Keyword loaf cake, raspberry cake

How to Make Tofu From Black Beans

Posted on by craig

We’ve been having slightly warmer than usual weather lately and it has me already dreaming of our upcoming garden. But, despite this warm spell, the start of garden season is still a ways away, and harvest season is even further away. Plus, we still have a lot of last year’s harvest to work our way through.

My project this last month has been to do stuff with the dried beans. A few weeks ago I canned up some of our black beans so I have fully-cooked beans ready at a moment’s notice for dinners.

With that out of the way, I turned to a fun bean-related project—making tofu from black beans.

Black bean tofu chopped into cubes

Burmese tofu

Tofu as most people traditionally know it is made from soy beans in a process that is not easy to replicate at home. Burmese tofu, on the other hand, is slightly different and can easily be made at home with no special equipment other than a blender or food processor.

Burmese tofu is typically made from ground yellow split peas or chickpeas, but the process works with pretty much any type of bean or lentil.

Burmese tofu is much softer than soy tofu. So when you’re including it in your meal, you have to be extremely gentle with it when frying it because it will fall apart. This softness also excludes any recipe that involves pressing tofu or treating it with anything other than gentleness. This is something I’ve struggled with, but I’ve discovered a hack with the air fryer for perfectly cooked Burmese tofu that makes it crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside, which I’ll share at the end of the post.

How to make black bean tofu

Like most bean recipes, this is a two day process, requiring soaking the beans the night before and using them the next day.

Step one: Soak the black beans

I find for our two-person household, 100 grams of black beans makes enough tofu for us, leaving no leftovers. I’ve found that leftover Burmese tofu, even if used the next day, isn’t always so great, so I’ve taken to only making what I need.

If you’re cooking for three to four people, you’ll want to go with 200 grams of black beans.

Black beans soaking in water overnight

Put the beans in a large pot or jar and cover with plenty of water, submerging the beans by at least several inches. Let sit at room temperature overnight.

Step two (the next day): Make a bean slurry

Drain and rinse the beans, then throw them in a food processor or blender and and pulse them until they’re roughly chopped.

Black beans in blender

If, like me, you went with 100 grams of beans, add in 250 ml (one cup) of water. If you went with the full recipe of 200 grams, use 500 ml (two cups) of water.

With the blender or food processor, puree the mixture until you have what resembles a bean slurry, or looks like a watery Oreo milkshake.

Bean slurry of pureed beans and water. It's white with black flecks, resembling an Oreo milkshake.

Step three: Strain the slurry

Using a wire mesh sieve over a pot, strain the slurry. You’ll want to press the slurry with the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula to get all of the liquid out. (It’s the liquid you want, so make sure you get as much out as you can.) I often find that even when it looks like I’ve gotten everything out, if I stir it vigorously with my spatula, inevitably more liquid will come out.

Liquids strained from the black bean slurry

The solids left in your sieve can either be composted or saved to add to a soup or stew for extra protein. There are many potential uses beyond soups and stews, but keep in mind that beans must be cooked before eating and these remnants have not been cooked, so ensure you cook them for however you use them.

Step four: Thicken the liquid

Add a little bit of salt, and then over medium heat and stirring constantly with a whisk, bring the mixture to a gentle boil and simmer. As it cooks and as you whisk, it will soon become very thick, almost paste-like. This should take about a minute.

Thickened black bean slurry that looks paste-like in consistency

Step five: Pour into mould and let it set

Once thickened, remove from heat and immediately pour into a mould of some sort. I use a small square glass container. When I used to make full-sized batches I used to use bread pans. Do not grease the pan or dish; the tofu will not stick to it.

Freshly-poured black bean slurry that will solidify into tofu

Leave it alone for at least an hour for the tofu to cool and set.

Black bean tofu that has set and hardened

Step six: Enjoy your black bean tofu! (Here’s the air fryer tip!)

Once fully set, you can cut up the tofu and cook it however you’d like.

Black bean tofu

It’s common to roll the tofu in cornstarch or rice flour and then gently fry them.

Like I said above, I have difficulty with that and they often fall apart. I found, though, that using an air fryer removes my hands from the process and thus they don’t fall apart!

Cubes of black bean tofu

Starting with the same process of rolling them in cornstarch or rice flour, put them into the air fryer basket. I sometimes give them a few spritzes of a cooking spray so they get extra crispy. With the air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, cook the tofu for five minutes at a time until cooked and crispy on the outside, shaking the basket at each five minute interval.

Black bean tofu in the air fryer

To serve, I typically layer noodles, then stir-fried vegetables, then tofu, then sauce. With my most recent tofu dinner, I used a simple teriyaki sauce, but I often make this ginger peanut sauce—both are great!

Black Bean Tofu

Easy to make, nutritious, vegan, and tasty, this black bean tofu is an all-around winner!
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 5 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour
Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Equipment

  • Blender or Food Processor
  • Container or Small Baking Dish (This will serve as the mould for the tofu to set in.)

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g Black Beans
  • 2 cups Water
  • ½ tsp Salt

Instructions
 

  • The night before, place black beans in a bowl or pot and cover with plenty of fresh water, submerging them by at least a few inches. Let sit overnight.
  • The next day, drain and rinse the beans.
  • Put beans in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times to break them up.
  • Add water to the beans in the blender and puree until a liquid slurry forms.
  • Strain mixture through a mesh sieve, collecting liquid in a pot. Press beans with the back of a spoon or a spatula and/or mix vigorously in the sieve to ensure as much liquid drains as possible. Bean solids left in the strainer can be composted or reserved for other uses.
  • Add salt to liquid. Heat liquid over stove, bringing to a gentle boil and stirring constantly to ensure slurry stays nicely mixed and does not burn. After about a minute of cooking, the liquid should become very thick and paste-like.
  • Pour slurry into a mould, which can be a container or small baking dish.
  • Let rest for at least an hour. The slurry will cool and solidify into tofu.
  • Once fully set, remove from mould and use as desired. (See notes below.)

Notes

I find the texture isn’t as desirable the next day, so I recommend only making what you need and using it all. I usually halve this recipe for the two of us, but if you’re cooking for three or four people this full recipe would be ideal.
Black bean tofu is a form of Burmese tofu, which is very soft and must be handled very gently. General practice is to roll it in cornstarch or rice flour and then fry it. This can also be done in the air fryer—I usually give the cornstarch-covered cubes a few spritzes of spray oil and then air fry at 400 in fie minute intervals, shaking each time, until crispy on the outside.
Keyword Black Beans, how to make tofu from black beans, tofu