Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Keik me Fraoules kai Karydia--Strawberry Walnut Loaf

Strawberry season is on and our local fruit and vegetable markets are brimming with containers of these ripe red berries. The kiddies can eat an entire quart in the blink of an eye so I barely ever get to set some aside for anything (or, ehem, anyone) else. But as strawberries now are ridiculously fresh and really inexpensive, I didn't hesitate to buy a few extra the other day.

I love quick fresh cakes that double as a breakfast option and a healthy snack. So it was a no-brainer that any extra strawberries on hand would make it into one such sweet treat. Moist, just sweet enough and loaded with fresh strawberries this Strawberry and Walnut Loaf is the perfect way to put your strawberries to good use.

As Happy Cook of My Kitchen Treasures is hosting the event Strawberry Feast, I am sending this her way.



Strawberry Walnut Loaf

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.

Stir in half of the flour mixture, then all the yogurt and finally the remaining flour. Mix in the sliced strawberries and walnuts until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in center of oven for about 40 minutes, until golden or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack.

Note: To dress this simple treat up, drizzle a simple glaze over top or serve with freshly whipped cream.

17 comments:

Thistlemoon said...

That looks great! I love the strips of strawberry peeking out of the bread! Also love the use of Greek yogurt!

Janet @Gourmet Traveller88 said...

I just have a pack of fresh strawberry in the fridge, very tempting to make one myself : ) I am trying to eat light at the moment ....

Peter G | Souvlaki For The Soul said...

This is really delightful and fuss free Maria! Thanks for the recipe, will def bookmark to try! (I love quick cakes/breads).

elly said...

This looks so great, Maria! The bread looks so moist, and like it has a great buttery crumb. Mmm.

Finla said...

Love this cake, looks really moist and yummy. Love the walnuts in them too and thankyou for sending this to my event.

Navita (Gupta) Hakim said...

wow Maria...the loaf looks like it will make a great breakfast, lunch n dinner too , in my case. :)

Thanks for the lovely comments on my blog:)

Hopie said...

That looks delicious and perfect for the season! I'd love a slice for breakfast or afternoon tea :-)

Maria Verivaki said...

i love strawberries - never had them inside a cake, but i guess there is always a first time!

good on you with the garden - keep persevering, this is how we managed to get ours the way we wanted it. it is hard work, but at least you know what you are eating!

♥Rosie♥ said...

A beautiful entry to Happy cooks event Maria! I just love the combos of flavours going on here with the strawberries and nuts.

Betty's Cuisine said...

This looks great for breakfast or for our coffee afternoons with friends! I love both strawberries and walnuts!

gastroanthropologist said...

Absolutely love this recipe - the greek yogurt, strawberries, and walnuts - yum. Here in England strawberries are just starting to appear in the markets and I have some fresh walnuts I brought back from California...

Anonymous said...

Wonderful recipe - sounds outstanding with strawberries and walnuts!

tobias cooks! said...

looks delicious. will try that, now that we have so many strawberries.

Peter M said...

Maria, yogurt has this magic of making baked goods so moist...I can see it here too.

Strawberries are in season in Greece - very timely and taste "keiki".

Ivy said...

I love Greek yoghurt in cakes, it makes it so creamy. I've never made a strawberry cake before but I like how it looks in the cake.

Teresa Cordero Cordell said...

Maria, I love this recipe. We enjoy strawberry season, making as many recipes as we can..even strawberry margaritas. So, I'm going to add this one to my list. It looks to good to pass up.

Anonymous said...

This looks really delicious! I'm glad you were able to rescue some berries from the kids!