In the first few weeks they would bring home their lunchboxes and inside I would find a mangled mandarin. In their haste to enjoy its deliciousness the peel had been taken off just enough so they could pull most of those juicy segments out of the wreckage.
And who could blame them? Mandarins are lush and I have a recipe that will make you sprint to the kitchen and bake, right now! So here's my Almond and Mandarin Loaf:
Let's establish one small detail, when I share a recipe with "almonds" in the title you know this is a personal favorite of mine and I cook it a lot. I mean a real lot, like lots and lots :)
This Almond and Mandarin Loaf is perfect for the spring days that are coming our way. Its light, its not too sweet and the combination of almond, cinnamon and those juicy mandarins is divine!
I use Greek yoghurt in this loaf because it cuts through the sweetness allowing you to add your own with a light dusting of icing sugar and serving it with some whipped cream.
I always keep a can of mandarin segments in the pantry ready to bake this loaf. It works perfectly fine with fresh mandarins but some people are not fans of the bitter tasting pith or those stringy bits you get when you peel one, and you have to admit the canned ones look much nicer for presentation don't they? :)
I have made it using fresh mandarins but I prefer to leave them in the fruit bowl for snack times and use the tin ones for this loaf instead. Give them a try though.
Once your loaf batter is mixed its just a matter of folding in some roughly chopped mandarin segments, and play around with the quantities on this one. I like a lot of cake between my fruit so I find a 310g can is enough. If you like lots of fruit add more, go crazy. No one will mind! Just be careful as you don't want a squishy loaf and sometimes just a delicate hint of flavour is more than enough :)
It makes a generous sized loaf which I love. Its so satisfying to see a loaf rise well above the tin, knowing you can cut nice big slices to share with family and friends.
The loaf contains a mix of almond meal and flour, and I like to sprinkle some slivered almonds on top before baking to give it that nice nutty crunch and more of that gorgeous almond flavour.
If you would like to make your own Almond and Mandarin Loaf, you can download my recipe by clicking the link or right click on the picture below and save to your computer for later.
Happy baking :)
Rose, This looks and sounds delicious. Going to have to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteThank you Rose for another great recipe. Guida
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