Kiwi Matcha Lime Tea Cake

I remember when kiwi fruit first started showing up in the market and were a real novelty. It's funny to think they were originally named for their brown exterior, because I now think of kiwi as the vibrant green color of the fruit inside. Back in the 80's they seemed to appear exclusively in fruit tarts, providing a bright color contrast. Kiwi fruit is in season at the moment and thanks to a surplus, I've been experimenting. It turns out, they are surprisingly versatile and can take the starring role in many recipes.

There are two kinds of kiwi fruit commonly available and they are different both in look and taste. The green variety is tangy and has a citrus like flavor. The yellow version is a little more elongated and tastes sweeter with tropical notes. Technically both are berries, refreshing and juicy with a little crunch of seeds. They are full of vitamins and good both raw or in recipes. One kiwi has more than 100% recommended daily allowance of vitamin C and contains potassium, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E and is low in carbohydrates.

Because of the tangy flavor, kiwi is great in salsa, vinaigrettes and frozen in popsicles or sorbet. I made a terrific guacamole last week with some kiwi fruit and avocados, but ate it before I could snap a picture. I think you can use them almost anywhere you might use a fresh slice of tomato.

If you have too much kiwi and it starts to get soft, use it in this pretty green cake. It's a quick bread in the style of banana bread. It's tangy and moist, not too sweet, and great with a cup of tea. The matcha and lime just complement the kiwi but are not dominant flavors. You could leave out the matcha if you want, but if you are interested in finding ways to use matcha in baking, this is a good one. More great ideas and information about kiwi fruit are available on the Zespri site.

Kiwi Matcha Lime Tea Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons matcha powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, (1 stick) softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup peeled mashed very ripe kiwi fruit, green, yellow or combination
Zest of one lime


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 5 loaf pan, preferably non-stick. 
Whisk together flour, baking powder baking soda, matcha powder and salt and set aside.


In a large bowl cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time to creamed mixture and thoroughly combine. Stir in mashed kiwi fruit and lime zest. Fold in dry ingredients, stirring until batter is completely moistened. Spoon batter into pan and bake for one hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes on wire rack. Remove from pan and continue cooling on rack.

Enjoy!

Healthy Banana Bread: Recipe

In my continuing effort to eat more whole grains, I have been using King Arthur's organic white whole wheat flour. Let me just say right off the bat, this stuff is amazing! It has a milder flavor and lighter more delicate texture than traditional whole wheat flour which makes it it terrific for baking. It's milled from high protein, hard white spring flour.

King Arthur Flour suggests you replace 1/3 all purpose flour with white whole wheat in your baking, but I've found in most quick breads and cookies I can replace half the all purpose flour with white whole wheat and barely notice a difference in taste or texture of the finished baked goods. I wouldn't use it for something super delicate, like a pie crust or angel food cake, but experiment for yourself.

I was looking for a recipe for a cake made with fresh guava, and read that you can actually substitute guava for banana in banana bread. I've now tried this bread with guavas and with a combination of guavas and bananas, and I've tried it using half white whole wheat flour. It is very low in fat and fairly low in sugar as well. It's not an oily greasy style banana bread. It's good fresh out of the oven, and toasted the next day and spread with cream cheese. If you happen to have fresh guavas around, this is a great way to use them.

King Arthur white whole wheat is available in organic or conventional varieties in a 2 pound or more convenient 5 pound bag. Look for it in stores before ordering it online.

Healthy Banana (or Guava) Bread
1 loaf

2 cups flour (I use 1 cup white whole wheat, 1 cup all purpose)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup mashed very ripe banana (or peeled and mashed fresh guava or combination)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then add the egg and fruit, mix well with a wooden spoon. Scrape batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer plunged into the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!