Liebesbotschaft International: Strawberry cinnamon bread + California playlist

Even if the days in California are very relaxed, we have arrived at a kind of routine by now.

A very nice one, mind you:

Apart from the daily surfing, we also go to the farmers’ market every Wednesday, I am out and about in San Francisco with the children every Thursday to discover a new part of town each time (I decided to do so right at the beginning in order to confront any queasy “I don’t know my way around in the big city, will get lost and will never find my way back home” feeling. And it worked perfectly, by the way.), I pay a visit to the local flea market on Fridays and we go to the movies on weekends.

You have to admit: a very tight schedule!

In addition to that I am on the beach every day, which is only a few steps away from our house and most of the times quite void of people:

It is a true luxury and so beautiful that it sometimes seems almost unreal to me.

In the meantime I have also learned to handle the (prehistoric) gas stove in our kitchen, and bought an electric mixer and baking tins at the flea market today and baked a juicy and airy cinnamon bread with strawberries and almond crumbs this very afternoon.

It is a kind of cake, not quite so sweet and full of wonderful ingredients.

Everything is measured in cups, mostly a rough estimate – and it works so well that even very inexperienced and untalented bakers surely will succeed.

The cake is perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch, a picnic, trips to the countryside and, of course:

A day on the beach!

Strawberry cinnamon bread

2 cups flour (or 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup oatmeal, which makes it super healthy!) 

1 cup brown sugar 

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg, ground 

2 eggs

6 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup Greek yogurt 

1/3 cup applesauce

1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced 

For the crumbs: 

1/3 cup oatmeal

1/3 cup almonds, chopped 

3 tsp whole wheat flour (or plain flour) 

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch sea salt

3 Tbsp cold butter 

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

Line a baking tin with parchment paper. 

2. Place flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a big bowl and mix well. 

3. Mix eggs, olive oil, yogurt and applesauce in another bowl. 

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well. 

Then add the diced strawberries. 

4. For the crumbs:

Mix all ingredients well and incorporate the butter with the help of your fingertips, until small crumbs form.  

5. Put dough into a baking tin, smooth top and top with crumble. 

6. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, check with a wooden skewer. 

Let cool, then cut into squares. 

The bread can be changed up wonderfully according to the season; you can use whatever is in season – instead of almonds and strawberries in spring you can use, e.g.:

Summer:

Cherries + pistachio nuts

Fall:

Apricots + filberts

Winter:

Apples + walnuts

I have put together a special California playlist – so if you want some summer feeling this is the place to be:

Turn the volume up, dance wildly or cruise around in your car in the evening sun.

(Even if my daughters constantly laugh about my taste in music, see #1. – at least none of the songs are depressing!)

1. California (Delta Spirit)

2. Thinking about you (Calvin Harris)

3. California (the Red Jumpsuits Apparatus)