We are talking about one of Ivy’s most favourite fruits. Feijoa. I tell you she could live on them 24 / 7 if she could!
Feijoas are a special fruit as they can be very polarising for many people, Whilst I’m a fan for the first week, then I get over them pretty quickly. But some people simply don’t like them at all.
With a huge amount of ways to use them they are very versatile. Over your cereal, baked and served with ice-cream, savoury dishes like chutneys and relishes work well. Even vodka and gin.
Whilst we think they are very kiwi they are native to Brazil, with tastes of pear, guava, startfruit and strawberries they can be sweet and at the same time.
Most of us would recognise them from the distinctive smell
Our trees are loaded at the moment so we will harvest as many as we can and the rest will go to the cows as they just go nuts for them!
Feijoa, Caramel & Ginger Cake
Caramel topping
- 125g butter
- 150g light muscovado sugar
- 6-8 feijoa, peeled and cut in half
The Cake
- 225g butter, softened
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 tbsp milk
- 100g LSA
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 50g walnut pieces, crushed
- 150g sifted plain flour
Start by making up the caramel topping.
Grease and line a 23cm cake tin. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add sugar and stir over heat until the mix becomes foamy and pale (2-3 minutes). Pour into the greased tin and spread evenly. Arrange the feijoa pieces in the syrup, flesh side down and set aside.
Preheat oven to 180*C. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In another bowl, lightly beat eggs together with milk. Gradually add eggs to butter and sugar, beating well after each addition. Stir in LSA, baking powder, salt, vanilla and walnuts. Gently fold in the flour. Pour cake mixture over figs.
Place tin on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes before sliding a warm knife around the edge of the tin to loosen. Place the serving plate over the cake tin, then carefully invert the tin to turn cake out onto the plate.