Coconut Bakes

Relaxing with a hot cup of herb tea is my idea of winding down from a long, stressful day at work. Complete that image by adding a slice of freshly baked Coconut Bread, or a soft, chewy Coconut Raisin Drop, each made with freshly grated coconut, plump raisins, and whole wheat flour. The smell alone of something baking with coconut is heavenly; the taste is even more amazing.



Coconut Bread, or Sweet Bread as it is referred to here, is almost a staple in Barbados. Our version is less sweet and more "nutty", but just as satisfying. Most Sweet Breads are sprinkled with granulated sugar before being baked to produce a bread with a crunchy topping. We leave that step out to reduce the amount of sugar being consumed. In our view, adding a generous amount of raisins to the bread provides enough natural fructose (fruit sugar) which complements the nutty coconut flavour. This tea bread is moist and flavourful and oh so Caribbean.


The Coconut Raisin Drops tend to go first when offered at my dessert table. It's really very hard to just consume one of these absolutely delightful mini-cakes. That is why I usually have to make a double batch whenever I have visitors stop by. We also make a White Chocolate Cranberry variety which is also terrific. Sampling one of each is definitely the way to go!

Hola Granola

We all love to snack in between meals, but the question is what to snack on that doesn't make you regretful after you swallow the last bite. One of my favourite snacks is fresh granola, which can be eaten on its own, or as a topping on fat-free natural yogurt which is drizzled with real maple syrup and topped with fresh berries. Most days when I come home from work, I grab the granola bag and hope that it is not empty because my husband, Geoff, is virtually hooked on it. He insists that I make a fresh batch every weekend so that we don't run out during the week.

When my sister, Julie, was last in Barbados over the holidays, she made this granola in a flash and I was amazed at how delicious it was. It is super easy to make and the result is a naturally sweet and crunchy snack that is healthy and satisfying. We've added it to our Crumbs Homemade menu so that we can share it with you.

Crumb of the Month

I love the smell of fresh lemons, especially from freshly squeezed lemon juice or from grating the rind of a lemon. Both ingredients form a part of this amazing Lemon Yogurt Cake which is incredibly moist due to the addition of fat-free natural yogurt to the batter. Add this cake to your picnic basket, and serve with fresh fruit such as strawberries, raspberries or grapes.



Lemon Yogurt Cake is well worthy of being the Crumb of the Month in this first month of a new decade. Fresh, tangy and bold - care to join me for a bite?

Nuts About Coconut

What could be more Caribbean than coconut? No surprise then that we use freshly grated coconut in a number of different recipes at Crumbs Homemade.

I buy my coconuts fresh from the market in Bridgetown every Saturday morning so that I have ample grated coconut available for my weekly baking binges. It is not difficult to crack a hard, brown coconut to get at the white flesh inside. You just hit it with a hard implement a few times until it starts to crack and then gently pry it open. Most coconuts have water inside them which you can collect and use in recipes calling for coconut water. Once you have the coconut cracked open, the white flesh inside can then be pulled off the brown outer shell and grated with a box grater. Most coconuts yield over 2 cups of grated coconut which is plenty for most cakes or breads that include that ingredient.

I prefer not to use dessicated coconut when I bake as I find it too dry, and the unsweetened variety is not readily available in Barbados. But fresh coconuts are available on the island all year around. Freshly grated coconut is moist, naturally sweet and really delicious, adding loads of flavour and the right amount of moistness to cakes, tea breads, and cookies.

I started the New Year making Coconut Raisin Drops which are small, round cakes about 3" in diameter filled with freshly grated coconut and loaded with raisins. They come out soft, chewy and moist, and are a delight to eat at tea time or at breakfast. They also make a great healthy snack, as they are made with whole wheat flour and a minimal amount of raw cane sugar.

In Barbados, Coconut Bread is very popular, also known as "Sweet Bread" because it is sweet and baked with a sugary coating. "Rock Cakes" are also really popular - they are small, plain round cakes that are very dry and hard, and traditionally eaten with a sweet fizzy drink to help wash them down. Taking aspects of both popular items, we developed these Coconut Raisin Drops which are less sweet and wonderfully chewy. These small cakes are already a big hit with Crumbs Homemade customers!

Happy Holidays!

Christmas in Barbados means turkey and jug (a local recipe made of crushed pigeon peas), sorrel, punch-a-creme, mince pies and black cake, a traditional fruit cake that is made with dried fruits that have been soaked in rum for many weeks. White sand and palm trees replace snowbanks and pine trees, and all the traditions of a Caribbean Christmas run strong.

For the holidays, Crumbs Homemade produced some festive recipes using some of the traditional Christmas ingredients, including rum, dried fruit, coconut and spices. Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies, Rum & Raisin Holiday Bread, Tri-Chocolate Almond Biscotti, and Blueberry Gingerbread were some of the items baked for the occasion. People young and old love receiving edible gifts, especially those that are hearty and homemade.

Happy Holidays to the customers and followers of Crumbs Homemade, and best wishes for 2010!

Do Blonds Really Have More Fun?

Welcome to my world of chocolate and all the wonderful things that you can bake with chocolate. It's hard to pick a favourite, and in my view, anything made with chocolate is a winner. Add to your list these wonderful, chewy Blondies, a paler version of a classic Brownie that is loaded with chocolate chips and roasted walnuts. Brownies are usually a popular choice on any menu, and Blondies are as delicious. Be assured that you will have as much fun eating these chocolate-loaded Blondies as you would eating any version of a Brownie.

Blondies were one of the many whole wheat goods that were offered by Crumbs Homemade at Brighton Market yesterday morning. My sister, Julie, and I teamed up to bake all the goods, and were on hand to offer the products to the Market's bustling holiday crowd. Menu items included whole wheat Coconut Bread, Classic Banana Bread, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Spice Bread, Zucchini Walnut Cake, Date Nut Squares, Oatmeal Raspberry Squares, Coconut Raisin Rock Cakes, and Cranberry White Chocolate Rock Cakes.

Rock Cakes are small but very dense mini cakes that are immensely popular with locals in Barbados. They are normally very hard to bite into, but children love to munch on them slowly and savour each sweet bite. The Crumbs Homemade version, although crunchy, is softer and more flavourful, and may require a name change because they would not be considered as hard as a "rock". Their consistency is more like a scone, and are great for breakfast, tea time, or just as a wholesome snack.

Zucchini Walnut Cake

My sister, Julie, is visiting from Boston and we will be baking a number of Crumbs Homemade delights during her stay at my home in Barbados. She is a Food Writer and Chef, a primary consultant for Crumbs Homemade, and one of the best bakers I know. Welcome back Julie!

To kick off her visit, I whipped up a Zucchini Walnut Cake, one of my sons' favourite cakes, especially when iced with cream cheese frosting. This version is unfrosted to keep the sugar content down. This wholesome whole wheat cake is loaded with grated zucchini, roasted walnuts, raisins, cinnamon and allspice, producing a moist, flavourful cake that can be enjoyed any time of the day. In fact, if you don't tell anyone that there is zucchini in this cake, they would never know!

I make Carrot Cake using the same recipe, substituting the zucchini with grated carrots. Many carrot cakes are made with crushed pineapple, but I much prefer this variety with raisins and walnuts which are a perfect accompaniment to zucchini or carrots. The smell of this cake while it is baking is absolutely divine!