Tea Tuesday: blueberry lemon loaf and ginger spice tea

Today's tea is ginger spice herbal tea. It is served in the dining room with a slice of blueberry lemon loaf hot from the oven.


I got this recipe several years ago from a friend and like it every time I make it. I once tried it with soy milk, but it really changed the taste, so I prefer using cow's milk. Since several members are not from the US, I tried converting to the metric system. I hope it makes sense. It is written exactly as my friend presented it to me on an index card, except for the conversion numbers and my occasional remarks.

Blueberry lemon loaf ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar, preferably raw
1/2 (3 g) teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder
1/3 cup (80 ml) vegetable oil (I use canola)
1 egg
1/3 cup (80 ml) milk (soy milk can be substituted)
1 cup (145 g) fresh blueberries (cleaned and washed)
1 lemon, freshly squeezed and zested

Crumb topping:
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1/3 cup (40 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (55 g) butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons (3 g) ground cinnamon
Zest of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (about 175 degrees C). Grease a 7" X 3" individual loaf pan and set aside.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, and baking powder.
   
3. Place vegetable oil in a 1 cup measuring cup. Add the egg, 1/2 the lemon juice, zest of the lemon, and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture.
   
4. Fold in blueberries.
   
5. Fill loaf pan 2/3 to 3/4 full, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture. I pat my crumb mixture down so it is more like a crust on the loaf.
   
6. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 the lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and crumble over muffins before baking.
7. Bake in preheated oven about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Please remember that the rest of the Tea Tuesday participants' links can be found at Kimmie's Art in Red Wagons. Enjoy!

You know I love to feature blogs that feature men. Today's blog is no different. He is Bill Lengeman, also known as Tea Guy Speaks. His blog is filled with various topics relevant to tea and tea drinking, including tea related book reviews, contests, videos, and art. If you love tea, you will enjoy this blog.