Mike’s website – goodfromscratch.co.nz 

Hope we are all good, today 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 simply don't like them at all. 

With a huge number 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, starfruit and strawberries they can be sweet and at the same time.  

Most people 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! Bless. 

Feijoa, caramel & ginger cake 

Cook time: 1 hour 

Prep time: 12 minutes 

Serves: 6-8 

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 a 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 the tin on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the 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 the cake out onto the plate.