Breakfast at The Snop House is an opportunity for our team to introduce a produce of the Maltese archipelago to our guests, depending on the seasonal harvest, and very often those produced by Gozo farmers.
Each day is an invitation to discover the today’s special.
April and May mark the beginning of the strawberries, as well as the Maltese plums season. It is the perfect opportunity to discover this seasonal fruit we invite our guests to try in the form of an original cake by The Snop, the secret of which we will let you know about.
Locally known as ‘naspli’- a Maltese twist on the Italian word ‘nespoli’, these orange-colored bunches of succulently sweet fruit ripen in April and May.
Loquat, indigenous to South East China and Japan, was probably introduced to the Maltese Islands in the middle of the 19th century and it was first planted in Buskett.
Malta’s warm springs provide the perfect climatic conditions for this evergreen tree to flourish. Its oval, rounded or pear-shaped fruits grow in abundant quantities, and some describe their taste as a cross between an apple and a pear.
Loquat fruits are most often eaten fresh but they also make a wonderful jam and great toppings on pies and crumbles.
Recipe of the Naspli cake by The Snop
Ingredients for 6 people
• Naspli 600 g
• Unrefined sugar 110 g
• Vanilla sugar 10 g
• Butter 100 g
• Milk 20 cl
• Flour 100 g
• Vergeoise 10 g
• Eggs 3
• Baking powder 0,5 sachet
Preparation
• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Wash and peel the naspli, and cut the flesh of the fruit in small pieces, cutting around the seed like you would do for a mango.
• Melt the butter.
• Beat the eggs yolks with the unrefined sugar until the mixture whitens.
• Add the flour and yeast to the mixture and mix with a mixer.
• Add the cold milk and melted butter and mix with a mixer.
• Beat the egg whites until stiff.
• Fold into the batter. Add the fruits. Mix well.
• Pour the batter into the baking tin lined with baking paper.
• Mix the vergeoise and the vanilla sugar and sprinkle the mixture all over the top of the cake.
• Place the cake in the oven and bake for 35/40 minutes. Check with a wooden pick.
To enjoy the cake, the easiest way is to book your room at The Snop House for a stay in April and/or May!
