This moist, sweet loaf cake makes an excellent snack or breakfast, and it stays most for 5 to 7 days, making it great for gift-giving. Any firm-textured, relatively tart apple will work beautifully here. Hemp seeds (or hemp hearts) are an easily digestible complete protein, offering all nine essential amino acids.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, for the pan
• (1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons) hemp flour; more for the pan
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Pinch ground cloves
• 2/3 cup coconut sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 3/8 tsp table salt
• 1/2 cup coconut or olive oil
• 2 tsp molasses
• 1 large tart apple, such as Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or Honey Crisp, peeled, cored, and grated (1 to 1-1/4 cups)
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds

Method

Position a rack in the centre of the oven and heat the oven to 170 C˚. Butter and flour an 8×4-inch loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, baking soda, and cloves.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and salt until the mixture is pale yellow and the sugar has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the oil and molasses and whisk until smooth.

Using a silicone spatula, stir in the apple and hemp seeds. Fold the dry mixture into the egg mixture until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and level the mixture by tapping the pan on the counter.

Bake until a skewer inserted into the centre of the bread comes out almost clean with few moist crumbs clinging to it, 40 to 45 minutes. (If the top of the bread begins to darken too much, lay a piece of foil over the top.)

Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool completely. Invert the bread and remove the pan. The bread will keep, wrapped, at room temperature for 5 to 7 days.