Summer fruit loaf

Use fresh berries that are available to you at time of baking. Add in a few tart berries to contrast the buttery, sweet cake mixture.

Crumble topping

50 g	Plain flour
50 g	Cold butter, cut into small pieces
50 g	Soft brown sugar
1 small handful	Raw walnuts, freshly chopped

Summer fruit loaf

175 g	Butter, softened
150 g	Caster sugar
2	Eggs
115 g	Plain flour
1 tsp	Baking powder
150 g	Ground almonds
300 g	Summer berries, e.g. raspberries, blueberries, strawberries (cut large strawberries into this slices lengthwise)

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 170C. Grease and line 2 x 20cm x 10cm x 5cm deep loaf tins with baking paper, leaving an overhang of paper at each end to help when removing baked loaves from their tin.
2. Make the crumble topping – sift the flour into a bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir through the sugar and the walnuts. Set aside.
3. In a bowl beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour with each addition if the mixture begins to curdle. Sift the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture, add the ground almonds then gently fold to combine. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and smooth the surface with a spatula. Scatter over the berries and finish with the crumble topping.
4. Place in the oven and bake for 1 – 1 ¼ hours until a skewer inserted into the centre of each loaf comes out clean. You will also smell when they are cooked. Remove from the oven and leave for 5-10 minutes before removing from the tin.
5. Delicious served warm or cold.

See more of Kathy's summer recipes

• Fresh peach and tomato salad
• Salmon and zucchini cakes