Strawberry Streusel Loaf

I saw this in the latest edition of the Good Housekeeping magazine and thought how seasonally appropriate it is. The cake came out quite nice especially if served with some custard. Although I thought the cake itself is quite crumbly so I adjusted the milk in the recipe to 1/4 cup. This is highly recommended for your afternoon tea and to use up your strawberries.

The picture is not particularly stellar because I honestly thought it would not taste good so I didn't expend much effort in getting a better image. How wrong I was!


Strawberry Streusel Loaf

175 g  [scant 3/4 cup] unsalted butter - softened
175 g  [scant 1/2 + 1/3 cup] caster sugar
2 large eggs
250 g  [scant 2 cups] self-raising flour
1/4 cup  milk
grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
200 g  strawberries - hulled and quartered

*Streusel Topping
20 g  [4 tsp] unsalted butter - chilled
20 g  [scant 3 Tbsp]
1 Tbsp  demerara sugar
1 Tbsp  chopped roasted hazelnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
2. Beat the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time until well combined.
4. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the flour and lemon zest (if using), then milk until well combined.
5. Spread 1/3 of the batter in the prepared pan. Scatter half of the strawberry on top of it.
6. Repeat once more ending with the streusel topping.
7. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean.
8. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a rack.