This fruity cake from Little Patisserie smells and tastes beautiful, with flavours of lemon and vanilla. You can make it with any berries you choose, but I personally prefer cherries. This recipe is quick and easy – just remember to use well cooled-butter. Cherish it while it lasts – it was gone in minutes at my house! (Modified recipe from the book Bake from Scratch, third volume.)
Summer Fruit Buttery Crumble Bars
Ingredients
Base:
- 400g plain flour
- 200g sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 level tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 250g of well-cooled unsalted butter
- 1 egg
Fruit filling:
- 2 tbsp potato flour
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 300g raspberries
- 150g blueberries
- 250g sliced strawberries
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Prepare the mixture
Preheat the oven to 190°C conventional (gas mark 5). Line a 33x23cm cake tin with baking paper.
Sift the flour, then add the sugar, the lemon zest, the baking powder, and the salt. Mix with a spoon. Cut the butter into cubes, add to the mixture and mix with a mixer until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Crack the egg into a cup and beat with a fork, then add it to the butter mixture. Mix with an electric whisk until a dough is formed. You can also do this with your hands, but an electric mixer guarantees a tighter mixture.
Put aside around 300g of the dough and wrap it in cling film, then refrigerate. Use the remaining mixture to cover the bottom of the cake tin. Place it in the preheated oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until nicely browned, one rack up from the bottom.
- Prepare the fruit filling
Place the potato flour and sugar together in a bowl and mix. Add your chosen fruits and mix gently until they are covered with flour. Add the lemon juice and the vanilla extract and gently mix again.
- Combine the mixtures
Smooth the fruit filling out over the baked base. Take the refrigerated dough out of the fridge and unwrap it. Tear into small pieces and distribute on top of the fruit layer. Put the tin back into the preheated oven. Bake at 190C for about 30 minutes, one rack up from the bottom.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
Enjoy!
