a blueberry streusel cake

that tastes like SPRING

What I’m reading: Julius Roberts’ Substack. It’s brand new, but I’m already a big fan

What I’m listening to: Blindboy’s recent podcast on “Why Everything Feels so Chaotic Now”

What I’m eating: pastries from Happy Sky Bakery in Hammersmith. Exceptionally good, particularly the apple tatin pastry and the chicken katsu sandwich (below)

In the past week or two, the sun has been making a very welcome appearance in London. It is truly starting to feel like spring: daffodils and crocuses are abundant on my walk to work, the morning sun on my south-facing balcony is actually warm, and I’m starting to think about retiring my hot water bottle for the foreseeable future.

I know it’s not summer yet, but it does feel tantalisingly close. I had my first pints sitting outside a pub last week, and it was so warm that I had to check the UV index to make sure I wasn’t going to burn (it was 2, so no need to crack out the factor 50 yet). There’s something in the air that smells like music festivals, beer gardens and sea swims (although I am painfully aware that I will have to fly back to Ireland for the swims).

Last weekend, I went for a Sunday roast in my friend’s house, and the sheer abundance of Aperol made me even more convinced that summer is just around the corner. I had said I would bring dessert, but didn’t leave myself with a lot of time to make anything before I headed over - and that’s where this cake came from. I had blueberries in the fridge, and wanted to make something quick, that didn’t require a stand mixer, and that could be transported across London without too much hassle. I know it’s not berry season in the UK yet, but you can use frozen blueberries here which (for me, anyway) assuages some of the seasonality guilt. It’s got an oaty cinnamon-y streusel topping, which I also put through the middle of the cake (but it seemed to disappear during baking). I still haven’t figured out a way to get the blueberries perfectly suspended in the cake, but I actually think using frozen blueberries would help with this.

It’s a fairly basic loaf cake recipe, but I’ve opted for a combination of butter and oil: in part because I don’t have a stand mixer or the patience to beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy by hand, and in part because I like the flavour of the olive oil in this cake. This cake would be perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack, but also worked as a dessert for a casual Sunday afternoon gathering (served with ice-cream, of course).

recipe: blueberry streusel loaf