Summer Berry Loaf

Ingredients:

250g self-raising flour
150g soft brown sugar
25g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
200ml buttermilk
125g unsalted butter
100g blackberries or bilberries (or a mix)
100g raspberries
50g strawberries
juice of 1 lemon
freshly-grated zest of 1 lemon
75g icing sugar

Method:

Hull and lightly-crush the fruit then set aside. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl then add the sugar. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and buttermilk.

Melt the butter and allow to cool then whisk in the egg and buttermilk mix along with the lemon zest. Add this mixture to the flour and sugar mix and stir to combine. Fold in the fruit then turn the resultant batter into a loaf tin lined with greaseproof (waxed) paper or baking parchment.

Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the loaf is well risen and golden brown in colour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack and set aside to cool completely.

Make and icing by beating together the lemon juice and icing sugar in a bowl. Drizzle this over the cake in a hatch or criss-cross pattern. Allow the icing to harden then slice the cake and serve. This goes very well with coffee.