I fervently hope that the strawberry season will not be over soon as I’ve just developed two new strawberry recipes. And more might follow. But today I’ll show you how to make a delicious and simple strawberry crumble cake.
Maybe you have also read my previous blog post which presents my first series of food photography. I was so in love with those little, red berries that I couldn’t help taking some pictures.
As soon as the strawberry season is here I know that spring has finally started and that summer is already on its way. Spring makes you feel alive, with new life in nature exploding all around you. So make the most of it, get infected by the power of spring!
How to make the most out of spring:
- Make plants a part of your life: Buy some new flowers, a bush or a tree and plant them in your garden or on your balcony and watch them grow. You’ll enjoy the wonders you’ll witness every day. If you have neither a garden nor a balcony, just use a pretty plant for a very special ‘spring decoration’ in your living room.
- Try recipes that welcome the new season: Spring has so many fresh vegetables to offer. Go out, get some and make a fresh salad or a vegetable-pasta-bake. You can also find some ideas on my blog (e.g. asparagus and wild garlic quiche, asparagus salads)
- Treat yourself with a beauty treatment: Try to use natural products for your beauty treatment. Be careful what you get! You can also make simple products on your own. Why not make a lemon-scrub yourself. Just combine 1 2/3 cups coarse sea salt, 1 cup light olive oil, 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (use an organic lemon), ½ teaspoon vanilla pulp and maybe 3 tablespoons essential oil (with vanilla scent) and exfoliate your skin properly. Shower well after scrubbing! (This recipe was provided by courtesy of westwing.de. Thanks at westwing.de!)
- Get your BBQ out of the garage, clean it and make a small spring-BBQ-party: The BBQ-season has already started. Let the delicious smell of a BBQ fill the air!
- Go shopping for spring decoration: Go out and find something that suits your style. Maybe you want some bright colors or something pastel-colored. Any way, it will make a lovely change that you can relish every day.
- Go out, get moving and enjoy nature and sunshine: Fresh air and some exercise are the best way to fight any loss of energy. Just half an hour every day and you’ll feel so much better. And, you also get to enjoy nature! So, what more do you want? Don’t forget to drink a lot of water, though!!
- Don’t get frustrated with spring cleaning, but take it slowly and do it room-by-room: Make a list of what you want to do and don’t do it all in one go. Try to use natural products like cola to clean your toilet, bathroom taps and windows (by courtesy of westwing.de).
- Plan ahead and make sure you have at least one weekend you can fully enjoy: Go away or relax at home.
- Get your bike out of the shed, pack a picnic basket and set out for a ride:. You’ll enjoy nature, get some exercise, soak up some sun, and have a lovely snack with friends or family.
- Visit a local farmer that offers yard sale and see what he has to offer: Your local farmers grow all the delicious vegetables and fruits that are so good for you. They offer fresh dairy products or even organic meat. Go and visit them! This is such a rewarding experience! After all, you’ll know what you are eating!
I know these are a lot of activities, but maybe you can manage to get one, two or even three of these done. And most importantly, whatever you do, do it sensibly, see the benefit in it and enjoy every bit of it. Most of these activities are fun anyway.
Now enjoy one of my spring-recipes. The strawberry crumble bars are so easy to make and the cream cheese filling enhances the flavor of the strawberries.
Strawberry Crumble Bars
For the shortcrust pastry:
4 cups (500g) flour (all purpose)
¾ cup (150g) sugar
1 cup (250g) unsalted butter
2 eggs
vanilla extract
salt
For the cream cheese filling:
1 cup (200g) cream cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
½ lemon (juice)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
vanilla extract
1 ½ pounds (700g) strawberries
1 teaspoon cornstarch
for the crumbles:
¾ cup (80g) plain flour
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220° fan oven, gas mark 7).
For the shortcrust pastry, put all the ingredients (4 cups flour, ¾ cup sugar, 1 cup butter, 2 eggs, vanilla, salt) into a food processor and pulse until the ingredients start to bind. Turn onto the worktop and use your hands to form a dough. If you don’t use a food processor, put the flour, the sugar, the butter, salt and vanilla in a bowl and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the eggs to bind the dough together. Chill the dough for about 10-15 minutes.
Put all the ingredients for the cream cheese filling (cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 egg, lemon juice, vanilla and cornstarch) into a bowl and whisk until well combined and creamy.
Wash the strawberries and carefully dry them on some kitchen paper. Remove the little green leaves and stalks. Cut them into halves or quarters (depending on their size) and put them into a bowl. Dust them with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and use your hands to combine the strawberries with the cornstarch.
Use 2/3 of the shortcrust pastry for the bottom of the strawberry bars. Use a rolling pin to roll it to a size of about 10 inches to 14 inches (25 x 35 cm). Transfer onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Use the remaining third of the shortcrust pastry to make the crumbles. Add ¾ cup (80g) flour and use your fingertips to rub the dough and the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
After 10 minutes turn the heat of the oven down to 280°F (140°C, gas mark 1). Take the pastry out of the oven and spread the cream cheese filling on the pastry. Put the strawberries on the cream cheese and spread the crumbles on top. Put everything back into the oven and bake for another 40 minutes.
And here is the recipe for printing:
- [b]For the shortcrust pastry:[/b]
- 4 cups (500g) flour (all purpose)
- ¾ cup (150g) sugar
- 1 cup (250g) unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- vanilla extract
- salt
- [b]For the cream cheese filling:[/b]
- 1 cup (200g) cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ lemon (juice)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- vanilla extract
- [b]For the strawberry filling:[/b]
- 1 ½ pounds (700g) strawberries
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- [b]for the crumbles:[/b]
- ¾ cup (80g) plain flour
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220° fan oven, gas mark 7).
- For the shortcrust pastry, put all the ingredients (4 cups flour, ¾ cup sugar, 1 cup butter, 2 eggs, vanilla, salt) into a food processor and pulse until the ingredients start to bind. Turn onto the worktop and use your hands to form a dough. If you don’t use a food processor, put the flour, the sugar, the butter, salt and vanilla in a bowl and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the eggs to bind the dough together. Chill the dough for about 10-15 minutes.
- Put all the ingredients for the cream cheese filling (cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 egg, lemon juice, vanilla and cornstarch) into a bowl and whisk until well combined and creamy.
- Wash the strawberries and carefully dry them on some kitchen paper. Remove the little green leaves and stalks. Cut them into halves or quarters (depending on their size) and put them into a bowl. Dust them with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and use your hands to combine the strawberries with the cornstarch.
- Use 2/3 of the shortcrust pastry for the bottom of the strawberry bars. Use a rolling pin to roll it to a size of about 10 inches to 14 inches (25 x 35 cm). Transfer onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
- Use the remaining third of the shortcrust pastry to make the crumbles. Add ¾ cup (80g) flour and use your fingertips to rub the dough and the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- After 10 minutes turn the heat of the oven down to 280°F (140°C, gas mark 1). Take the pastry out of the oven and spread the cream cheese filling on the pastry. Put the strawberries on the cream cheese and spread the crumbles on top. Put everything back into the oven and bake for another 40 minutes.
Please note: This is not a sponsored blog post. There was no kind of compensation for any mentioning of companies.
