Strawberry Crumb Bars

You know how most recipe posts there’s always some super long background story on how the baked goods came into being? This isn’t one of them. Hurray! These strawberry crumb bars are the perfect slice to bring into work or a party, they’re not sickeningly sweet and they have fruit in it so it’s healthy right?

And it’s got a deliciously buttery crumb on top which I’ve gotta say, everyone will love! I’ve converted measurements to metric but this recipe is based off The Cafe Sucre Farine. Ready? Here we go!

Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
170g salted butter, melted
1 ½ cups caster sugar
1 ½ cups plain flour

For the strawberry layer:
500g strawberries
2 Tbsp caster sugar
⅓ cup flour

For the cake:
225g salted butter, room temperature
2 cups icing sugar
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
Preheat oven to 175˚C and line a 9 x 13-inch pan with baking paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides. Place prepared pan on a sheet pan (this will help keep the bottom from getting too brown as this does bake for an hour).

For the crumble: Beat the melted 170g salted butter and 1 ½ cups caster sugar until combined for about 2 mins. Add 1 ½ cups flour and beat until large crumbs form. Pour mixture into a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the strawberry layer: Dice strawberries into cm pieces. In a medium bowl mix 2 Tbsp caster sugar and ⅓ cup flour with a wooden spoon. Set aside.

For the cake layer: Beat the 225g butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides after each egg. Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled. With mixer on low, beat in 1 tsp vanilla, then 1 ½ cups plain flour and 1 tsp baking powder.

Assemble! Spread batter into prepared pan. Spread strawberry mixture. Top with crumble.

Bake cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 55 to 65 minutes. Cover with foil during last 15-20 minutes of baking if the top is getting too brown. Let cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake from pan.

Cut into bars. Sprinkle with icing sugar, if desired.