Blueberry loaf cake with brown sugar pecan crumble

Blueberry loaf cake, made with ground almonds and a mixture of butter and olive oil for flavour and extra moistness. Studded with plump sweet blueberries, and topped with a deliciously crunchy crust of brown sugar and pecans. Served with a creamy dollop of vanilla whipped yogurt, a little golden puddle of olive oil and warm blueberries.

There is something about a loaf cake that is incredibly comforting and inviting. Not quite as decadent as a layer cake with all of its beautiful buttercreams and other fillings, but more indulgent than a biscuit or cookie. It is the perfect afternoon pick me up.

The addition of the brown sugar and pecan crust on top is very simple but impactful. The texture and flavour that it adds–the crunch of the caramelised sugar and pecans which take on a beautiful roasted flavour when baking–brings another dimension to this already delicious loaf cake. I always do a brown sugar crust when making banana bread, and suspect that I will be adding it to any loaf cake that I can from here on out.