Best wishes for the holidays. Bonnes fêtes de fin d'année. The Straberry Tree (arbousier) in front of my house. It is a very cheerful little tree.

"Arbutus unedo is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Western Europe. The tree is well known for its fruits, the arbutus berry, which bear some resemblance to the strawberry, hence the common name strawberry tree. However, it is not closely related to true strawberries of the genus Fragaria"

 

A recipe:

Strawberry Tree Crumble Cake

For the Cake:

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sour cream room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 & 1/2 cups strawberry plant berries, sliced

 

For the Crumble Topping:

3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter melted then cooled

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and liberally grease an approx. 8 x 8 sized pan.

Beat together butter and sugar on high speed for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add in egg and mix until combined. Slowly add in flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until just combined then add sour cream, vanilla extract and mix until combined – but don’t over-mix!

Evenly spread the cake batter in pan then top with sliced strawberry plant berries.

 

For the Crumble Topping:

 

Whisk together flour, both sugars, salt, and cinnamon until mixed. Drizzle butter over flour mixture and using a fork, stir together until crumbs form.

Sprinkle crumbs over strawberries. Bake cake for 35-40 minutes OR until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes.

 

Done