Great grandma Shirley used to whip this up for spring gatherings and it would disappear in seconds.

For picky eaters who don’t love fruit chunks, you can chop the strawberries very finely so they almost melt into the batter, or gently mash half of them before folding in for a more even strawberry flavor without big pieces.

If you need to stretch it for a bigger crowd, double the recipe and bake it in two glass loaf pans; the batter doubles well and bakes in about the same amount of time. To add a little extra sweetness for dessert, drizzle the cooled loaf with a simple glaze made from 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1–2 tablespoons milk or cream, whisked until smooth.

For a slightly tangier loaf, use a touch of lemon: add 1 teaspoon lemon zest to the batter and a squeeze of lemon juice to the glaze. If you only have frozen strawberries, thaw them, pat them very dry, and then chop and toss with flour before adding; expect the crumb to be a bit more moist but still delicious.

You can also bake this as mini loaves or muffins—just reduce the baking time and start checking for doneness around 18–22 minutes. To make mornings easier, mix the dry ingredients the night before and leave the butter and cream cheese out to soften, then stir everything together and bake fresh in the morning so it’s warm for breakfast or brunch.