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There are two summer desserts that my grandmother would make every time we went to see her for Sunday dinner: coffee cake and berry crumble. Those two desserts always bring me back to my childhood and plaster a huge smile on my face. I can probably eat half a cake and an entire berry crumble if I know it came from my grandmother’s kitchen. My grandmother doesn’t do much baking anymore, however, so it is up to me to make my own desserts. Of course I am never satisfied leaving the classics along, so I thought why not mix both cake and crumble together to create a unique, but humble way to end a meal.
This berry crumble cake is unlike anything you’ve had before. It has a wonderful balance of fluffy, buttery cake and bright bursts of fruit, and a crunchy crumble topping. A lot of flavor and texture in just one bite means it can satisfy almost ever dessert craving you may have. It pairs well with good company and a cup of coffee or tea. I find myself sneaking small slices of the cake every time I go into the kitchen.
The cake is very simple to put together, and has a wonderful texture thanks to the hazelnut flour. You can substitute the hazelnut flour with corn meal, semolina flour, or even graham flour. I love how the extra texture of these flours holds up against the rich berries of the crumble. Use whatever berries and fruit you have available and is in season. A mix of berries and stone fruit works particularly well in this recipe. This is a cake you make when you have last minute guests stopping by and you need something satisfying without a lot of hassle to make.
The baking time really varies according to the type of fruit you decide to use. The best way to check doneness is to use visual cues. I recommend jiggling the baking pan, the center should be slightly jiggly because of the fruit topping, but it should not jiggle too much. If the topping appears to be getting too brown, simply cover it with aluminum foil and continue baking.
INGREDIENTS
- 22 ounces fruit
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons corn flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
CAKE INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cups hazelnut flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut in cubes
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
CRUMBLE TOPPING INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup graham flour (may sub with more all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
DIRECTIONS
- Grease and flour a 9 x9 inch baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the fruit, sugar, corn flour, and vanilla together. Set aside.
- Mix together the flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
- Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles large crumbs.
- In another bowl, beat the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk together.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well, leaving some lumps.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking pan. Scoop the fruit and spread over the cake batter, leaving behind any liquid from the fruit that may have settled at the bottom of the bowl.
- Mix together the sugar, flours, oats, cinnamon, and ginger together for the topping. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles large crumble.
- Pour over the fruit and press gently down.Bake for about 30 – 35 minutes, or until the middle is only slightly jiggly. You may have to cover the pan about 25 minutes in to prevent the topping from over-browning.
Recipe from
CenterCutCook
