Strawberry Crumble Cake
This recipe creates a soft cake base topped with fresh, sweet strawberries and a buttery crumb topping. It is a comforting dessert perfect for any gathering.
Equipment
- 8x8 metal baking pan
- Mixing Bowls
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
For the Crumb
- 3/4 + 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the Strawberries
- 3 1/4 cups chopped fresh strawberries
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
For the Cake
- 1 1/2 + 2 cups all-purpose flour See notes below for measuring
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large whole eggs room temperature, whisked together
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
Instructions
- Lightly butter an 8x8 metal baking pan and line it with parchment paper on all sides. Preheat your oven to 350 F/180 C.
- Mix the melted butter, flour, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla paste for the crumb. Keep this mixture in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
- Toss the chopped strawberries, sugar, flour, and lemon juice until the fruit is well coated. Set this aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt for the cake batter, and set this aside.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which takes about 5 minutes.
- Scrape down the bowl. Slowly stream in the whisked eggs and vanilla, mixing very well and scraping down the bowl frequently.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until mostly combined. Then mix in the buttermilk, followed by the remainder of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Spread the vanilla cake batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Spread the strawberries evenly over the top. Break up the cold crumb topping and sprinkle it evenly across the strawberries. Bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Then, remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar if you wish and serve.
Notes
This cake reminded me of weekend breakfasts at home when my mom would bake fruit-filled treats that made the whole house smell warm and welcoming. For measuring flour, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off, rather than scooping directly from the bag.