Ok, this is not a Fall cake in the least. But it’s been warm in Chicago and we happened to get some fruit and I was recently gifted a nice cake stand from my mom…so I made this.
I would categorize this treat as a “coffee cake,” as it’s more dense than a sponge-like cake. You can use any berry combination if you’d like: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc. Just enough to cover most of the top of the cake.
I tend to have leftover sour cream because I need it for tacos and then absolutely nothing else, so I put the rest of it in this cake and it made it really moist and rich.
I’ve been feeling pretty awful about daylight savings so expect more desserts from me as I cope with the 4:30 PM sunset. The worst part is that I can’t take photos of my food once it’s dark because (trust me I tried) they look like total poop. So weekends have become prime time for longer baking.
Hope you enjoy this somewhat summery cake!
What you need: a 10 inch round cake pan, parchment paper, a couple mixing bowls, and a whisk
Time: 25 minutes + 45 more to bake
Makes: A cake, duh! Big enough to serve ten people at a birthday party. Or yourself, ten times.
Ingredients for the cake:
- 1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- About 2 cups of berries (I used blueberries, blackberries and raspberries)
Ingredients for the crumb topping:
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup of granulated sugar
- Zest of one lemon
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your cake pan with parchment paper.
To make the cake, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until evenly incorporated. Make a well in the center of the bowl with the dry ingredients and dump the wet contents in. Stir or beat manually for a few minutes until smooth.
For the crumb topping, stir together the flour, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork. It’s okay if it lumps together like wet sand.
Dump the cake batter into the pan and spread evenly. Cover with the fruit, aiming to get an even spread of each berry. Take the crumb topping and sprinkle evenly on top, breaking up larger pieces with your fingers as you distribute.
Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until the top appears browned and the middle isn’t too wet when a knife is inserted. Let cool for twenty minutes before removing the cake from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Store leftovers at room temperature in an air tight container. I continued eating this for six days, but do not eat past a week as the moisture of the berries could invite mold.
Enjoy!
