Raspberry crumb cake

Raspberries are tossed into a rich cake batter for the base of this fruit dessert. A buttery crumb topping is generously sprinkled on top and the whole thing is baked until golden brown and the berries burst with their sweet juices.

Credit: Martha Bakes

• makes

  16

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

Ingredients

• 85 g unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• ¾ cup full cream (whole) milk
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 3 tsp (15 ml) juice
• 2 cups (250 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2½ cups black or red raspberries (see Note)

Crumb topping

• 1½ cups plain (all-purpose) flour
• ½ cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• 170 g unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

Standing time: 15 minutes. Cooling time: at least 1 hour.

Instructions

1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter a 23 cm (9 inch) square pan and line with baking (parchment) paper, leaving a 5 cm (2 inch) overhang. Butter baking paper; set pan aside. Combine milk and lemon juice; let stand 15 minutes.
2. Set aside 3 teaspoons of the flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together the rest of the 2 cups of flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, zest and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour.
3. Place berries in a bowl and gently toss with reserved flour. Fold half of the berries into the batter, then transfer batter to prepared pan. Evenly distribute remaining berries over the surface of the batter.
4. Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt; using your hands, work in butter.
5. Sprinkle crumb topping over berries, using your fingers to clump some of the topping together to form large crumbs. Transfer to oven and bake until top of cake is golden and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
6. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Loosen cake from the sides of the pan with an offset spatula or a knife. Using parchment overhang, lift cake out of pan and transfer to a rack to cool completely (still on paper). On a cutting board, use a serrated knife to cut into squares. Cake may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Note

• Black raspberries are native to northern America. This recipe can be made with black raspberries, red raspberries or a mixture of both.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.