Strawberry Crumble Cake
Imagine coffee cake meets strawberry shortcake and what you get is this gluten free Strawberry Crumble Cake. The cake is tender and buttery, dotted with bright strawberries and topped with a crispy sweet buttery crumble then drizzled with a super simple glaze. It is wonderful just on its own with coffee or tea for early in the day or with ice cream for dessert.
Strawberries
Baking with fruit can be treacherous. The amount of juice varies from fruit to fruit and can’t easily be accounted for in a recipe. As a result, it can wreak havoc on the way a batter sets up, or doesn’t. One of the ways to limit the concern is to let the fruit air dry on paper towels after rinsing and cutting it. Cut the pieces a bit smaller to help them remain suspended and more evenly distributed when mixing them into batter. For this recipe, we will be layering them on top of the batter, but if you’d prefer to mix them in, you can do that too.
Start with the Batter
Just like many cake batters, the ingredients are simple and common. I have only tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend in the blue bag. That is combined with salt and baking powder then set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with a hand mixer then add the eggs, mixing well again. The half and half (or whole milk) and vanilla follow. Finally, the flour mixture is combined with the mixer on a low speed.
Make the Crumble
The crumble consists of just three ingredients. The sugar and flour get stirred together in a bowl then the melted butter is added gradually as you mix. Crumbles will begin to form as the mixture combines well. The goal is for it to be damp, but not wet.
Into the Dish
Generously butter or oil the baking dish then pour in the batter. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly and smooth out the top. Scatter half of the strawberries on top of the batter. Then sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly on top.
Baking the Strawberry Crumble Cake
The method of baking briefly at a higher temp, then dropping the temp helps to rapidly heat the batter and activate the baking powder. This gets the batter rising more quickly and it becomes a bit more sturdy. It will also reduce the overall baking time which will reduce the amount of time that the fruit can release juice into the cake.
The Glaze
Only two ingredients here! The water or milk is gradually added to the powdered sugar until a thick glaze forms
Time to Eat!
When the Strawberry Crumble Cake comes out of the oven, allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes. Take a look at how the fruit bakes differently depending on its size and whether it has been allowed to dry on paper towels. Larger pieces of fruit that were not dried were baked in the rectangular pan. The square pan has the much smaller pieces of berries that were on paper towels for about 20 minutes. Both cakes taste fantastic but there is definitely a difference in the appearance and the texture of the cooked berries.
As for the remaining half of the fresh strawberries- scatter them on top, then drizzle the whole thing with the glaze, and serve! Or the fresh strawberries can be served on the side if you prefer. I like the contrast of the baked fruit along with the fresh, but everyone has their preference and there’s no right or wrong way to enjoy this dish.
More Gluten Free Goodness Like This
- Coffee Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Seriously Great Banana Bread
- Zucchini Bread
- Blueberry Muffins
- Dark Chocolate Cherry Muffins
- Chocolate Banana Muffins
Strawberry Crumble Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake Layer:
- 2 cups gluten free flour with xanthan gun
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup butter (softened, sub coconut oil for dairy-free)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup 1/2 & 1/2 (or whole milk, sub dairy-free creamer)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 pound fresh strawberries (divided)
For the Crumble Layer:
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup gluten free flour with xanthan gum
- 3 tbsp melted butter (may need a little more or less, sub coconut oil for dairy-free)
For the Glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp water (or milk)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Note that you will turn the heat down to 350 degrees after the first 15 minutes of baking.. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 or 9 x 9 baking pan or casserole dish.
- Rinse, hull, and cut the strawberries into a small dice. Lay them on paper towels to dry and absorb excess moisture while you work on the batter.
- In a small bowl, combine the 2 cups of flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter with a hand mixer. Add the eggs and continue to mix. Add the ½ & ½ and vanilla.
- When all is combined well, add the flour, baking powder, and salt mixture. Mix at a low speed until all of the dry ingredients are mixed in, then scrape the bowl and continue mixing for another minute until it is smooth & creamy.
- Pour the batter into the bottom of the baking pan and smooth it out from edge to edge with a spatula.
- Scatter half of the strawberries evenly on top, reserving the other half for serving.
- In a small bowl, combine the gluten free flour and sugar. Gradually add melted butter until crumbles begin to form. Sprinkle evenly on top of the strawberries.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Then turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 15-20 minutes until the center is puffed slightly in the middle and no longer soft & squishy.
- For the Glaze: While stirring with a spoon, add the water or milk, gradually to the powdered sugar, until it begins to dissolve into a thick glaze. Work out lumps by continuing to stir.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before drizzling the glaze on top and serving with more fresh berries. Or put the fresh berries on top of the cake and drizzle with the glaze. Serve with coffee, tea, whipped cream, or ice cream.
