This fresh Strawberry Crumb Cake is an incredibly buttery cake topped with layer of caramelized strawberries and a generous amount of sugary crumb topping. This is the best crumb cake ever!
New Jersey and New York have a love affair with crumb cake. Any local bakery worth its weight offers its version of the East Coast classic crumb cake. My strawberry crumb cake is my twist on the beloved New Jersey/New York style cake.
The ideal crumb topping is marble sized pieces of the streusel which is made with ample amounts of flour, brown and white sugar and butter. I added a layer of caramelized strawberries that were sautéed in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to the crumb cake. The slightly caramelized fruit results in a cross between a strawberry short cake and a crumb cake.
Strawberry Crumb Cake Ingredients
- salted butter
- light brown sugar
- cinnamon
- fresh strawberries
- granulated sugar
- kosher salt
- cake flour
- half and half
- white vinegar
- baking soda
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
What is a Crumb Cake?
I did a some research to found out the origin of crumb cake. The moist yet sturdy pale yellow cake covered with a crumb topping of flour, sugar and butter has its roots in Germany. Originally the cake was yeast dough covered with a crumb or streusel topping and was known as a kuchen or streuselkuchen.
Both the cake and the crumb topping are equally important when making a perfect crumb cake. Some like more crumb than cake while others prefer slightly more cake than crumb.
The cake is buttery and moist enough to stand up to the hefty layer of crumb. But it is not to be confused with the density of a pound cake. It is a little lighter cake but, equally delicious.
Amy's Crumb Cake Baking Tips
- Sauté the strawberries for only a few minutes. You want them to be slightly softened, but still hold their shape.
- The crumb is where it is at with this strawberry crumb cake. After combining the crumb ingredients, let the mixture sit while mixing the cake batter. The butter will cool so it will be easy to make the marble sized crumb pieces for the topping.
- A stand mixer makes for easy work of mixing the thick cake ingredients.
- When adding the caramelized strawberry layer on top of the cake batter, leave any accumulated juices in the pan. You do not want to add them as they will make the cake batter to liquidy.
- Be sure to fully cool the cake before topping with a generous sprinkle of powdered sugar.
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Thanks ~ Amy
Recipe
Fresh Strawberry Crumb Cake
Ingredients
Strawberry layer
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 pints of strawberries sliced, about 8 cups
Crumb topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 cup salted butter melted
Cake
- ⅔ cup half and half
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups salted butter cold (cut in chunks)
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
- Heat a large sauté pan to medium high. Add the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir to melt. Add the strawberries and stir to coat. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The strawberries should be slightly soft. Set aside.2 tablespoons salted butter, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 4 pints of strawberries
- In a large bowl, combine the crumb topping ingredients. Stir to combine. Set aside.¼ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 3 ½ cups cake flour, 1 cup salted butter
- In a small bowl, add vinegar to half and half and set aside.⅔ cup half and half, 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the cake.2 ½ cups cake flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- With a stand mixer or handheld mixer on low speed, add the butter chunks, one at a time to the dry ingredients. Mix for about 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture resembles a coarse crumble.1 ½ cups salted butter
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the small bowl with the half and half and vinegar and stir to combine.3 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Slowly add the half and half mixture to the flour butter mixture. Beat on medium speed for about 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.
- Spread cake batter into prepared baking dish. Top with sautéed strawberries, but leave any accumulated juices in the sauté pan.
- Break up the crumb topping with a spoon. The pieces should be about the size of marbles. Sprinkle evenly on top of strawberries.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool completely and dust with powdered sugar.powdered sugar for dusting
Notes
- Sauté the strawberries for only a few minutes. You want them to be slightly softened, but still hold their shape.
- The crumb is where it is at with this strawberry crumb cake. After combining the crumb ingredients, let the mixture sit while mixing the cake batter. The butter will cool so it will be easy to make the marble sized crumb pieces for the topping.
- A stand mixer makes for easy work of mixing the thick cake ingredients.
- When adding the caramelized strawberry layer on top of the cake batter, leave any accumulated juices in the pan. You do not want to add them as they will make the cake batter to liquidy.
- Be sure to fully cool the cake before topping with a generous sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Donna R says
Excellent cake and worth the effort to make it. I used some of the reserved strawberry juice after sauteeing them and added some powdered sugar to make a glaze. It added a bit of flavor and sweetness.
Amy Casey says
I love the idea of the glaze. Thanks for sharing your tip. I appreciate it.
Julie says
Hi: I mill wheat berries for flour. What can I use in place of cake flour, please? I typically use soft white wheat for baking sweets.
Amy Casey says
Hi Julie ~ You can start with 1 cup flour. Remove 2 tablespoons and then add 2 tablespoons or cornstarch or arrowroot. Happy baking!