I’ve been making this Mixed Berry Crumb Cake for years and it never disappoints – I just love the hint of lemon and the way the Barefoot Contessa went heavy on the streusel, a thick crumble always speaks to my heart.  I often make it with blueberries, fresh if I have them or frozen, but today I happened to have a small amount of fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries which added up to one cup of mixed berry deliciousness.  Of course it has a breakfast cake vibe, but dress it up with some pow sugar and call it a desert cake anytime, it has the tasty talent to be both!

For the streusel:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar packed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup butter melted

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

For the cake:

6 tablespoons butter at room temperature

3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2/3 cup sour cream

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries)

confectioners sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9 inch round baking pan – I like to line bottom with parchment so my cake comes out clean with every slice, but you don’t need to.
2. For the streusel, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon,, and the nutmeg in a bowl.  Stir in the melted butter and then the flour.  Mix well and set aside.
3. For the cake, cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4-5 minutes, until light.  Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined.  Fold in the berries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter in completely mixed.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife.  With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a cake toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool and serve with confectioners sugar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home 2006