Cranberry crumb cake
The cake is simply a 1-2-3-4 cake made with buttermilk for richness and a bit of tang, so if you’ve baked a cake before, the technique ought to be comfortable. The addition of cranberries and a crumb topping makes it far more interesting and, for some reason, suitable for breakfast. Don’t ask me why.
For the crumb topping
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- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- [frac]1/2[/frac] cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup ground or finely chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
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Combine in a small bowl and set aside.
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For the batter
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Butter and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan.
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- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- [frac]1/2[/frac] teaspoon baking soda
- [frac]1/2[/frac] teaspoon salt
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Whisk together.
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- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
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Cream together until light and fluffy.
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- 4 eggs, at room temperature
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Beat in one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition.
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- 1 cup buttermilk
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Stir the dry ingredients and the buttermilk alternately to the butter-sugar-egg mixture: a third of the flour, half the buttermilk, a third of the flour, the remaining buttermilk, then the remaining flour.
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- 2 cups cranberries, coarsely chopped
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Fold in.
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Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over top.
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Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Let cool before serving.
Variations
- For a streusel effect, spread half the batter into the pan, then some or all of the crumb topping, then top with the rest of the batter.