It’s berry season! For a couple weeks now the berries have been abundant and at a bargain. I always buy more than I need and put up several packages in the freezer for later. I’ve been craving a berry filled crumb cake to start my morning with that first cup of coffee. This cake turned out so good with it’s cream cheese and berry filling and topped with a streusel crumb topping. The only downside was that the topping virtually crumbled at every slice. I’m still picking up crumbs!
The cake ingredients are butter, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.
And berries . . . 2/3 cups each raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.
Get started first with the cake batter. In a mixing bowl cream together 1 stick of softened butter, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
About like that.
Combine the dry ingredients of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and add about half to the creamed mixture.
Alternate with buttermilk, mix, and then add the remaining flour. Blend together. The batter will be somewhat thick.
Time to make the cream cheese filling. It includes a package of Neufchatel cheese (cream cheese), 1 egg and 1/4 cup sugar.
I used my hand mixer for this since my other mixer was full of cake batter. Place it all together in mixing bowl and beat on high.
Blend until you get this creamy filling.
And for the crumb topping you’ll need some flour, butter, brown sugar and salt.
Combine the flour with the brown sugar and salt.
Cut in with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Butter a tube pan with 1 tablespoon butter. This will enable the cake to easily slide out of the pan.
Spread about half of the batter into the bottom of the tube pan. This may take a little patience as the batter is thick and takes a little bit of time to spread evenly.
Hollow out a small groove around the center and pour the cream cheese filling trying to stay to the inside. Drop the berries over top.
Cover the berries with the remaining cake batter. Again, take your time to spread evenly across the berries.
Fun part is when you spread the crumb topping. You might think this is way too much crumbs for one cake but just wait . . . you’ll love it!
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until cake is golden and toothpick tested. Transfer cake to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. When cool, transfer to a plate.
It’s hard to tell where the crumbs end and the cake begins. Such a crumbly tasty mess!
Crumb Cake with Berries and Cream Cheese
1 stick Unsalted Butter, softened
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3/4 cup Buttermilk
2/3 cup Fresh Blueberries
2/3 cup Fresh Raspberries
2/3 cup Fresh Blackberries
Cream Cheese Filling, recipe follows
Streusel Crumb Topping, recipe follows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter tube or angel food pan with 1 tablespoon butter.
Combine dry ingredients of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add about half the flour mixture and blend together well. Alternate with the buttermilk, blend together then add the remaining flour. Beat until you have a thick batter.
Spread about half the batter mixture into the bottom of the prepared tube pan. Pour the cream cheese filling onto the center of the cake batter. (You might want to hollow out a small grove with a knife to make it easier) Drop the berries over top of the cream cheese and batter. Top with the remaining batter spreading evenly over berries. Sprinkle streusel crumb topping over the top.
Bake at 60 minutes or until cake is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
Serves 8 – 10
Cream Cheese Filling
1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Egg
Using a mixer, blend ingredients together until creamy and smooth. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
Streusel Crumb Topping
2 1/2 cups Flour
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
Combine flour, brown sugar and salt in a medium sized bowl and blend well. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until it becomes coarse and crumbly.
An Inspired Cook 