Raspberry & Almond Coconut Crumble Cake

June 16, 2014

Raspberry & Almond Coconut Crumble Cake | une gamine dans la cuisine

"This is June, the month of grass and leaves...already the aspens are trembling again and a
new summer is offered to me."

               ~ Henry David Thoreau, Journal, June 6, 1857

Thanks to a jeweled trove of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, my sluggish refrigerator is frisky and full. Milk and cream and olives have taken an apprehensively stoic stance behind the flourish of red & purple madness. Berries have tumbled and bounced their way into just about every meal and (floor!). Wintery neurosis has fled, finally, and I'm constantly falling in love with the tousled nature of June - even as I feel the soft, red stained crush beneath my careless left slipper.


If only I could press these untroubled days between the pages of an earthy tome; one that is rugged enough to hold onto a galaxy of feelings yet laced with a leafy gentleness capable of retaining the scent of grass and mint and raspberry-tinged cereal milk.


Raspberry & Almond Coconut Crumble Cake | une gamine dans la cuisine


This cake is just as irresistible as last month's pistachio and almond cake. Every recipe I have made from The Ginger & White Cookbook has been heroic (it's full of savory goodness too!).

The original recipe calls for rhubarb but the fluffy, tender cake is obliging enough to embrace just about any kind of fruit; I think blackberries would be charming! The ground almond-infused batter, along with a happy dollop of sour cream, made me want to devour the entire bowl with a spoon. (I morph into a wide-eyed six year old whenever I'm around messy, cake batter bowls.) As with all crumb cakes, the best part is the crumbly, pebble stone topping. This recipe literally makes a scrumptious mountain of crumb; every carefully cut slice results in an avalanche of buttery almonds and flaked coconut. It's marvelous!

I enjoyed a stolen slice of cake while gazing at Friday's super Honey Moon and listening to Yann Tiersen, by 2am the earth felt chimerical and I wanted to hold onto someone's moonlit back as we rode a scooter through the stratosphere...far enough to reach Yggdrasil's intricate branches. 


Raspberry & Almond Coconut Crumble Cake | une gamine dans la cuisine



Raspberry & Almond Coconut Crumble Cake
makes one 8-inch round cake
adapted from The Ginger & White Cookbook 

for the crumb topping
75g all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
75g tightly packed, dark brown sugar
50g unsalted butter, cold and cut into bits
1/2 Tablespoon half & half cream (or milk)
50g sliced almonds
50g sweetened, flaked coconut

for the cake
225g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
225g granulated sugar
3 room temperature eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
150g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
150g ground almonds
150g sour cream
200g fresh raspberries

method
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Butter an 8-inch round springform pan, line bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper and lightly flour entire pan.

Prepare topping: In a medium-size bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and brown sugar. Toss in the cold pieces of butter and, using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, work the butter into dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Add cream, almonds and coconut; mix till combined (the topping will be crumbly and chunky). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare the cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes on med-high speed). Slowly add beaten eggs and almond extract, beating well after each addition. {Note; don't worry if the batter looks clumpy.} Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground almonds. Use a large rubber spatula to fold dry ingredients into butter/egg mixture. Add the sour cream and, switching back to the paddle, beat until just combined; batter will be thick and heavy.

Scrape half the batter into prepared pan and smooth out the surface using a small offset spatula. Arrange raspberries in an even layer on top of batter. Scrape remaining cake batter over berries and smooth out the top again. Grab crumb topping out of fridge and sprinkle/crumble about 1/2 onto cake. Gently press into batter - just enough to make first layer of crumbs adhere. Add remaining topping.

Bake 55-60 minutes or until crumb topping is deep golden brown and a skewer inserted through center of cake comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and onto a cooling rack. Cool for about 15 minutes before releasing sides of springform pan. Cool completely before slicing.


15 comments:

  1. This cake! I'm smitten with the raspberries and plentiful crumble topping, what a gem!

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  2. The honey moon! Thank you for affixing the brass label to my unsorted memory. It needed a name.

    When I saw the lustrous disk slung low in the sky I could not believe it was the moon. "Drink up the last of the pinot grigio, Mama!" I called as I closed the front door. "I've seen the chariot of the extraterrestrials bearing down on little earth." We stood slightly apart in the garden and filled our eyes with her beguiling light until the prismatic refractions brimmed over our lashes.

    http://scribblerinthescullery.wordpress.com

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  3. That looks amazing! So much crumb topping! I love the flavors in here, raspberries are awesome in baked goods. :)

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  4. Sounds like a great cookbook, love this cake. Your presentation is gorgeous!

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  5. What a beautiful cake - there is nothing that makes summer more worthwhile than berries in abundance.

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  6. I'm about to bust out my kitchen scale at almost midnight! That cake sounds sooo goooood!

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  7. A delightful cake! I am a sucker for berries. They are so irresistible, delicious and versatile...

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  8. A lovely post. You are such a poet, Valerie. The cake is gorgeous and I must check out that cookbook.

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  9. the crumble on top makes it look 10000 times more delicious.

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  10. BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHY!First time on your blog..loving it!!

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  11. Gorgeous, luscious and just lovely cake I would be so happy to sit down and enjoy. If I were only your neighbour... :)

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  12. Love, love the cover photo! This coffee cake is a true winner. I would have a hard time eating just one slice.

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  13. I bet the coconut makes this cake, amazing! Isn't this weather the best, all those berries in the kitchen. I had blackberry juice stains all over my kitchen last week and I'm still finding more after cleaning up :)

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  14. Loving all the flavors here. Especially coconut. Yum!

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  15. The lighting is such perfection! And what a delicious looking recipe! You captured this so expertly!

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Thanks for visiting, and for taking the time to read through my ramblings!
If you have a recipe comment or question, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Baking!
♥ Valerie

 

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