Chocolate Strawberry Crumb Cake – Perfect Valentine’s Day Breakfast Treat
Valentine’s Day is often about flowers and fancy dinners. Why not start the day off with a delicious breakfast treat? I don’t know about you but I am a big fan of crumb cake. I’ve made several different types but I think I’ve finally found my favorite. At least until I create a new favorite recipe! I was experimenting and came up with Chocolate Strawberry Crumb Cake and thought it would make the perfect Valentine’s Day breakfast. A piece of this and a cup of coffee would be a very sweet way to start the day.
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Chocolate Strawberry Crumb Cake
Adapted from The Perfect Cake by America’s Test Kitchen
Serves 9
Crumb Topping
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- 8 TBS unsalted butter melted, kept warm
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour
For the Cake
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 TBS unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into pieces
- 1/3 cup buttermilk or sour cream mixed with milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced (can be frozen)
- 1.5 oz semi sweet chocolate
- confectioner’s sugar for dusting
- Preheat oven to 325°
- Line an 8 x 8″ pan with foil. Grease or use cooking spray on the foil.
Make the Crumb Topping
- Add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom to a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Pour in the melted butter and stir until crumbs form. Set aside
Make the Cake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached add the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mis together on low speed until combined.
- Continuing on low, add the butter, one piece at a time, mixing until it looks like wet sand.
- Add the buttermilk (or sour cream/milk), vanilla, egg, egg yolk and mix on medium high for one minute until light and fluffy. Batter will be thick.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula.
- Evenly sprinkle the sliced strawberries over the top of the batter.
- Either grate or finely chop the chocolate. Evenly cover the strawberries with the chocolate.
- Cover the chocolate layer with the crumb mixture, squeezing to make larger crumbs if desired.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
- The cake is done when a tester comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan to cool completely.
- Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.
How Was the Chocolate Strawberry Crumb Cake?
DE-licious! This is my best iteration yet of crumb cake. Prior I was happiest with the Crumb Cake with Apricot Filling and Chocolate Drizzle but now I have a new favorite. The strawberries and chocolate both come through quite well flavor wise.
The crumbs are delightful in this recipe. The different spices make for a really flavorful topping. I used berries from our garden this summer. Freezing fruit for future use is so easy and I love having home grown fruit on hand to use in the dead of winter.
