Berries and Sour Cream Streusel Cake
Here’s a recipe for a tender coffee cake bursting with jammy berries and topped with a buttery streusel. The great thing about it (ok, one of the many great things) is that you can make it with berries that have gone past their prime. Soft, mushy specimens picked at their prime and not consumed quickly enough are perfect candidates. They’re going to sink into the cake and bake down to a bubbly pie-filling consistency anyway.
The sour cream keeps the batter moist and adds a subtle tang that enhances the sweet tartness of the berries.
It is a very flexible recipe that plays well with most any summer fruit, so feel welcome to freestyle with any sweet summer produce as it comes in season (cherries, peaches, nectarines, blueberries).
You could serve the cake warm with ice cream, if you like, or crown with a dollop of thick Greek yogurt and call it breakfast.
- Cook Time: 45min
- Yield: makes 1 cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar (divided use)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups raspberries or blackberries (or combination)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
For streusel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 1.5L baking dish (8x8” square or 9” round).
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour sour cream mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined (batter will be fairly stiff). Spread into prepared baking dish.
- Give the batter bowl a quick rinse, then add the berries and toss with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Scatter berries over cake batter.
- To make the streusel, stir together the butter, sugar and flour in a small bowl (I like to work it together with my hands). Sprinkle it evenly over the berries.
- Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes, until centre feels slightly springy when pressed or a tester comes out clean. (If the streusel is getting dark before the cake is done, loosely cover with foil and finish baking.) Cool in the cake pan on a wire rack.
