Strawberry Crumble Cake

Was in a mood for Strawberry tart but personally I can't enjoy the taste of a tart without ice-cream ..given the weather, decided to experiment with a nice warm cake instead. Again from my favourite site joyofbaking.com..I liked the idea of strawberries sandwiched between a soft cake texture at the bottom and a crisp crumbly texture on the top..yum!

Ingredients (serves 8)

For the cake batter

1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup (50 grams) (4 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) powdered white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
1 cup fresh strawberries

For the topping

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.  Grease a 6 inch round cake pan.

2. For crumble topping:  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and ground cinnamon.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Set aside while you make the cake batter.

3.In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

4.With an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated.  Add the flour mixture, alternately with the milk, and beat only until combined.  

5.Spread the batter onto the bottom of the prepared pan (see pic below)

6.Evenly arrange the strawberries on top of the cake batter and then sprinkle with the crumble topping.

7.Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly. 

8.Serve warm

The cake batter topped with the strawberries

The batter with the crumble topping

Cake just out of the oven