Strawberry Crumb Cake
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Jul. 30, 2024
This Strawberry Crumb Cake is tender, tasty, and ridiculously flavorful. It’s a beautifully simple dessert that’s perfect for both breakfast and dessert.
In This Article
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Why This Recipe Stands Out
This strawberry crumb cake works wonders – here’s why:
- Easy, Affordable Ingredients: This recipe uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients, just like our Blueberry Coffee Cake.
- Impressive, with Minimal Effort: It features a tender cake layer on the bottom, with a no-fuss, thin cheesecake-flavored custard layer, and an easy fresh strawberry sauce on top.
- Amazing Strawberry Sauce: The fresh strawberry sauce can be used for everything from berry ice cream to New York cheesecake to Belgian waffles.
- No Frosting Needed: This cake is so packed with flavor that it doesn’t need frosting, saving you time and effort.
- Make-Ahead: As with most of our easy cake recipes, you can bake this up the night before and keep it covered at room temperature. It’s ideal for make-ahead brunch situations or dessert after a busy day.
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Fresh, Ripe Strawberries – The star of our recipe! The riper, the better your sauce will be. If needed, you can use frozen strawberries, but you may need a bit more sugar to offset the extra water content. Frozen berries also tend to be more tart.
- Cornstarch – This ingredient thickens the strawberry sauce, giving it a jam-like consistency that’s perfect for spreading over the cake.
- Regular Cream Cheese – Adds a creamy, tangy flavor to the custard layer and compliments the sweetness of the strawberries beautifully.
- Cold Salt Butter – The key to a crumbly, buttery topping that’s simply irresistible.
- Sour Cream – It’s the secret to a moist, tender cake.
- Stabilized Whipped Cream – This is an optional topping that’s light, fluffy, and won’t melt or become runny!
Substitutions And Variations
Take a look at some of our favorite substitution and variation ideas:
- Toppings: For a different topping, try our homemade cream cheese frosting or a scoop of your favorite ice cream as we use in our Peach Crisp recipe. Add slices of fresh strawberries or sprinkle on some roasted sliced almonds.
- Vary the Berries: Try raspberries or blueberries either as a substitution or in conjunction with the strawberries.
- Gluten-Free Option: For those with gluten sensitivities, you can substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- For the strawberry sauce, mix the cornstarch, sugar, and strawberries in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer until thickened, stirring frequently.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Then, beat in the egg and set aside.
- Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until lumps remain. Set aside 3/4 cup of this mixture for the topping.
- To the remaining mixture, add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, and vanilla.
- Fold the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture. Spread this cake batter evenly into the bottom of a greased springform pan.
- Spread the custard layer over the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pan. Spoon the strawberry sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle the reserved 3/4 cup of crumb mixture on top.
- Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Cool completely before removing the sides of the pan.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
Take a look at our favorite prep-ahead strategies for this recipe:
- Make the Sauce in Advance: Prepare the strawberry sauce 1-2 days ahead of time. Store it airtight in the fridge. When you’re ready to use it, just reheat it slightly.
- Bake The Day Before: Like most of our simple cake recipes, this cake can be baked the night before. Cover and store at room temperature until the next day.
- Freeze Leftovers: If you have any leftovers, you can also freeze them. Wrap the cake slices tightly and freeze for up to 2 weeks. This is a great way to enjoy a slice of this delicious cake whenever you want.
Commonly Asked Questions
Can I use frozen strawberries for the strawberry sauce?
Yes, you can use frozen strawberries if fresh ones are not available. However, make sure to thaw them and drain any excess liquid before using them in the sauce.
Why do we need to use a springform pan for this cake?
A springform pan is used for this cake because it allows you to easily remove the cake from the pan without having to flip it over. This is important to keep the layers of the cake together.
How long does Strawberry Crumb Cake keep?
This cake can be kept at room temperature, covered, for up to 2 days. If refrigerated, it can keep for up to a week.
Did you make this?
Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!
Strawberry Crumb Cake
This Fresh Strawberry Crumb Cake has a denser/rich texture that is perfect for both breakfast and dessert. Have it with coffee in the morning, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the evening.
Ingredients
For Strawberry Sauce
- 2 cups strawberries, ripe and fresh, sliced
- 2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1 TB water
- 3 TB granulated sugar
For Custard Layer
- 8 oz regular cream cheese
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
For Cake:
- 2 cups flour
- ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup salted butter, cold, sliced
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup sour cream, low-fat or fat free are fine
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- fresh strawberries, optional, or stabilized whipped cream, vanilla bean ice cream
Instructions
For the Strawberry Sauce
- In a saucepan, add dissolved cornstarch, sugar, and strawberries. Stir to combine well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Immediately reduce to a simmer; stir frequently and simmer uncovered 6-8 minutes or just until thickened to a jam-like consistency.
For the Custard
- In a bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Beat in egg until mixture is smooth. Set aside.
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°with rack on lower middle position. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter with pastry cutter or mix with clean hands until only pea-sized lumps remain; mixture will be dry and crumbly. Reserve 3/4 cup for topping at the end. To the rest of the flour mixture, mix in baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, gently whisk together the egg, sour cream and vanilla until combined; fold/stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture – it will still be lumpy, which is ok.
- Spread cake batter evenly into bottom of greased springform pan. Spread custard layer next, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge of pan. Spoon strawberry sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle with reserved 3/4 cup of crumb mixture on top.
- Place springform pan on a large baking sheet. Bake 50-60 minutes or until edges are golden and cake is puffed up. Cool completely before loosening sides of cake from pan – use a thin, sharp knife. Remove springform sides and place cake on desired platter. Serve at room temp or chilled.
Notes
- Remember that your butter for the crumb topping should be cold. This is what gives the topping its crumbly texture.
- If you’re using frozen strawberries, use them frozen or thaw/drain them. No need to slice frozen berries.
- This cake naturally has a slightly denser texture underneath the custard, but should remain tender and moist. Don’t over-mix your cake batter; just mix until the ingredients are combined, or cake can become overly dense.
- Feel free to add freshly sliced strawberries on top of finished cake for garnish. Top with Stabilized Whipped Cream for a light whipped topping that won’t become runny as it sits!
- This cake can be made ahead of time, covered airtight, and chilled until ready to serve.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 44.7g | Protein: 7.1g | Fat: 21.5g | Saturated Fat: 12.8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 92.6mg | Sodium: 297.1mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 22.1g
More to Bake and Eat
- The Best Peach Crisp – This is THE best and crispiest peach crisp you’ll ever sink your teeth into! The step of pre-baking the topping really helps you achieve that sought-after crunchy texture.
- Strawberry Cupcakes – These Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting are the real deal. Nothing artificial goes into these baby cakes. These cupcakes are tender, moist, and bursting with fresh strawberries.
- Best Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake – This Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake is perfect for summer when blueberries abound! Tender, moist, and luscious with ripe berries.
- Easy Surprise Raspberry Cake – This Easy Surprise Raspberry Cake is simply irresistible. It’s simple enough for a weeknight dessert and delicious for weekend brunch. A surprise ingredient makes this cake extra tender!