Raspberry and Pecan Crumble Cake

I love all things Diana Henry, the famed British food writer—and a friend of mine!—whose books are packed with recipes that are the perfect blend of elegance and ease. This cake is a take on her rhubarb and almond cake, which is my very favorite kind of cake—one that is casual enough for breakfast or midafternoon snacking but also fancy enough for a dinner-party dessert. It’s sweet, but not too much, with a wonderful, generous layer of streusel. The raspberries add a layer of gentle sharpness to balance the buttery richness. This cake is delicious with cream whipped into lazy, soft peaks. But I also adore it with ice cream that’s been generously tempered to an almost soft-serve texture. Of course, you could lean away from dessert and toward snacking and serve the cake with a bracing pot of coffee, in which case you don’t need the whipped cream. – Chef Renee Erickson

Ingredients:

For the cake: 

• ¾ cup (1½ sticks/170 g) unsalted butter, plus a bit more to butter the pan, softened 
• ¾ cup (150 g) sugar 
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature 
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour, sifted 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 2 tablespoons milk 
• 2½  cups (300 g) raspberries, fresh or frozen 

For the crumble: 

• 1½  cups (190 g) all-purpose flour 
• ⅓ cup (60 g) brown sugar 
• ½ cup (1 stick/115 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 
• 1½ cups (160 g) whole pecans, roughly chopped 

For serving: 

• Soft whipped cream, ice cream, or crème fraîche (optional) 

Instructions

Make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Butter the paper as well. 

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter and ½ cup (100 g) of the sugar on low speed to combine, then continue on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale, soft, and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides after each addition. The batter will curdle at this point. Don’t worry. Mix in the salt and vanilla and scrape again. Turn off the machine and add the flour and baking powder, then mix on low speed until barely combined. Thin the batter out by mixing in the milk, then pour the batter into the prepared pan. 

In a small bowl, toss the raspberries with the remaining  ¼ cup (50 g) sugar and arrange them evenly on top of the cake batter. 

Make the crumble:

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar. Toss in the cold butter pieces and press and smoosh the butter into the flour mixture by hand, working the butter to break down into small pea-sized pieces (this crumble is rather loose compared to some other coffee cake streusels, but it cooks into a beautiful crackly crust). When mixed well, toss in the pecans and stir well. Sprinkle the crumble mixture onto the raspberry layer. Spread out the mixture just a bit, but don’t try to make it flat. The unevenness will make it better. 

Bake until a skewer poked into the center of the cake emerges clean and the topping is lovely and brown, 70 to 80 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before running a knife around the sides and removing the springform ring. Let cool completely and serve with soft whipped cream, ice cream, or crème fraîche, if using. 

“Reprinted from Sunlight & Breadcrumbs: Making Food with Creativity & Curiosity by Renee Erickson with Sara Dickerman. Photographs © 2024 by Renee Erickson. Published by Abrams.”