Strawberry Crumb Cake with Vanilla Glaze

By MJH

Yield: 9" cake

Ingredients

• For the Strawberry Filling:
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped into tiny pieces
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• For the Crumb topping:
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (not packed)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into tiny pieces
• For the Vanilla Cake:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (not packed!)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• For the Vanilla Glaze:
• 1 cup of confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of milk OR heavy cream, more if needed to achieve desired consistency

Details

Adapted from bakerbynature.com

Preparation

Step 1

For the Strawberry Filling:
Place the chopped strawberries in a small saucepan over medium-heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently and using a wooden spoon to press down on them slightly, until the strawberries are very soft and their juices have been released.
Place the cornstarch in a small bowl; whisk in the water and stir until evenly combined (be sure it's not clumpy).
Add in the sugar and cornstarch mixture and continue to cook - and stir - for another 2-3 minutes, or until smooth and thick. If the cornstarch clumps up a little bit, simply use a wooden spoon to break it up.
Remove pan from heat and transfer the filling into a small bowl; you should have about 1/2 cup of filling.
Set aside to chill while you prepare the next steps.

For the Crumb Topping:
In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter in a bowl; using two forks or pastry cutter, combine ingredients until the mixture is very crumbly and resembles a coarse meal.
The crumbs should be pea-sized.
Place mixture in the fridge or freezer until needed.

For the Vanilla Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Cut out a 9-inch round segment of parchment paper to line your cake pan with.
Spray the pan generously - sides and bottom - with nonstick cooking spray, then place the parchment paper cut out in the bottom of the pan and spray again.
It's important to make sure every bit of pan and paper are sprayed so your cake doesn't get stuck. Set pan aside.
In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), combine the butter, both sugars, and vanilla extract; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (don't skimp on time here!).
Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mixing well to evenly combine the ingredients.
Add the dry mixture into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until everything is just barely combined; about 15 seconds.
You should still see some lumps and dry streaks. Turn mixer off.
Add in the sour cream and milk and using a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients into the mixture, mixing until everything is incorporated, but being sure not to overmix.
Overmixing is very easy to do, and will result in a dry, dense cake.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Spread the strawberry filling evenly on top of the batter, leaving a 1" boarder around the edges, then sprinkle on the crumb topping.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden and the cake is completely cooked through.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before gently running a knife around the edges to loosen any stuck bits.
Carefully turn the cake out onto a large plate, then turn it back over onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Once cooled, drizzle with vanilla glaze, slice, and serve.

For the Vanilla Glaze:
In a small bowl combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and cream; whisk until smooth, adding more cream as needed to reach desired consistency.
Drizzle over the cooled cake right before serving.