This Strawberry White Chocolate Crumb Cake is the perfect way to celebrate the season and the beautiful berries in the markets. The incredible flavor of the fruit shines in this cake and it will become your go-to all summer long!
Be sure to save a few berries for garnishing your plates when you serve this cake. It helps your family and guests anticipating what they will be tasting!
Top: fresh strawberries in pan; Middle: cake batter covering fruit; Bottom: finished cake with bubbling juices at the edges
If you don’t want to use vanilla bean paste (my preferred ingredient), you can use a single vanilla bean instead. Split and scrape out the seeds to use in the recipe.
Be sure to taste your berries as you are prepping them to see if you need to add some more sugar (or less). My berries were quite tart since it is early in the season, and I added a bit more sugar to help balance the flavors. Remember that sugar melts and becomes liquid so don’t add too much!
This Strawberry White Chocolate Crumb Cake is so delightful that you will want to make it with other fruits that are in season. Mixed berries would be fantastic. Cherries would be phenomenal. Peaches have me swooning. Apples of course are perfect for the fall season. And think about adding some complementary spices to the cake dough to enhance the flavors of the fruits. This is a very flexible recipe!
The berries break down in the heat and become liquid, thickened a bit by the cornstarch, a lovely counterpoint to the delicate cake. It is such fun to watch this bake with the beautiful red strawberry juices bubbling up around the edges and enjoy the luscious aromas filling the house.
There are both wet and dry ingredients to measure in this recipe and having an extra set of measuring spoons helped me reduce the times I had to wash and dry them. I went decades with only one set and now can’t imagine why it took me so long to get another one.
Don’t forget to put the cake pan on a baking sheet so that it will catch any juices that might overflow. My pan held it all but the juices were bubbling right up to the top edge. It is much easier to clean the sheet pan than it is the bottom of your oven!
If you are serving this cake on a hot summer day/evening, a scoop of ice cream is delicious alongside! Whipped cream would also be a wonderful addition.
This Strawberry White Chocolate Crumb Cake is a true delight that will thrill your family and friends. Pick up the freshest berries you can find, try your local farmer’s market if you can, for the best and most intense flavors! Celebrate the arrival of spring with summer not far behind and lots of warm evenings ahead!
If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Strawberry White Chocolate Crumb Cake:
- Fruit Layer: strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, corn starch, vanilla
- Crumb Topping: brown sugar, flour, salt, unsalted butter
- Cake: flour, baking powder, salt, white chocolate chips, milk
- Unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk
PRO Tip:
Lining the baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (Silpat) will keep the cake pan from sliding around, making it safer and easier to move it in and out of the oven.
How to make Strawberry White Chocolate Crumb Cake:
- Make the Fruit Layer: Toss the strawberries with the sugar, lemon juice, corn starch slurry, and vanilla and let sit about 30 minutes until the berries start to release their juices. Pour the fruit and juices in a 9×13-inch (22×33 cm) baking pan set on a sturdy baking sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat (to prevent sliding).
- Prepare the Crumb Topping: Cut the butter into the brown sugar, flour, and salt using a pastry cutter or your fingers until a coarse meal forms. Press the mixture into small clumps and set aside.
- Make the Cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a bowl, melt the white chocolate with the milk, stirring until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the melted white chocolate. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Mix in the vanilla and scrape the bowl and beater well. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.
- Bake the Cake: Spoon the batter over the fruit layer, spreading to the edges with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the top with the crumb topping. Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes** until the fruit is bubbling, the crumb topping is golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Store, covered in the refrigerator. Rewarm when ready to serve.
PRO Tip:
The easiest way to add multiple eggs is to break them all into a measuring cup with a spout and pour in one yolk and accompanying whites at a time to the mixing bowl.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Kitchen scale
- Citrus reamer
- Paring knife
- Pastry cutter
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Silicone baking mat (Silpat)
Gluten-Free Tips:
* You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
** My cake was done at about the 1 hour mark and didn’t need the other 15 minutes. This could be because I used a metal baking pan. Be sure to keep an eye on the cake and pull it out when it is done.
You will get the best results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Strawberry White Chocolate Crumb Cake (GF)
This Strawberry White Chocolate Crumb Cake is the perfect way to celebrate the season and the beautiful berries in the markets. The incredible flavor of the fruit shines with this cake and it will become your go-to all summer long!
Ingredients
FRUIT LAYER
- 3 lb (8 cups; 1336g) strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 2-1/2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2-1/2 tbsp cool water
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
CRUMB TOPPING
- 1/2 cup (107g) lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (75g*) GF all-purpose flour blend* or all-purpose flour
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick; 57g) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
CAKE
- 2-1/4 cups (270g*) gluten-free all-purpose flour* or all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (only if your GF flour doesn't already contain it)
- 1/4 cup (43g) white chocolate chips, melted with about 1 tbsp milk
- 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs (150g)
- 1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla bean paste or extract
- 3/4 cup (170g) buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly butter a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) glass or ceramic baking dish. Set the dish on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat (Silpat) which helps keep the dish from sliding on the pan and catches any overflowing juices.
- Make the Fruit Layer: In a large bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch slurry and vanilla bean paste and let stand until the berries release some of their juices, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the fruit filling into the prepared baking dish.
- Prepare the Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients then cut the butter in using a pastry cutter or your fingers until a coarse meal forms; press into small clumps. Chill until ready to use.
- Make the Cake: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour* with the baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum; set aside.
- In a small bowl, melt the white chocolate and milk in the microwave, heating in 10-second bursts and stirring after each one until smooth and creamy and all the milk is incorporated. Set aside. If it firms up too much to easily pour/spoon into the batter, reheat before using.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the melted white chocolate until fully incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and scrape down the bowl. In 3 additions, add the dry ingredients to the batter, alternating with the buttermilk. Be sure you begin and end with the dry ingredients.
- Bake the Cake: Spoon the batter in piles over the fruit filling, spreading it to the edges with an off-set spatula. Sprinkle with the crumb topping. Slide the baking sheet with the cake pan in the center of the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes**, or until the fruit is bubbling, the crumb topping is golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly.
- Serve the crumb cake warm or at room temperature.
- Make Ahead: The crumb cake can be refrigerated overnight – the top layer will soften as it sits. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
*You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
** My cake was done at about the 1 hour mark and didn’t need the other 15 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on the cake and pull it out when it is done.
You will get the best results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Adapted from a recipe in Food and Wine magazine, April 2009
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 599Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 501mgCarbohydrates: 107gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 16g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.
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