My incredibly soft and flavourful Raspberry and Lemon Crumb Cake is just perfect for an afternoon coffee break. A sweet lemon sponge, with fresh raspberries sprinkled over and a crunchy, golden topping. Easy, Summery and definitely a new favourite!
Ever have those days where you wonder if it’s actually safe to be left alone without “adult” supervision?!?!
I mean, I’m normally pretty clumsy, but yesterday?! A whole new level of butter fingers.
I didn’t seem to be able to pick anything up without almost flinging it across the room, dropping it or hitting myself with it…! Madness.
And then I took Poppy for a walk and she is obviously wayyyy stronger than me because she smelled something interesting and then almost took my feet from under me.
I must have looked a right fool. Maybe I should have a sign on my back saying “WARNING, super clumsy person, approach with caution!”
One thing that did go right in the last few days though is this cake.
It makes me look forward to a coffee break even more than usual, because it is the most heavenly pairing.
I wasn’t sure whether or not to call this a crumb cake or a coffee cake. Is there a difference? They both seem similar to me? I’d love to know if you know the difference!
Even though it’s a crumb cake, it’s still really the perfect cake to have with coffee. Or tea… whatever your preference.
It’s soft and light with plenty of zesty lemon coming through.
The actual cake itself is pretty simple, a lemon zest and sour cream along with flour, eggs etc.
After tipping it into my greased tin, I then sprinkled 1 and 1/2 cups fresh, juicy raspberries on top and pressed them into the batter ever so slightly.
To finish it off, I made a crumb topping with butter, sugar and flour; rubbing it together with my fingers to create crumbly deliciousness.
I like a good coating of crumb, so this recipe makes enough to completely cover the cake and raspberries.
I know it’s a terrible word to describe a cake, but I can’t find another one, so this cake is incredibly… moist.
There. I said it. It totally keeps all its moisture and there is not a dry slice of cake in sight.
Can we take a moment to hail berry season?! The strawberries are sweet, the raspberries juicy and melt in your mouth…. it’s the BEST time of year. Even better than Christmas.
OK… it’s pretty close with Christmas. I do like a mince pie and some presents.
On a completely different note, is your Pinterest feed full of Christmas stuff at the moment? It’s only June. Although according to Twitter, it’s only 200 odd days until Christmas.
But there are plenty more berry recipes to be had before then! 😀
Happy Tuesday friends, you should go make this cake and then have a long, relaxing coffee break!
Raspberry and Lemon Crumb Cake
Ingredients
- For the crumb topping:
- 1/2 stick (56g) unsalted butter left at room temp for 10 minutes
- 2/3 cup (90g) plain flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar
- For the cake:
- 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) caster sugar
- Zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups (280g) plain flour
- 1 cup (240g) sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups (187g) fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F and grease and line an 8 x 8 inch square pan.
- Make the crumb topping first: Place butter, flour and sugar into a medium sized bowl and rub between your fingers until you have a coarse breadcrumb texture, some larger lumps are fine. Leave to one side.
- Place butter, sugar and lemon zest into a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla, scraping sides as necessary, and mix until well incorporated.
- Add in salt, baking powder and flour and stir on low until it just starts to come together, then add in the sour cream and continue mixing on low-medium speed until well combined, smooth and there are no lumps of flour.
- Tip into your greased pan and spread until level with a spoon/spatula. Sprinkle raspberries all over the cake and press them ever so slightly into the batter.
- Sprinkle your crumb topping all over the raspberries, you will have enough to cover the cake completely, a good crumb layer is a necessity!
- Once you've added the crumb topping, place in the oven for 35-45 minutes (mine took 45 minutes this time round, but previously has taken 35) until risen, golden and an inserted skewer into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the pan completely, before transferring to a cutting board to slice into 12-16 pieces.
- Crumb cake will keep in an airtight container, at room temperature for 4 days. Lemon flavour is better on the second day, but the crumb topping won't be as crunchy.
Notes
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Annie is a self-taught baker, recipe developer and food photographer, who has an obsession with dessert and beauty! 
