Cinnamon Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake
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Cinnamon Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake
Indulge your taste buds in the delightful goodness of this Cinnamon Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake recipe. This sweet treat marries the warmth of cinnamon and the rich flavor of brown butter with the juicy sweetness of strawberries, all tucked beneath a buttery crumbly topping. It's a slice of heaven you won't want to miss! Gluten-free option
What Makes This Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake SO GOOD?
I love a good crumb on a cake--That delightful crumbly goodness just adds that extra oomph of texture and sweetness! It was actually all thanks to you guys that I came up with this strawberry crumb cake recipe. I've seen how much you enjoy my strawberry recipes, and I know you're big fans of those 'crumble breads' like our Vegan Sweet Potato Crumble Bread. So, I thought, why not combine the two? That's how the irresistible Cinnamon Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake came to be!
Now, if you're anything like me, and you've got a soft spot for cakes (or, let's be real, just eating them!), then you absolutely must give my crumb cake recipe a whirl. Oh, and don't forget to check out my post on "Best Cake Flavors for Any Occasion" while you're at it.
This cake is a masterpiece of just the right sweetness, fluffiness, and softness, and it's loaded with juicy strawberry preserves and a drool-worthy crumbly sweet topping! One of the most wonderful things about this cake is its versatility. It's the perfect dessert for any occasion, all year round, whether you're having a laid-back backyard barbecue or a cozy evening in.
Jump to:
- What Makes This Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake SO GOOD?
- How To Make Cinnamon Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake?
- Ingredients
- 3 Tips for Perfecting Your Crumb Topping
- Why You Will LOVE This Strawberry Crumb Cake Recipe
- Tips For Making The PERFECT Strawberry Crumb Cake
- How To Serve Cinnamon Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake
- Perfect Occasions For A Slice Of Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake
- Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour
- How to Know If Your Baking Powder + Baking Soda Are Fresh
- Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake Q + A's
- Love Cake? Try These Sweet Creations Next!
- MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
- Cinnamon Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake
How To Make Cinnamon Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake?
Creating this crumb cake is a breeze, with just four key components to assemble: the cake itself featuring luscious strawberry layers, the crumb topping, and the strawberry glaze! Here's what you need for this strawberry crumb cake recipe:
Ingredients
Crumb Topping:
- Organic All-Purpose Flour: Creates a crumbly texture for the topping.
- Crushed Organic Cornflakes: Adds a unique crunch and a hint of corn flavor.
- Organic Brown Sugar: Infuses a warm, caramel-like sweetness.
- Ground Cinnamon and Allspice: Provide a delightful blend of spices.
- Unsalted Butter, Partially Melted: Forms those irresistible, buttery crumbs.
- Pinch of Sea Salt: Balances and enhances all the flavors.
Strawberry Layer:
- Organic Strawberry Preserves/Jam: Introduces a burst of fruity sweetness and a delightful jammy texture.
- Freshly-Squeezed Lemon: Adds a zesty brightness and complements the strawberries.
- Ground Cinnamon: Enhances the strawberry flavor with a touch of warm spice.
Cake:
- Organic All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure and a tender crumb. (Find GF option below in FAQ)
- Organic Cane Sugar: Sweetens the cake and enhances its moisture.
- Unsalted Butter: Infuses rich, buttery flavor and tenderness.
- Baking Powder: Leavens the cake, making it rise and become light.
- Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg: Add warm, comforting spices.
- Sea Salt: Balances flavors and enhances sweetness.
- Large Eggs, Room Temp: Contribute moisture and structure.
- Vanilla Extract: Elevates the cake's aroma and taste.
- Vegetable Oil: Ensures a moist, tender texture.
- Almond Milk (or alternative): Provides liquid and a subtle nutty note. Learn how to make homemade almond milk!
Strawberry Glaze:
- Organic Powdered Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the glaze.
- Unsalted Butter, Melted: Adds richness and smoothness.
- Organic Strawberry Preserves/Jam: Infuses a vibrant, fruity flavor.
- Almond Milk (or alternative): Adjust the glaze consistency to your liking.
3 Tips for Perfecting Your Crumb Topping
Ingredient Order Matters:
Start by combining brown sugar, cornflakes, cinnamon, and salt. Then, blend in the melted butter. Finally, gently incorporate the flour. Adding the flour before the butter can lead to flour absorption before the sugar has a chance to mix in.
Avoid Over-Mixing:
For the ideal crumbly texture, refrain from over-mixing once the flour is added. Overmixing can result in a paste-like consistency rather than those desired big crumbles. So, less is more in this case!
Press It In Gently:
After layering the crumb topping onto the cake batter, lightly press it into the cake layer to ensure it adheres and bakes beautifully.
Why You Will LOVE This Strawberry Crumb Cake Recipe
- Ready in 1 hour & WORTH THE WAIT.
- Irresistible crumb topping-- Get ready for a generous layer of buttery, cinnamon-kissed crumbs that's pure bliss.
- Warm and comforting with every bite.
- Jammy strawberry layer-- Enjoy juicy strawberry preserves that add fruity sweetness!
- Makes for the perfect sweet treat for the entire family
SHOP MY FAVORITE BAKEWARE ITEMS AND ACCESSORIES!
- Here, I’ve curated a list of bakeware essentials that I use to achieve my favorite baking treats, especially with this Strawberry Crumb Cake Everything from my fave baking sheets, parchment paper, mixing bowls, and more. SEE THEM HERE!
Tips For Making The PERFECT Strawberry Crumb Cake
Tip #1:
Another thing that I’ve learned about baking a cake is having the right tools. As a basic—-you should have a cake stand (preferably one that has a turnstile table), spatulas (big + small), piping bags + tips, correct baking pans, and parchment paper.
Tip #2:
One of the essential ingredient combos for a light, silky cake texture is baking soda/baking powder and acid ingredient. When acid and baking soda/baking powder reacts, it creates bubbles and helps to create a nice rise for your baked goods, leaving an airy texture.
Tip #3:
One of my latest tricks to a perfect cake has been to ensure that ALL of my dry ingredients are sifted. Trust me, ya’ll—-this works! Making all the dry ingredients fully sifted makes things airy, as you’ve guessed it and allows everything to combine faster.
Tip #4:
Never Over-mix! When creating a cake, it’s so important to add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients alternately and as soon as everything is combined very well, THAT’S IT! Over-mixing creates a more dense cake.
How To Serve Cinnamon Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake
This sweet treat has a place at brunch, tea time, and of course dessert! But it doesn't stop there.
Here are a few more creative ideas on how to enjoy this Cinnamon Brown Butter Crumb Cake-
Classic Slice: Cut a generous slice of the cake and savor every bite. The crumbly topping, jammy strawberries, and moist cake make each forkful so delicious.
Warm + Fresh: Enjoy a slice while it's still warm from the oven. The crumbly top and soft, moist interior make for a heavenly combination. Top it with homemade ice cream-- my favorites are No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream or No-Churn Butter Pecan Ice Cream for some nutty goodness.
Pair with a Beverage: Crumb cake pairs beautifully with a hot drink like this Easy Warm Apple Chai Latte
Brunch Goodness: Serve this cake as a sweet addition to your brunch spread. It pairs wonderfully with fresh fruit and a side of whipped cream.
Perfect Occasions For A Slice Of Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake
These events are a great excuse to eat cake!
- Birthdays
- Anniversaries
- Barbecues
- Potlucks
- Kids Sleepovers
- Holiday Gatherings
- Graduations
- Baby Showers
- Dinner Parties
- Actually, any time is a good time for cake, right? Bake away for a little weekday pep-up!
Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour
When it comes to the main ingredient of this entire strawberry oatmeal cake recipe—-the flour, I enjoy using Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour, which is ideal for all kinds of baking, including this one.
However, I do occasionally use Super-Fine Cake Flour which adds a nice airiness and fluffiness to your cakes as well.
How to Know If Your Baking Powder + Baking Soda Are Fresh
Baking is such a science, but more importantly because certain ingredients like your leaveners (aka baking powder + baking soda) are completely fresh so that your strawberry cake (and other baked goods) fully rise and bake through nicely.
Incase you weren't aware, there's an easy to double check both the baking powder and baking soda. Here's what you need:
BAKING SODA HACK:
-Add 1 teaspoon baking soda with ¼ cup vinegar or lemon juice in a bowl and if it's fresh, the mixture should "bubble/fizz". If no bubble/fizz is present, then your baking soda needs to be replaced.
BAKING POWDER:
-Add 1 teaspoon baking powder with ¼ cup Hot tap water in a bowl and if it's fresh, the mixture should "bubble/fizz". If no bubble/fizz is present, then your baking powder needs to be replaced.
Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake Q + A's
To make this cake entirely gluten-free, simply substitute the flour with a great Gluten-Free flour option like Bob's Red Mill's GF 1-to-1 baking flour or All-purpose flour. If using any other flour, ensure that it has Xanthan Gum included or add 1 teaspoon in with any flour that doesn't. For the remaining ingredients, just make sure that they are GF-friendly and you use arrowroot starch which is very GF-friendly.
This issue can occur for TWO reasons: the first being that you didn't allow the cake to cool enough before removing it. I always recommend letting it cool for at least 20-30 minutes before removing it and letting it cool completely on a cooling rack. Secondly, the issue could be that the pan wasn't greased well. I like to grease + add cake pan parchment paper to the bottom.
Keep cake leftovers stored for up to 4-5 days in the fridge. Keep it in an airtight container to keep the cake from drying out. You can also freeze the cake tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the cake on the counter.
Absolutely! You can always bake this cake the night or day before and let it cool, tightly wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. When ready to serve, let cake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour, whip together the glaze, add your favorite topping, and serve each slice!
Love Cake? Try These Sweet Creations Next!
- Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Cake
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Apple Cinnamon Olive Oil Cake
- Confetti Chocolate Chip Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake with Maple Buttercream
- Vegan Carrot Cake + Orange-infused Frosting
- Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you tried this Cinnamon Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you.
Cinnamon Brown Butter Strawberry Crumb Cake
Ingredients
CRUMB TOPPING:
- 1 cup organic all-purpose flour
- 1 cup crushed organic cornflakes
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsps ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup unsalted butter, partially melted
- Pinch of sea salt
STRAWBERRY LAYER:
- 1 cup organic strawberry preserves/jam
- ½ lemon, freshly-squeezed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
CAKE:
- 2 cups organic all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups organic cane sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 tsps baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs, room temp.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup Almond milk (You can also use buttermilk or regular cow's milk)
STRAWBERRY GLAZE:
- ½ cup organic powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 2 Tbsps organic strawberry preserves/jam
- 1-2 Tbsps Almond milk (You can also use heavy cream or regular cow's milk)
Instructions
TO MAKE THE BROWN BUTTER:
TO MAKE THE CRUMB TOPPING:
- In a bowl, add the flour, crushed cornflakes, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and allspice, stirring until combined. Add the partially melted butter and using a spatula, mix until combined and 'crumbly-like'. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE STRAWBERRY LAYER:
- In a bowl, add the strawberry preserves/jam along with lemon juice and cinnamon, stirring together until smooth. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE CAKE:
- Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease (w/ butter or spray) and line the bottom with parchment paper of a 9-inch round cake pan. NOTE: For greater ease, you can use a 8 to 9-inch springform pan as well so that you can remove it more easily once baked.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add together the sugar and cooled brown butter, mixing by using a hand-mixer on medium-high speed, until combined and "sand-like", about 1-2 minutes. Add in the oil followed by the eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla and the milk followed by the dry ingredients, mixing everything together until well combined, smooth, and lump-free, about 2-3 minutes.
ASSEMBLY:
- FIRST LAYER: Pour/scoop batter into prepared pan, spreading everything around for a perfect evenness.
- SECOND LAYER: Generously spoon the strawberry layer mixture atop cake batter, evenly spread until covered.
- FINAL LAYER: Add the crumb topping atop the strawberry layer mixture and spread evenly until completely covered.
BAKE THE CAKE:
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the center of the cake comes out clean when tested with a toothpick or butter knife.
- Once done, remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely (about 1-2 hours) before carefully lifting it from the pan. NOTE: To best remove, I recommend gently turning your cake over and "shake" out of pan, flipping it back right side up once until cake stand or platter.
TO MAKE THE STRAWBERRY GLAZE:
- In a bowl, add the powdered sugar, melted butter, strawberry preserves/jam, and milk, whisking until combined and smooth.
- Once the cake is fully cooled, drizzle on the strawberry glaze atop everything.
- To serve, slice cake and top with your favorite ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!
- Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
- STORAGE: Keep leftover cake tightly wrapped using plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days. To store frozen (frosted or unfrosted), simply tightly wrap and cover cake and freeze for up to 2-3 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature.
- FLOUR: You can always just use cake flour for this recipe.
- MAKE AHEAD: You can always bake this cake the night or day before and let it cool, tightly wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. When ready to serve, let cake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour, whip together the glaze, add your favorite topping, and serve each slice!
- GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: To make this cake entirely gluten-free, simply substitute the flour with a great Gluten-Free flour option like Bob's Red Mill's GF 1-to-1 baking flour or All-purpose flour. If using any other flour, ensure that it has Xanthan Gum included or add 1 teaspoon in with any flour that doesn't. For the remaining ingredients, just make sure that they are GF-friendly and you use arrowroot starch which is very GF-friendly.
- SALTED VS. UNSALTED BUTTER: You can always substitute the salted butter with unsalted butter. When doing so, you can omit the salt as an ingredient.
Nutrition
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