Cherry Walnut Crumble Cake
Chop the cherries and stir them with the sugar and orange zest. For the streusel, pulse flour, walnuts, and brown sugar in a food processor, pour in the melted butter, and pulse 2 or 3 more times. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, stir in the eggs, and mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Spread half the batter into a 9-inch square pan, spoon on the drained cherries, dollop on the rest, swirl with a knife, top with streusel, and bake at 350° until golden brown.
A crumble cake is a wonderfully versatile thing, at home on a breakfast table or a dessert plate with equal ease. This one ribbons a bright, citrus-kissed cherry filling through a tender cake and crowns it with a buttery walnut streusel, so every slice offers soft cake, jammy fruit, and a nutty crunch all at once. It is the sort of cake you bake on a slow morning and find yourself returning to all day long.
The Cherry Ribbon and Cake Batter
Prepare the cherry filling brightened with a little citrus, and build a tender cake batter to cradle it. Spoon the batter and the cherry ribbon in turns so the fruit runs through the cake in jammy veins — the citrus keeps the cherries from turning cloying and lifts the whole cake.
The Walnut Streusel Crown
Scatter the buttery walnut streusel generously over the top before baking so it turns golden and crisp in the oven. That crumbly, nutty crown is the signature of a great crumble cake, offering a satisfying contrast to the soft cake and jammy cherries beneath.
Cherry Walnut Crumble Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Chop the cherries on a board with a sharp knife and place them into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and orange zest.
- Place the flour, walnuts and brown sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine.
- Pour in the melted butter and pulse 2 or 3 more times.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a 9-inch square cake pan with vegetable oil spray.
- Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
- Use an electric mixer to combine the butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the eggs.
- Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing only until just combined to prevent overworking the gluten.
- Spread half of the batter into the pan.
- Drain excess juice from the cherry filling and spoon onto the batter.
- Dollop the remaining batter over the top and spread with a spatula to somewhat cover the cherries. This doesn’t have to be perfect!
- Run a knife through the batter to swirl everything together.
- Sprinkle the streusel on top.
- Bake until the coffee cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.
The Heart of the Table
A crumble cake set out on the counter is an all-day invitation — good with morning coffee, welcome with afternoon tea, lovely as an after-dinner sweet. There is a homey, generous warmth in a cake this versatile, the kind that quietly says there is always a slice for whoever wanders through the kitchen.
The Art of the Host
Ribbon the cherry filling through the batter rather than dumping it in one layer, so the fruit runs throughout, and cool the cake before slicing so the streusel stays put. Serve it slightly warm for breakfast or at room temperature for dessert.
Neighborly Grace
- The Preparation: This cake keeps well for a couple of days covered on the counter, the flavor settling as it rests. Bake it the day before a brunch or gathering, and it will be just as good — if not better — when you serve it.
- The Pour: A cup of coffee or a pot of black tea suits it perfectly at breakfast; for a dessert pairing, a glass of cherry-forward red or, for a non-alcoholic option, a sparkling black cherry soda echoes the fruit beautifully.
- The Vibe: Serve it in generous squares from the pan, warm in the morning or plated for dessert. This is easy, all-day baking — the versatile sort of cake that suits a slow breakfast, an afternoon visit, or a quiet sweet after supper equally well.