Strawberry Crumb Cake

This Strawberry Crumb Cake is incredibly easy to make. Soft, fluffy vanilla cake is topped with a layer of fresh ripe strawberries that get jammy when baked, and a buttery, crunchy crumble topping. This cake takes only minutes to mix together.

During the summertime, I always find myself gravitating toward the fruity desserts. There’s nothing that compares to using the season’s fresh produce when it’s at its peak ripeness. This Strawberry Crumb Cake is the perfect summery treat.

If you tried my blueberry crumb cake, this one is similar, but this Strawberry Crumb Cake uses all granulated sugar instead of the combo with brown sugar. The vanilla cake base is lighter and fluffier and the crumble topping has a bit more of a crunchy texture. The contrast in texture between the soft, vanilla cake, jammy strawberries and crunchy crumble topping truly makes this cake so delicious. It’s a toss up which cake I liked better, but this Strawberry Crumb Cake was absolutely delicious.

The details

make the crumble topping

The crumble topping is made using melted butter, so I like to usually make this first so it has time to set-up.

Here’s an interesting fact. Did you know that a crumble topping is made using melted butter, while a streusel is made using softened butter? The difference between the two lies within the crumb texture. A crumble has smaller crumbs, while the streusel topping results in larger pieces that are more tender when baked.

After mixing together the crumble topping, I like to sit the topping in the fridge to allow it to harden up. Before adding the crumble on top of the cake, I use a fork to break up the pieces and sprinkle the topping over the cake.

make the cake

As usual, I like to make my cakes easy to mix together. Most of the time I mix my cakes by hand, and just find it easier if I can mix together the wet ingredients, then add in the dry ingredients. This method is also hard to mess up. It literally takes a seconds to mix together the wet ingredients together, then a minute or so to mix the dry ingredients in. There’s no fancy mixing methods needed.

This cake batter is on the thicker side, which is what you want. You want the cake batter to be thick enough to hold the strawberries on top, when placed on the batter, so that you have a beautiful distinct layer of jammy strawberries.

add the strawberries and crumble topping

The strawberries are tossed with a little bit of flour before sprinkling over the cake batter. The flour helps to absorb some of the strawberry juices as they bake, which in turn helps prevent the strawberries from sinking. You may still end up with a strawberry or two that does sink down into the cake batter, but for the most part you should have the layer of fluffy vanilla cake, juicy strawberries and crumble topping.

After the strawberries have been sprinkled on the Strawberry Crumb Cake batter, you’ll add the crumble topping. Now, it’s ready to bake!

bake and serve

As the Strawberry Crumb Cake bakes, it fills your house with delicious smells of roasted strawberries and buttery crumble. Is there anything better? The cake takes roughly 40 minutes to bake. After it bakes, it needs to cool completely before slicing. If you slice a cake too early, it can be fragile and fall apart. I know it’s tough but try to wait until it’s at least mostly cool :).

Leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also wrap the cake up in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 1 month.

here are a few other recipes you may enjoy

• Strawberry Upside Down Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake Cake
• Blueberry Crumb Cake
• Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Let me know what you thought!

If you make this Strawberry Crumb Cake, let me know what you thought in the ratings and comments below. I always enjoy hearing your feedback. Make sure you find me on instagram @simplebakingwithpep and tag me if you make this. It brings me so much joy to see your creations that you make! You can also find me on youtube and facebook.

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