This week produced another winner from Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook. The blueberry crumb cake really deserves a more complex name, befitting its multitude of strong flavors: Blueberry-cinnamon-lemon-almond (yes, I substituted almonds for walnuts) crumb cake. Ok, so the new name won’t win any iambic pentameter awards, but the other flavors come through so well, they deserve star billing.
The lemon is so prominent because of Dorie’s very simple, lovely technique of rubbing together lemon zest and sugar before combining them with butter and other ingredients. I suppose it releases all the fragrant and delicious lemon oil hiding out in the humble rind. Whatever the culinary rationale may be, I’ll be doing this for the rest of my life.
The topping stole the show in my opinion. If I were to tweak the recipe just a little, I’d make the cake a little shorter (use less batter) so there’d be a higher ratio of topping to cake. Along those lines, do not let anyone else volunteer to clean up after serving this crumb cake. Get yourself into the kitchen with the pan and mush together the little crumbs, then press that into the crumbly topping that fell off during the slicing process, and you’ll have the best bite of the day. The recipe is up on Sihan’s Befuddlement blog, or flip to pp. 192-193 of Baking: From My Home to Yours.
Holy cannoli, that looks amazing. Perhaps I’ve found a use for the very last bits of the 10 pounds of organic blueberries we froze last summer….
You’re right about the best bite of the day — this is one of those wonderful desserts where the best part is the part you left on your plate when you were eating it the first time! Yum, blueberry bits…
Oh my, this looks fabulous! I bet the almonds added a great flavor and texture. I also like a more prominent topping, but this cake was a winner nonetheless.
I could just make a cake of topping only, but the blueberry-lemon cake gives it a little something else! Delicious.
I love the lemon zest/sugar trick too. And this cake was sooo good!
Jennifer
I am so with you on the crumb topping.
It deserves to be doubled or trippled.
Love your cake and how well you describe it in this post.
I couldn’t believe how much fun it is to rub the zest with the sugar. And, oh, the smell! I had fun “cleaning” the counter under the cooling rack where I unmolded the cake. Yum, topping!
I love your cake, and you’re right about this cookbook…it’s a true winner!
Your cake looks amazing! I love that you used almonds in the topping, I think I am going to have to try that next time, sounds like it would be extra delicious
Wonderful! Looks great. I agree, Dorie’s zesty sugar rubbing technique is awesome!!
i’m with you – next time i want a higher crumb topping to cake ratio!
I love the fragrance of the lemon zest rubbed into the sugar! Your cake looks wonderful!
I like the almond substition. The topping was amazing!
Hmmm, now you’ve got me wanting to look for good iambic pentameter baked good names in Dorie’s book! Your cake looks gorgeous — your picture is a knockout! I also LOVE Dorie’s sugar/zest technique (we use it again for next week’s cookies!) and I will use it whenever sugar and zest are called for in a recipe. Oh, and I am so with you — the topping was the real star here!
Oh, YUM. Great photo.
The topping was mighty good! Your pictures look great, too.
I really like this cake, too. I am on board with your higher crumb to cake ratio. I would like to try hiding a layer of crumbs inside the cake.
This was a wonderful cake and yours looks great!