Kitchen Little Essentials
For this recipe, you will need:
She’s a beaut, no? I think I singlehandedly made my daughter’s day yesterday when she saw this Berry Crumble Picnic Cake (berry coffee cake), berry-loving thing that she is. She burst through the door after a day at school, leaving an ever-conspicuous trail of her presence, what with her dropped backpack and kicked-off shoes, and ran straight into the kitchen.
“Mommy what’s that great smell!?!” she inquired, literally licking her lips once her eyes spotted their target. She’s been around long enough now to recognize the signs … she’s seen me do my thing too many times not to know what’s up: the sweet and heady aroma of baked goods wafting from the kitchen, the flour-smeared apron I sport, the music (I always cook to the same playlist), the tell-tale patina of powdered sugar coating most surfaces within sight.
“It’s cake day!!” she’ll squeal, delighted by it all. “I KNEW it.”
Cake day indeed. This is SUCH a great recipe and I hope you guys have a chance to give it a spin this weekend. It’s basically a buckle, or a coffeecake, but I really love the sounds of “picnic cake,” don’t you? It’s dripping with charm. It also very aptly captures the positive and convenient attributes of the cake: simple, casual, transportable, low-maintenance, no muss, no fuss.
This is the perfect cake to travel with – to take to parties and gatherings, to squirrel away in lunch boxes as a special treat or to a picnic, clearly. With nary a buttercream, glaze nor frosting in sight, the ease with which this cake travels is due to its simple (yet still delicious) architecture, and it makes for the absolute perfect My Kitchen Little confection. You don’t even need utensils. Just slice it before you pack it up and everyone can grab a piece and enjoy it as they please.
Use any combination of fresh, sweet spring and summertime berries that you like, and please feel free to swap out the buttermilk for whole (or even coconut!!) if you like. I very much enjoy the tang of buttermilk and always use it in cakes like this, but do as you like here.
Lastly, I like to use a 10-inch springform pan for this recipe, but you can really bake it in a number of other pans, if you like. But I find that the springform really allows more freedom, as you can pop the cake out after it cools and then slice it into easily transportable pieces a you need.
If you make her, please do let me know how you fare! I absolutely love seeing when you make my recipes – it’s truly a joy – and you can tag me on Instagram and use #harvestandhoney to show off the goods!
Enjoy, friends.
Berry Crumble Picnic Cake
Perfect for breakfast or brunch (or dessert), it only takes 10 core ingredients (I typically don’t count salt) and two bowls to make this fantastic bursting berry picnic cake.
Ingredients
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
3/4 cup light brown sugar
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
2/3 cup buttermilk, you can sub whole milk
2 large eggs beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups fresh berries (a mix of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries – whatever you like)
For the Simple Crumble Topping
½-cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
6 TBSP butter at room temperature
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch spring-form pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt. To this mixture, add the oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Stir just until everything is well blended.
3. Pour the batter into the sprayed pan. Top with the berries.
4. For the simple crumble, in a medium bowl. Combine the flour, brown sugar, and butter. Using your fingers (I think this just works best), mix and mash the ingredients together until a crumbly streusel forms. Sprinkle this streusel over the berries in the pan.
5. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top and set. Allow the cake to cool almost all the way before removing it from the pan. Enjoy!
Keywords: Berry Crumble Cake
