Strawberry Streusel Cake

Inspired by Nigella Lawson’s ‘Very Smart Strawberry Streusel Cake’, my gluten free version is just perfect for sunny May weather and dessert al fresco. The best part about this cake is the dough does double-duty. The crust comes out a bit like a shortbread cookie, the filling is jammy and fruity, and the top is a perfectly crumbly. Serve with a bit of whipped creme fraiche and you have dessert heaven.

Strawberry Streusel Cake

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

For the Jam Layer:

8 ounces (about 1 pint) fresh strawberries, hulled

3 TB strawberry jam (or other berry jam)

2 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp vanilla extract

1- In a blender, combine the strawberry and jam and process until combined. Make a slurry of the cornstarch and vanilla extract, add to blender, and blend until smooth. Set aside for later.

For the cake and crumb topping:

3/4 cups sugar

1 cup white rice flour

3/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

12 TB ( 1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1 TB vanilla extract

2 tsp turbinado sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan wth cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flours, xanthan, baking powder, and baking soda. Sprinkle in butter cubes and use your fingers to rub them in, as if you were making pie dough, until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea and walnut-sized pieces of butter.

3. Remove 1/2 cup and set it aside as the topping in a medium bowl.

4. To the large bowl, add sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Mix well.

5. Dollop a little over half of this batter into the prepared pan. With slightly damp hands, pat the batter across the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides; the mixture will be very sticky and somewhat uneven.

6. Pour over the strawberry puree in an even layer over the batter, leaving a rim of dough around it. Cover with dollops of remaining cake mixture, trying to distribute them as evenly as possible and using damp hands to thin them out as needed. Don’t worry to much about this if the dollops are uneven. It will all bake together in the end.

7. Add the turbinado sugar to the reserved 1/2 cup dough and stir with a fork to mix in. Sprinkle evenly over the cake.

8. Bake until lightly golden, about 45 minutes. The cake will not feel completely ‘set’ when it is cooked as the jam layer will remain soft to the touch. Cool completely before serving at room temperature.