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Blackberry Crumb Cake

September 24, 2012

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Blackberry Crumb Cake

Somehow, though I’m not always sure how, my days are jam packed, crazy busy.  From the time I get up to somewhere between eight and nine at night, I feel like I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  There’s email and Twitter to check on the computer and my phone, which is almost always by my side.  There are blog posts to write, and hopefully a little time to work on my other writing projects.  Reading other blog posts and leaving comments is a time consuming, yet very enjoyable part of my day.  I spend a fair deal of time exercising, which is why I can eat all of these desserts and still fit into my favorite fancy party dresses, not to mention its almost instant ability to clear my mind.

I run around the kitchen, baking, cooking, and cleaning up.  I edit photos and videos, and try to read the ever growing pile of magazines I seem to be unable to make time for.  By the magical time eight or nine at night rolls around, the dishwasher is loaded, my nails are touched up, and my tweets are sent, my eyes are bleary and ready to focus their attention on a different screen: the television.

Unbaked Cake

Unbaked Cake with Blackberries

Unbaked Cake with Topping

I love TV and all kinds of TV shows.  There are so many good ones I no longer encounter a summer drought.  But no matter how busy I am, no matter how many TV shows TiVo is begging me to watch and delete, when it comes time for Friday and Saturday nights, Mom, Dad, and I watch a movie OnDemand.  I haven’t been to the movies in probably about 8 years, and I don’t see a reason to.  They’re crowded, expensive, require me to be there at a certain time, don’t have a pause button, and sometimes the viewing experience isn’t super enjoyable due to some of the other patrons.

I love movies, though, and the three or so months a movie typically takes to make it to DVD and OnDemand fly by most of the time.  It’s one of the high points of my week when Dad asks if I’m ready to look at movies.  We look and choose one to watch with Mom in mind, who’s usually also trying to wrap up her day.  Sometimes they’re amazing.  We can’t wait to watch them again and are engrossed from beginning to end, like Moneyball.  Sometimes we aren’t quite sure what to think, though we enjoyed our viewing time, like The Hunger Games.  And sometimes we even turn off the movie, unable to so much as think about wasting another moment of our time on what fills our screen, like Bridesmaids (sorry to those of you who liked it; I will never understand that movie).

Blackberry Crumb Cake

Whether the movie was good or bad, I love my time sitting there watching, no phone in my hand, hopefully no blog stresses or book ideas scrolling through my mind.  Upon seeing the credits roll, the only thing I am thinking is I can’t wait for the next movie night to come around.

Though I don’t eat while we watch movies, no snacks are another way I keep fit, this Blackberry Crumb Cake would make an excellent movie watching snack.  The process of making the cake is very interesting, as it used a food processor.  I was a bit leery, but the result was a perfectly moist, quite light cake, leaving me wanting to use this super easy method again.  The blackberries, more picked by my wonderful Dad, as the berry farm has two harvests each year, were superb and take on an almost jam like flavor and texture.  The crumb topping stays soft through the baking process, and together the three layers and flavors are magic.  Though I was uncertain about this recipe, I fell in love with it after only a bite or two.  Hopefully I fall in love with the next movie I watch too!

Blackberry Crumb Cake

Blackberry Crumb Cake

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Blackberry Crumb Cake


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 9 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

Topping

  • ½ cup pecans
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cubed

Cake

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed, plus more for pan
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • About 2 ½ cups blackberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan.
  2. Make the topping. In a food processor, place pecans, sugar, flour, and butter. Pulse until crumbly and mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour into a bowl, and wipe out the food processor, but it’s okay if there are some crumbs left.
  3. Make the cake. In the food processor, place butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse until crumbly and mixture resembles coarse meal. There should be very few large lumps. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix to combine. Add the flour and stir together until just combined.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread into an even layer. Place the blackberries in a single layer on top of the batter. They should be placed as close together as possible, but should remain in only one layer. Cover the entire surface of the batter. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over blackberries. It should cover them entirely.
  5. Bake 65-75 minutes (possibly longer, mine could have used a few more minutes, but I have no complaints about the cake), until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, rotating halfway through if necessary (I found it wasn’t). Cool completely in pan. May be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen in pieces wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 4 months. Thaw at room temperature for several hours or in a 350 degree F oven wrapped in parchment placed on foil for about 15 minutes.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Love.Life.Eat

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 75 mins

Did you make this recipe?

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Filed Under: Baked Goods, Bars, Cake, Coffee Cake Tagged With: Blackberries, Cake, Cinnamon, Coffee Cake, Crumb Cake, Dessert, Pecans, Vanilla

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Comments

  1. Erika says

    September 24, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    Looks amazing…what a great idea! I don’t think I’ve seen blackberries in cakes very often!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 24, 2012 at 7:30 pm

      Thanks, Erika! There aren’t many blackberry recipes out there at all, but they’re one of my favorite fruits, so I’m always looking for and trying to think of different ways to use them.

      Reply
  2. felicia sullivan says

    September 24, 2012 at 4:14 pm

    So glad the cake turned out PERFECTLY. It looks scrummy. Warmly, f.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 24, 2012 at 7:31 pm

      Thanks, Felicia, and thanks for visiting 🙂 The cake was so perfect and amazing. Can’t wait to make it again!

      Reply
      • felicia sullivan says

        September 24, 2012 at 9:17 pm

        YAY!! So tickled to have found your blog.

        Reply
        • Laura says

          September 26, 2012 at 3:14 pm

          Thanks, Felicia 🙂 I hope you’ll visit often!

          Reply
  3. Joanna says

    September 24, 2012 at 5:01 pm

    It is fun to watch a movie in the comfort of your own home. I love blackberries and this cake is wonderful. The crumb topping makes the cake.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 24, 2012 at 7:32 pm

      Yes, there’s nothing like watching a movie at home! I love the crumb topping too, but it’s the combination of the cake, blackberries, and topping that really makes it for me 🙂

      Reply
  4. Debbie Eccard says

    September 24, 2012 at 9:14 pm

    Looks fantastic….

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 26, 2012 at 3:13 pm

      Thanks, Debbie 🙂

      Reply
  5. Christina @ Sweet Pea's Kitchen says

    September 25, 2012 at 1:24 am

    Look at that crumb topping! Delicious! 🙂

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 26, 2012 at 3:14 pm

      Oh, yeah, that crumb topping is perfect, Christina!

      Reply
  6. Ala says

    September 26, 2012 at 6:02 am

    What a fantastic tradition to keep your mind cleared–I definitely miss weekly rituals with my family and friends, but a movie night to wind down with sounds like a great idea! I have yet to watch the Hunger Games, so we’ll have to start with that. Thanks for sharing this scrumptious snack.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      September 26, 2012 at 3:16 pm

      Movie night is such a great way to end the week. It really forces me to slow down and take a breath even when I have a million things to do. I’d love to know what you think of The Hunger Games when you watch. I definitely had mixed feelings about it.

      Reply

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Welcome to Pies and Plots. I’m Laura Dembowski, writer, baker, and fashionista sharing recipes, reviews, and tips to inspire you to enjoy life both inside and outside the kitchen.
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