Eggless Strawberry Crumb Cake
You'll find yourself making this eggless strawberry crumb cake over and over again. It has three layers and results in the most beautiful cake. It's easy to make, completely egg-free, and guaranteed to have everyone reaching for a second slice.
Equipment
stand mixer or electric hand mixer
large and medium mixing bowl
8 x 8 metal baking pan
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- ¾ cup (98 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) white granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberry Layer
- 3 cups fresh strawberries chopped
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- juice from half a lemon
Cake
- 1 ¾ cup (228 g) all-purpose flour *measured correctly
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons of buttermilk room temperature or slightly warm
- ¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Grease a 8 x 8 metal baking pan or line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare the crumb topping
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, flour, sugar, and vanilla. Stir with a fork until crumbly. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.¾ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup white granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Prepare the strawberries
- In a medium bowl combined the chopped strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Stir until the strawberries are well coated in the mixture. Set aside.3 cups fresh strawberries, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar, juice from half a lemon
Prepare the cake batter
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1 ¾ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- In a stand mixer place softened butter and sugar. Cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup white granulated sugar
- Pour in the buttermilk, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar and mix until combined.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup + 2 tablespoons of buttermilk, ¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Pour in the dry ingredients and mix until the ingredients are just combined and there are no streaks of flour. Do not overmix as this will result in a dense cake.
Assemble and bake the cake
- Spread the cake batter evenly into the 8 x 8 cake pan.
- Spread the strawberry mixture on top evenly. Then sprinkle the crumb mixture on top.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes on the middle rack in the oven. You can insert a toothpick into the middle to ensure no cake batter comes out on it. There will likely be strawberry stains on the toothpick.
- Place on a wire cooling rack to allow air to circulate underneath while it cools.
- OPTIONAL: Once cooled you can dust powdered sugar on top or mix together some powdered sugar and water and drizzle on top.
Video
Notes
Measure the flour correctly: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off with a spoon.
Use room temperature butter and buttermilk so the ingredients mix together well.
Once the flour is added, mix only until combined. Overmixing can result in a tough cake.
For a 9 x 13 baking pan: Yes you can double this recipe and use a 9 x 13 baking pan. It will need a few more minutes of baking time.
To check if finished baking: Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done! The toothpick may have strawberry juice on it, but if it still has wet cake batter, add a few more minutes.
Fresh strawberries work best. Frozen strawberries release extra moisture and can make the cake soggy unless they are thawed and drained well.
To make this cake gluten-free use a 1:1 baking flour such as Bob Red Mill's 1:1 baking flour.
To make this cake dairy free: Use a vegan butter (hard sticks, not a soft spreadable kind). To make a vegan homemade buttermilk you mix 1/2 cup of dairy-free milk (soy, almond, oat) with 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Stir and allow it to sit for 5 minutes to curdle.
Note: These substitutions have been tested individually, meaning gluten free and egg free or dairy free and egg free. I have not tested this recipe with all three modifications together (egg free, dairy free, and gluten free).
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!