Whether you call it crumb cake or coffee cake or can’t actually talk because you already started eating it, there is just nothing better than a plush, buttery cake topped with crispy crumbly bits of goodness. Adding a jammy swirl of sweet-tart cherries to the batter results in a summery twist on an otherwise evergreen classic. If you can’t get your hands on fresh sour cherries, frozen will work; they’ll just need some extra time on the stove to get jammy. And if you can’t find sour cherries, you can use standard sweet cherries. You'll want to reduce the amount of sugar to ¼ cup and add the zest and juice of 1 lemon to the cooled cherry mixture before adding it to the baking pan.
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What you’ll need
Cherry and Olive Pitter
$17 At Amazon
Scale
$30 At Amazon
Stand Mixer
$400 $300 At Amazon
Medium Saucepan
$50 $40 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$8 $7 At Amazon
Metal Baking Pan
$28 $24 At Amazon
Wire Cooling Rack
$17 At Bon Appétit Market
Recipe information
Yield
12 servings
Ingredients
Cherry Swirl
Streusel
Cake and Assembly
Preparation
Cherry Swirl
Step 1
Bring 1½ lb. fresh sour cherries, pitted, or frozen, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring often and smashing cherries with a wooden spoon, until cherries are softened and just coated in syrup, 15–20 minutes for fresh, 25–30 minutes for frozen. Let cool.
Streusel
Step 2
Whisk 1¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g; packed) light brown sugar, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. ground cardamom, and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon in a medium bowl. Pour ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled, over and gently mix with a fork just until crumbs start to form (be careful not to overmix). Set streusel aside.
Cake and Assembly
Step 3
Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°. Line a 13x9" baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on long sides. Whisk 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl to combine.
Step 4
Beat 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar and ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 2 large eggs one at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. Mix in 1 cup sour cream, ⅓ cup buttermilk, and 2 tsp. vanilla extract. (The mixture might look curdled at this point.) Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down sides of bowl to incorporate everything well. (The batter will be thick.)
Step 5
Scrape two thirds of the batter into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Spread cherry swirl over (don’t worry if it’s not perfect), then top with remaining batter. Do your best to spread the batter over cherry swirl; it’s okay if they mix and swirl a bit. Top with reserved streusel, scattering smaller crumbs over first, then topping with larger ones.
Step 6
Bake crumb cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35–40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan at least 30 minutes. Turn cake out onto a cutting board and cut into 12 pieces to serve.
Do ahead: Cake can be baked 1 day ahead. Let cool completely. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Recipe notes
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