Tuesday, March 24, 2009

TWD: Cranberry Almond Crumb Cake

cakecrumbcranberryalmond

I was so excited when this recipe was chosen because it finally gave me the excuse to make a crumb cake! I've bookmarked so many, but never got to making any of them because there was always something else I had to try instead. Plus, I was a little worried about the crumb topping turning all soggy on me. I was kind of rushed when I was making this and somehow I poured 3/4 cup of buttermilk after reading 1/2 cup. Luckily the batter was so thick and it all worked out in the end! Also, cranberries have less moisture than blueberries so I guess the extra liquid was ok. I omitted the spices and added 1/4 tsp of almond extract. The combination of cranberries and almond was really nice and next time I'm going to add more of each, since you can't even tell I added cranberries along with a dash of cinnamon. The sourness of the cranberries helped to cut some of the sweetness in the topping, which was a really nice contrast! I loved making this because I love cake batter, not uncooked though, just looking at how incredibly smooth and creamy it is. Umm the truth is.. I'm not a batter licker and it's not because of the raw eggs, but the raw flour. Maybe it just brings back childhood nightmares about oatmeal or cream of wheat..haha. I threw all the crumb ingredients together (minus 2 tablespoons of butter and brown sugar, which I added at the end because I forgot) in the stand mixer and mixed it using the paddle attachment because I was too lazy to clean the food processor. The only problem was I was left with something that looked more like wet sand than coarse crumbs. I had a feeling my sand would just melt into the batter so I squeezed a handful of it and dropped it on top to form as many large clumps as possible. The crumb topping was a hit and dangerously addicting!

Thanks to Sihan of Befuddlement for choosing this recipe! The recipe can be found on her blog and here. Don't forget to visit the TWD Blogroll!

50 comments:

  1. Oh- I am so jealous that you did this with cranberries! I can only imagine how delish it must have been. The blueberry version was good too, but I have this thing for cranberries. Looks yummy!

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  2. I'm a cranberry fanatic, too, and I have two bags in the freezer. Yay! I can try your variation. Sounds amazing with the almond. Clumps were definitely the way to go with the topping. A winner all around!
    Nancy

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  3. Ohh - I look forward to trying with cranberries - I loved this cake.

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  4. O love crumb cakes although I don't make many . This looks delicious and the combination of cranberries and almonds is awesome ;)I tried it in a cupcake

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  5. oh my - i love the colors inside that cake!

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  6. MMM, I love your use of cranberries! And those clumps of crumb topping sound totally divine. Overall, this cake looks like a total A+. (P.S. I love that it's the raw flour in the batter that turns you off! How funny!)

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  7. Cranberries: what a good idea! I had the same problen with the crumbs: I probably overmixed them so they were too wet.... But stil tasted great!!

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  8. love the idea of using cranberries !! well done !!

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  9. I was planning to try strawberries till Dorie told us they wouldn't work...but I never thought of cranberries! (and I also still have some in the freezer!) I agree that something to cut the sweetness a little would be good...not that I'm complaining, mind you! Wasn't this good! And good job on the clumping! Looks gorgeous!

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  10. Looks fantastic! Cranberries would be great in a cake, I have only ever tried them in muffins before.

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  11. I was reading this recipe on another blog and was thinking how wonderful cranberries would be and then cloked over here to you and you had it. The almond is a very nice touch. I think I'm going to try and make these this weekend.

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  12. love that crumbly topping! and yes, cranberries & almonds go so well together.

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  13. I want to try this with cranberries now! Great job!

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  14. I used cranberries too! that topping is dangerous. your cake looks yummy

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  15. Cranberry almond sounds amazing -- I love cranberries and almonds! I'm going to make a note to try this version next time. It looks beautiful and I'm glad it was a hit!

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  16. What a great idea using cranberries! This cake was a hit here too :)

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  17. You know, I had cranberries in the freezer, next to the blueberries. I didn't even think of it. But maybe I will try it again! Nice job, Steph.

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  18. Oh, how wonderful this had to be with cranberries! That sweet/tart contrast -- yum! It looks fabulous; hopefully this was the first of many crumb cakes for you!

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  19. What is it about a crumbcake that makes us all giddy. I love it too and this looks like a beautiful version.

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  20. I used cranberries as well and loved it. Nice idea with the almond extract.. I bet it was lovely!

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  21. Mm... cranberry almond sounds great! Did you still use the lemon zest? I couldn't really taste the lemon zest in mine at all.

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  22. Steph,

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! You are sweet!

    And I love your crumb cake! Looks awesome.

    I actually made it again (didn't go well the first time around) and turned it into a delicious banana oatmeal crumb cake instead! Woo hoo!

    Again, excellent job!

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  23. Mmm cranberries and almonds!! I'm not sure if I can eat cranberries because if I eat it dried, I'm fine, but when I have cranberry juice, I have the worst stomach cramps. I never had the actual fruit, so I'm a little scared to try haha Yours looks great still!!

    Also, it's not that I choose not to eat blueberries. My stomach physically cannot handle blueberries. If I eat the fruit alone or even in pie, I'm sick for the next 5-10 minutes. I've had blueberries mixed with pomegranate in juice and applesauce and was fine. I've never been to a doctor for food allergies, so it's really hard to say if it really is the fruit or I just had a bad reaction. It's happened more than once, so IDK. I'm the same way with oatmeal. If I eat the instant Quaker packets, I get sick 5-10 minutes later. However, if I take quick oats and mix in my own brown sugar and cinnamon (or whatever), I'm perfectly fine. I had a Quaker packet about 2 years ago, so it wasn't a childhood thing either.

    BTW, how's school? You almost done for the semester?

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  24. Oooooooh! Cranberry and almonds sounds delish... very nice choice, Steph! Hummm... when did you say I could come over? LOL

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  25. Mmmm, cranberries. I agree, the crumb topping was SUPER!

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  26. Your cake looks awesome and I love that you made it with cranberries, as I like them much more blueberries.

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  27. I have the same problem whenever I attempt "crumb toppings." Mine always look like sand too! Nice variation! :D

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  28. What a great flavor combination! It looks perfect!

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  29. Your cranberry/almond combination sounds lovely. I love reading about different adaptations of Dorie's recipes.

    Also, thanks for helping me understand why my crumb topping didn't form clumps! I don't even own a food processor - I used a stand mixer, too.

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  30. Wow, you get the award for most perfect looking crumb cake. Mmm, mm! It looks and sounds delicious :)

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  31. looks perfect. love the cranberries. it's funny you're not a batter licker due to raw flour, that's a new one! i always think twice about the raw eggs myself but then i think "eh, i made it this long." :P

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  32. Your cake looks perfect and sounds delicious! Using cranberries was genius!

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  33. Cran/almond sounds great and I've seen a few people do that combo.

    No, I'm sorry, it was cranberry lime.

    But they both sound good!

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  34. Looks yummy! I like the idea of a cranberry coffee cake as opposed to a blueberry one.
    ~ingrid

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  35. oooh, look at that gorgeous crumb on top! That is my favorite part.

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  36. I love the idea of almond extract -- I almost tried it, but then I chickened out. Your cake looks great!

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  37. You should get an ice cream maker! I have the Cuisinart one that's like $40 or $50... I dunno, my boyfriend gave it to me for my birthday last year! :D I love it, and it makes fantasticly smooth ice cream!

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  38. Just so lovely!!! This looks perfect! Can you please send over a slice?! Please...

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  39. Cranberries and almond. Perfect. It looks fantastic.

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  40. That crumb topping looks perfect! I love the cranberry/almond idea. Definitely have to try it.

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  41. Beautiful! I bet the tartness was a perfect counterbalance to the sweet topping.

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  42. The cranberry almond flavor combination sounds really delicious...YUM!!!!

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  43. Oooh I love cranberries - I bet they were gorgeous in this cake! Your crumb topping looks irresistible :D

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  44. Your cake looks perfect. Well done!

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  45. Your crumb topping looks so irresistible! I made my cake with cranberries too and enjoyed it!

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  46. This makes me want to call in sick this week to have time to make crumb cake. Looks delicious!

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  47. I cannot locate this recipe! Please help...which month of the Fundamentally Flawed blog was it in?
    Thanks,
    Robin
    jr.neely@gmail.com

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