Recipes Warm Strawberry Crumb Cake 5.0 (3,118) 2 Reviews Gerard Craft tops spring's first strawberries with batter and bakes them until the fruit is warm and jammy and the cake is airy, with a wonderful, crisp crust. Fruit Crisp and Cobbler Recipes By Gerard Craft Gerard Craft Why he won Because, in a historic St. Louis neighborhood, he prepares a deceptively simple, drop-dead-delicious pork-oriented menu. Born Burlington, VT; 1979. Experience Bistro Toujours, Park City, UT; Ryland Inn, Whitehouse, NJ; Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles. How he got into cooking “I dropped out of college in Salt Lake City and was washing cars. That wasn’t fun, so I started washing dishes at Fats Grill & Pool, and they let me cook.” Early food experiences “My family is full of food lovers—my brother has wanted to eat at every Michelin three-star restaurant since he was 14. On my 13th birthday I had my first mussels in Normandy, France, right after chocolate crêpes. But I hated food until I went to boarding school in Idaho and saw how bad it could be.” Favorite thing about St. Louis “It’s more food-oriented than anyone thinks. There are a million food blogs, and even a food magazine, Sauce.” Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 12, 2018 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © John Kernick Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Yield: 8 Ingredients Filling 3 pounds strawberries, hulled and halved (8 cups) 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 1/2 tablespoons of water 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped Crumb Topping 1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour Pinch of salt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled Cake 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour Cake 1 tablespoon baking powder Cake 3/4 teaspoon salt Cake 1 stick unsalted butter, softened Cake 1 1/4 cups sugar Cake 3 large eggs Cake 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Cake 3/4 cup buttermilk Directions Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch slurry and vanilla seeds and let stand until the berries release some of their juices, about 30 minutes. Pour the fruit filling into a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish set on a sturdy baking sheet. In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients with your fingers until a coarse meal forms; press into small clumps. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the vanilla extract and scrape down the bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the batter in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Spoon the batter over the fruit filling, spreading it to the edge. Sprinkle with the crumb topping. Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling, the crumb topping is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly. Serve the crumb cake warm or at room temperature. Make Ahead The crumb cake can be refrigerated overnight. Serve warm or at room temperature. Notes The fruit filling can also be made with a combination of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Serve With Vanilla ice cream. Rate it Print