Confession. As a kid, I never understood people that pair fruit with chocolate. Chocolate oranges around the holidays…yuck. Cordial cherries…nasty. However, after watching a great deal of Great British Bake Off, where everyone seems to be obsessed with putting fruit of all kinds into absolutely everything, I decided to give it a shot. Enter this Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Crumb Cake.
What my young taste buds didn’t understand was what happens to chocolate when it is paired with an acid; also known as the cherries, in this case. The cherries, while still maintaining their delicious sweet/tart flavor, make the chocolate that much more chocolaty. A little culinary science!
The cherries also lend moisture and sweetness to the cake, balancing the cocoa’s dry bitterness. This creates the most delightful mouthfeel. Somewhere between a pudding and fudge.
Puddingfudge?
Yes. And it’s freaking amazing.
While you’re baking, know that due to the extra moisture from the cherries that creates the pudding like texture, the cake may appear to be underdone. If you put in a toothpick or a skewer near the end of baking, and it just keeps coming out wet, use a thermometer and take the cake’s temperature. When the thermometer reads 210*F the cake is thoroughly baked, and you can remove it from the oven. If you continue to bake it longer, you could end up drying out the bottom, and nobody likes a dry cake.
This Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Crumb Cake could (Should. According to certain people.) make a yummy addition to a breakfast or brunch table; or a wonderful dessert to wrap up a meal–paired with a vanilla or cherry ice cream.
Chocolate Cherry Crumb Cake
Equipment
- 8" Cake pan
- Stand mixer
- Small bowl
- Large bowl
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 8 Tbsp Butter (1 stick)
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup Sour cream
- 1 1/2 cup Gluten free 1-1 baking flour blend
- 1 Tbsp Espresso powder
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 lb Pitted cherries
For the Crumb Topping
- 3/4 cup Gluten free 1-1 baking flour blend
- 3/4 cup Brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tbsp Cocoa powder
- 8 Tbsp Butter (1 stick)
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 cup Pecans (chopped)
Instructions
Crumb Topping
- Prepare the crumb topping by combining the flour, brown sugar, salt, cocoa powder, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8 inch cake pan with parchment.
- Cut the cold butter into half inch cubes and add to the bowl.
- Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it is crumbly, set aside.
- In a large bowl, prepare the dry ingredients for the cake. Sift together the flour, espresso powder, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until incorporated.
- Add in the milk and sour cream, and mix to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients for the cake into the wet ingredients in the mixer, and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Spread the batter evenly into the pan.
- Push the pitted cherries evenly down into the batter.
- Cover the top with the crumb topping.
- Bake for 45 – 50 minutes until the top is a light golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
