Cherry Crumb Cake

OMG.....I love crumb cake!  This recipe from Martha Stewart fits the bill for a lovely tender cake made with buttermilk and has the perfect crumb topping.  If your favorite part of crumb cake is the topping, you can double the recipe and make a show stopper, go a step further and dust with powdered sugar.....YUM.  This would make an excellent addition to the menu for your next breakfast or brunch......or if your like me.....cake is good anytime!!  The original recipe calls for sour cherries, however, here I've topped the cake with fresh bing cherry halves, however, you can omit them, or experiment with other fruits of your choice.  Make some coffee and savor this delightful treat.

Cherry Crumb Cake

Crumb Topping:                                                                                                                              2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for dish

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dish

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups (1 pound) fresh sour cherries, pitted, or frozen dark sweet cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish with butter and dust lightly with flour. I used a greased and floured 9 inch springform pan, and it came out beautiful. 

First, make the topping: Stir together butter, flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon, set aside. To make the cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. With a mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar in another bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Working in alternating batches, add flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Pour into prepared dish, and smooth with an offset spatula. Dot top with cherries (if desired), and sprinkle with crumb topping.  Bake until golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour.  Let cool before cutting and if desired dust with powdered sugar.  Enjoy!