Black and blue streusel cake

Why black and blue? Because it contains blackberries and blueberries, of course! This cake has it all: fruit, sponge, crunch, squidge and spice – be very wary of someone who’d refuse a second slice!

The blackberries seem to like the hot, parched summer we’ve been having in the South East corner of England but I didn’t want to risk relying on them just yet, and ended up buying mine. I should’ve been more of a gambler because there were plenty of ripe berries for the picking.

You don’t need me to point out that this isn’t the most perfectly beautiful cake you’ve ever seen; some of the batter fought its way up during cooking giving a splodgy crust around the edge – pretty it ain’t, delicious it is. Mr CC commented that he wished the whole cake could be made of the crusty sponge around the edge proving that one person’s baking disaster is another’s delight!

This cake looks particularly attractive when cut; the fruit burrows a little into the sponge and is topped with a crunchy, nutty streusel. Because of the batter eruption at the edges, the fruit pooled a bit in the middle – again, it doesn’t help the look much but tasted lovely.

The flavour combination of the black and blue berries worked very well and was a nice mix of tart and sweet. I admit I was crestfallen when I took the cake from the oven and saw the batter balling up at the edges and the fruit sinking in the middle. It’s funny how we beat ourselves up because we all agreed this was one of the nicest cakes we’d eaten in ages – no one could resist picking the sponge from the edge!

Ingredients

For the streusel:
50g plain flour
50g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

For the cake:
175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
175g self raising flour
50g hazelnuts, ground in a food processor until you have fine crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
200g blackberries
100g blueberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

To serve: thick cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/fan oven 160˚C/350˚F/Gas mark 4.

Line a 23cm round springform tin with baking paper.

Start by making the topping: Place the butter and flour into a bowl and rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Stir in the sugar and nuts and set to one side for later.

Now make the cake: start by beating together the butter and sugar until it is light and creamy. Don’t skimp on this stage as it is key to achieving a light, soft sponge.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, alternating with spoonfuls of the flour.

Stir in the remaining flour along with the ground hazelnuts and baking powder.

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the surface.

Spread the berries over the top of the batter and sprinkle the cinnamon over them.

Scatter the streusel topping over the fruit – some fruit will still be visible.

Bake for approximately 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin, on a cooling rack until the tin is cool enough to remove.

Leave the cake to cool completely on a wire rack.

It will keep in an airtight container for at least 3 days.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.