Fruit Crumble Cake

photo and recipe from one of my favorite blogs:
myfrenchcountryhome.blogspot.com

To make the cake you will need a deep 8" cake tin (not loose-bottomed) greaseproof/waxed paper, the oven preheated at 190°.

Ingredients are super simple

125gr  (2/3 cup) ground almonds
125 gr (2/3 cup) sugar
250 gr ( 1 good cup) very cold butter
250gr (2 cups) plain flour
pinch of salt

3 apples peeled, cored and diced
cup of fresh/frozen raspberries or blackberries or blueberries
juice of a lemon
good sprinkling of sugar to taste


First of all, in a mixer blend together the cold butter and all other dry ingredients.  This must stay crumbly in texture not merge into a firm dough. Very important!

Put the diced apple in a bowl  along with the lemon juice, sugar and red fruit of your choice.  I have tried blackberries, raspberries and blueberries - all delicious.  Toss them around in the bowl until well coated in lemon juice and sugar. 

Line the cake tin with two criss-cross , wide strips of waxed paper, these are vital for lifting the cake from the tin, so leave them long enough to hang over each side.

Sprinkle half the mixture into the tin.  Do not push down or smooth, you want the mixture to stay as high and airy as possible.  Now simply tip the fruit in, then cover with the remaining crumble mix.  Again do not attempt to push down or smooth: it will work itself out while cooking.

Stand cake tin on a tray and bake in a hot oven for about 50 minutes. Ideally the cake should come out of the oven about 15 minutes before eating.  Let it stand a while then carefully lift out of the tin and onto a serving platter (4 hands needed here!), slide the paper strips out from beneath the cake.

Serve this with crème anglaise, but vanilla ice cream would be good too.