Simple Blackcurrant Coffee Cake with Crumb Top

Blackcurrant Coffee Cake offers a heavenly blend of flavors and textures. Imagine a moist and tender cake base, studded with bursts of tangy blackcurrants, and topped with a sweet and crumbly streusel.

 

 

This delightful cake is a treat for your taste buds and a perfect accompaniment to your morning or afternoon coffee.

 

For more berry breakfast-style (breakfast being a broad definition in this blog) - Japanese raspberry soufflé pancakes, blueberry muffins, blackberry basil grilled cheese, and strawberry oat bars. There is never not a reason to make one or several of these!

 

Why you’ll love this recipe

 

This is the cake for you who love textures. It has a tender, moist vanilla base cake, with pops of juicy blackcurrants, and a crunchy crumb top. To top it off, there's a lusciously creamy blackcurrant glazing on top. 

 

Blackcurrants offer a very different kind of flavor than say raspberries and strawberries, and it's a nice change of pace, scenery, and excitement in a cake so to speak. 

 

Blackcurrants have a strong, tart flavor. Almost like a blend of a red grape and cherries with a hint of wildflowers. This is a flavor that goes really well with vanilla and vanilla cakes!

 

 

Ingredients

 

Each ingredient in a cake recipe serves a specific purpose in terms of texture, flavor, and structure. Combining them in the right proportions and following the recipe instructions ensures a delicious and well-balanced cake.

 

• All-purpose flour - the main structural ingredient in a cake. All-purpose flour provides the necessary gluten, a protein that gives the cake structure and helps it rise.
• Baking powder - a leavening agent that helps the cake rise by releasing carbon dioxide gas when combined with moisture and heat. It creates air bubbles in the batter, making the cake light and fluffy.
• Salt - enhances the overall flavor of the cake. It helps balance the sweetness and other flavors by adding a subtle contrast and depth.
• Softened butter - a key ingredient that adds moisture, flavor, and tenderness to the cake. It also helps create a light and delicate crumb texture.
• Sugar - provides sweetness and contributes to the texture of the cake. It helps to tenderize the gluten and gives the cake a moist and soft texture. Sugar also helps with browning and caramelization during baking.
• Eggs - have multiple roles in a cake. They act as a binder, they add moisture, richness, and stability to the cake structure. Also, they contribute to the leavening process and help the cake rise.
• Buttermilk - buttermilk is a slightly acidic ingredient that adds moisture and tenderness to the cake. It also helps activate the baking powder, aiding in the leavening process and contributing to a lighter texture.
• Vanilla extract - to add a warm spiciness to the cake.
• Orange (juice, zest, extract) - adds brightness and freshness, in addition to balancing the sweetness.
• Star anise - has a sweet and slightly licorice-like taste, which can provide depth and complexity to the overall flavor profile of the cake.
• Fresh or frozen blackcurrants - a type of fruit that can add a burst of flavor and color to the cake. They contribute a tart and slightly sweet taste, as well as a moist texture.

 

Glazing ingredients: Blackcurrants, dark rum, blackcurrant syrup/cordial, star anise, powdered sugar (ingredients and step-by-step photos for the actual cake are coming). 

 

Step-by-step instructions

 

Preheat oven to 350 ℉ (175 ℃). Prepare an 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.

 

Prepare the crumb topping by mixing the flour, sugars, and spices with melted butter. Spread this on to a baking sheet or large plate to cool and dry while you prepare the batter.

 

In a small bowl, mix the dry ingredients together: flour, baking powder, and salt. Add 1 star anise to a spice grinder and grind until a powder. Mix with the dry ingredients. (If you find ground star anise in the store, you can use this). 

 

In a large bowl, whip softened butter until creamy, about 1 minute, then add in the sugar and whip until pale and fluffy, another 3 minutes.

 

Add the room-temperature eggs, one at a time, and mix between each addition. Then add in the room-temperature buttermilk, orange and vanilla extract, orange juice, and zest.

 

Fold in the dry ingredients before folding in the fresh or frozen blackcurrants. The batter will be really thick. If it looks a little curdled, that's fine. 

 

Top with the cooled crumb top.

 

 

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, about 55-60 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

 

Meanwhile, make the glazing: Add all the ingredients apart from the powdered sugar into a blender and blend to a smooth texture. Strain into the powdered sugar and mix.

 

Add more water or blackcurrant syrup if it's too thick, more powdered sugar if it's too thin to your liking.

 

Decorate with the glazing, dehydrated orange and lime slices (see how in my cookbook!), fresh blackcurrants and star anise. 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Storage

 

To ensure the freshness and longevity of your blackcurrant cake, follow these storage tips:

 

• Store the cake in an airtight container/cake box at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• For longer storage, you can refrigerate the cake for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature before serving. Keep in mind the crumb top will not stay crunchy this way.
• Alternatively, you can freeze the cake, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying it. Or you can slice the cake into servings before freezing, and you can heat it up in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

 

Extra pro tip:

If you're like me and a sucker for the crumb top texture, eating it the day of baking is definitely the way to go. If you still have anything left over, wrap the cake tightly in aluminum foil but keep the top of the cake only loosely covered. Keeps for 2 days. 

 

 

Recipe FAQs

 

Can I use other berries instead of blackcurrants?

Absolutely! This recipe is versatile, and you can use raspberries, blueberries, or chopped strawberries as a substitute for blackcurrants. See Expert tips below for mye ideas.

 

Keep in mind that blackcurrants are a special kind of berry that I highly recommend going the extra mile to find it.

 

 

Can I omit the streusel topping?

While the streusel topping adds a delightful crunch and sweetness, you can omit it if desired. The cake will still be flavorful and enjoyable.

 

 

Can I use frozen blackcurrants instead of fresh ones?

Yes, you can use frozen blackcurrants in this recipe. You don't have to thaw them before mixing them into the batter. 

 

 

Expert tips

Variations

This is a base cake you can use any kind of fruit and spices in. Here are some of my favorites:

 

• Lemon blueberry - in fact, this recipe is inspired and based on my 6-inch lemon blueberry cake. 
• Raspberry vanilla - try adding a teaspoon (or two!) of rooibos tea into the dry ingredients, trust me on this. Inspired by my raspberry rooibos iced tea.
• Strawberry elderflower - use the elderflower sugar in my lemon zucchini cake, and elderflower cordial or liqueur in the glazing. Fantastic.

 

But as always, I recommend trying the blackcurrant coffee cake as it is first!

 

For another delicious coffee cake, try this Norwegian Tropisk Aroma spice cake. Such a delicious treat.

 

(I realize this photo is a bit weird, I was racing the sun and did not win! I will add new photos when blackcurrants are back in season here, but I wanted to share it with you ASAP anyway!)

 

Did you like this recipe? Here are more coffee cakes I think you’d love:

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don’t forget to Pin it for later! To make sure you’re never missing another recipe, please feel free to subscribe to my newsletter. 

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