Hazelnut Raspberry Crumb Cake
A simple, festive crumb cake is topped with raspberry fruit spread and finished with a crisp hazelnut crumb topping.
If you’re looking for a quick, delicious treat to serve this holiday season or gift to friends or loved ones, you will love today’s Hazelnut Raspberry Crumb Cake.
This isn’t your average crumb cake.
Infused with brown butter and spiced with cardamom and cinnamon, this crumb cake is topped with a thick layer of St. Dalfour Red Raspberry Fruit Spread and finished with a crisp hazelnut crumb topping.
Why You’ll Love This Raspberry Crumb Cake:
While all of the components of this crumb cake are special, the St. Dalfour Red Raspberry Fruit Spread is the true star! It produces a beautifully layered and rustic crumb cake that is moist, flavorful, and full of fresh fruit flavor.
I’m thrilled to parter with St. Dalfour for today’s recipe as I’ve been using their hand-crafted fruit spreads in the kitchen for decades (yes, really!)
Made in France, St. Dalfour fruit spreads are made with 100% fruit and only sweetened with vineyard-ripened grape and fruit juice. They do not contain cane sugar, syrups, or any additives or flavorings.
This traditional, labor-intensive method produces beautifully textured spreads that showcase the fruit at its peak flavor.
While I love using them in a variety of ways, this makes the fruit spreads particularly well-suited for baked goods, such as this Hazelnut Raspberry Crumb Cake where you want fresh, tart fruit flavor to shine through in every bite.
One of my favorite things about this crumb cake is just how versatile it is! It lends itself to all sorts of variations. While I chose Red Raspberry Fruit Spread, you can substitute this with other St. Dalfour fruit spread varieties (they have 22!), such as Blackberry, Strawberry, or Apricot, just to name a few. Have fun and get creative!
How to Make Hazelnut Raspberry Crumb Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center position. Lightly grease an 8-inch (20-cm) square cake pan with baking spray and line with a parchment paper sling (see recipe notes below).
Prepare the Hazelnut Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, cardamom, and salt. Add the softened, cubed butter and toss until coated. Using your fingertips, cut the softened butter into the dry ingredients, pressing the mixture together with your fingertips until small and medium-size crumbs form. Stir in the hazelnuts. Place the crumb topping in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the cake batter.
Prepare the Cake Batter: Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until the solids brown and it is very fragrant. Transfer the browned butter to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly. Add the lemon zest, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and eggs to the bowl. Whisk vigorously for a minute or so, until the mixture is smooth, pale, and the just barely frothy. Add the sour cream and vanilla to the bowl, whisking until evenly combined.
Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir together with a whisk until just absorbed, switching to a rubber spatula to scrape down the edges of the bowl and ensure all of the dry ingredients have evenly incorporated. Do not over mix.
Transfer the batter to the greased, parchment-lined pan. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter into a smooth, even layer.
Dollop spoonfuls of St. Dalfour Red Raspberry Fruit Spread across the batter. Use an offset spatula to spread the fruit spread into even, thin layer – extended to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the hazelnut crumb topping evenly over the jam.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack and cool for 10 to 15 minutes; then use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan. Place on a rack to cool completely (or serve slightly warm).
BAKING NOTE: The raspberry fruit spread and crumb topping create natural, rustic caverns in the batter as it bakes, so don’t worry if the surface of the cake isn’t perfectly even – this is to be expected!
Hazelnut Raspberry Crumb Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Hazelnut Crumb Topping:
- ½ cup (60g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50g) lightly packed dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons; 55g) unsalted butter softened
- ⅓ cup (45g) whole hazelnuts finely chopped
Cake Batter:
- ½ cup (8 tablespoons; 115g) cold unsalted butter
- 1½ cups (180g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup (100g) lightly packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup (180g) sour cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (150g) St. Dalfour Red Raspberry Fruit Spread
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center position. Lightly grease an 8-inch (20-cm) square cake pan with baking spray and line with a parchment paper overhang (*this makes it easy to lift out the cake after baking). Set aside.
- Prepare the Hazelnut Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, cardamom, and salt. Add the softened, cubed butter and toss until coated. Using your fingertips, cut the softened butter into the dry ingredients, pressing the mixture together with your fingertips until small and medium-size crumbs form. Stir in the finely chopped hazelnuts. Place the crumb topping in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the cake batter.
- Prepare the Cake Batter: Cut the butter into quarters and place in a small saucepan. Set over medium-low heat. Melt and continue cooking the butter, whisking it continuously as it bubbles, until the solids start to brown and it becomes very fragrant. Remove from the heat and immediately transfer the browned butter (along with any brown bits from the bottom of the pan) to a large mixing bowl. Allow the butter to cool slightly – it should be just lukewarm – before proceeding.
- As the butter is cooling slightly, whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a separate medium bowl. Set aside.
- Add the lemon zest, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and eggs to the bowl with the slightly cooled brown butter. Whisk together vigorously for a minute or so, until smooth, pale, and just barely frothy. Add the sour cream and vanilla to the bowl, whisk until incorporated and smooth.
- Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir together with a whisk until just absorbed, switching to a rubber spatula to scrape down the edges of the bowl and ensure all of the dry ingredients have evenly incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Transfer the batter to the greased, parchment-lined pan. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter into a smooth, even layer. Dollop spoonfuls of St. Dalfour Raspberry Fruit Spread across the batter, then use an offset spatula to spread it into even, thin layer – extending to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the hazelnut crumb topping evenly over the jam layer.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking Note: The fruit spread and crumb topping will create natural caverns, so do not worry if the surface of the baked cake isn't completely even – this is to be expected. Set the pan on a rack and cool for 10 to 15 minutes; then use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan. Place on a rack to cool completely (or serve slightly warm).
- Serving and Storage Tips: This crumb cake is best served slightly warm or at room temperature the day it is baked. However, leftovers can be wrapped tightly in foil, transferred to a Ziplock bag, and kept out at room temperature for 1-2 days.
Tips for Success:
- Mix up the flavor of these crumb bars by swapping the Raspberry Fruit Spread with other St. Dalfour Fruit Spreads, such as : Blackberry, Peach, Apricot, or Strawberry.
- Substitute the hazelnuts with equal parts (by weight) pecans or walnuts.
2 Comments on “Hazelnut Raspberry Crumb Cake”
This was amazing! The first time I swapped walnuts for the hazelnuts (didn’t feel like making a trip to the store for just one thing) and it was delicious. I love the flavor the cardamom gives, and even my husband, who only ever wants me to bake with chocolate and peanut butter, loved it. I’ve got a second one in the oven right now, using strawberry jam and almonds in the topping. It smells heavenly. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for the feedback Colleen! So glad you enjoyed it, and love your swaps too.