Blackberry streusel cake

With a bountiful supply of blackberries, the question becomes what to do with them?  Many have become a very delicious sorbet.  More are soaking in vodka to be part of future cocktails and bags full have been frozen to provide blackberry goodness throughout the year.  But mother nature has been generous and so we have had plenty of berries to make into all sorts of tasty treats, including blackberry streusel kuchen.

My mother makes the best streusel , however she just makes it up as she goes along which isn't very helpful for passing on the recipe, so I made my streusel kuchen based on the recipe below from the Women's Weekly cookbooks.  I've posted the recipe as it is listed, my changes were that instead of the cooked apple filling I put a thick layer of fresh blackberries and I didn't freeze the streusel , I made it by hand (instead of in a food processor) rubbing the butter through till it made quite chunky bits and refrigerated it before scattering on.  I added more cinnamon because more cinnamon is always a good idea and a little ground ginger.  I also found I needed to bake it for longer than the recipe stated to get the top nice and golden.

The cake part is quite fluffy and light, which is a lovely contrast with the rich berries and crumble top.  My parents, S and I managed to eat half of the cake in one sitting!

This weekend the plan is for a blackberry pie (please send me recipes if you have a good one) but who knows what else will be made while the blackberry gods smile.

Do you have a favourite berry recipe?

Apple Streusel Cake
(from the Australian Women's Weekly Old-fashioned Favourites cookbook)

200g butter, softened
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar
3 eggs
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
1/3 cup (80ml) milk
5 medium apples (750g)
25g butter extra
1/3 cup (75g) firmly packed brown sugar

Streusel
1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
1/4 cup (35g) self-raising flour
1/3 cup (75g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
80g butter chopped finely

Preheat oven to 180oC/160oc fan-forced.  Grease deep 23cm-round cake pan, line with baking paper.

Make streusel.  Process flours, sugar and cinnamon until combined.  Add butter; process until ingredients just come together.  Wrap in plastic wrap, freeze about 1 hour or until firm.

Beat butter, rind and caster sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Transfer to large bowl, stir in sifted flowers and milk in two batches.  Spread mixture into pan, bake 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel, core and quarter apples, slice thinly.  Melt extra butter in large frying pan, cook apple, stirring about 5 minutes or until browned lightly.  Add brown sugar, cook, stirring about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly.  Set aside.

Remove cake form oven.  Working quickly top cake with apple mixture, coarsely grate streusel over apple.  Return to oven, bake 25 minutes.  Stand cake 10 minutes, then turn out, top-side up onto wire rack to cool.  Serve cake warm or cold.