December 27, 2013
This post shares a great local place for a special occasion party, and also some useful holiday recipes.
I recently celebrated a milestone birthday (Thirty? Forty? Fifty? I’ll let you be the judge but don’t you DARE say fifty! Not yet anyway…) and we partied at my favorite little wine bar/club downtown – the chic little rabbit hole that is Vin De Syrah.
You can find the recipe here. Happy holidays! xo
JESSICA SEINFELD’S FRESH BERRY CRUMB CAKE
“This cake is super easy to make, which is good because it is devoured in seconds. Even the crumbs. I always contemplate making two so I can hoard one for myself,” says Jessica.
INGREDIENTS
For the topping:
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the cake:
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups fresh raspberries (6-ounce container)
Nonstick vegetable cooking spray
STEP ONE
Heat the oven (with the oven rack in the middle) to 350°F. Coat the inside of a 9-inch springform pan or round cake pan with cooking spray.
STEP TWO
For the topping: In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and fennel seeds and mix together with your fingertips. Pour the melted butter into the bowl and stir together with a spoon to form moist crumbs. Refrigerate.
STEP THREE
For the cake: In a medium bowl, measure and whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Measure the milk and place next to your mixer.
STEP FOUR
In a large mixing bowl, combine the room-temperature butter and granulated sugar and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Stop the mixer, crack in one egg, and beat it in. Repeat with the other egg. Scrape down the sides with a silicone spatula, then mix in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, use a large spoon to gradually add in about half of the flour mixture. Pour in all of the milk, then add the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until the flour is just incorporated (do not over mix).
STEP FIVE
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Scatter the raspberries over the batter and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center still has a few moist crumbs attached, 38 to 42 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire cooling rack. Then run a paring knife around the edge of the cake and remove the metal ring (if using a springform pan). Slice and serve.
