Fruit Crumble Cake - Raveent Gill’s Recipe

This fluffy and buttery pound cake can be topped with any seasonal fruit of your choice and a crunchy almond crumble that makes for the prettiest teat cake dessert recipe.

Welcome to my Cookbook Recipe Series Episode 5, where I make some of my favorite recipes from cookbooks that I own. The last episode covered the Lemon cake sandwiches from Apples For Jam by Tessa Kiros which was GENIUS! Like why haven’t we made cake sandwiches on the daily before? Today we have made the Fruit Crumble Cake from Ravneet’s cookbook. I had posted a poll on threads and on my broadcast channel on IG on which recipe to choose from, it was between this and the Rice pudding cake (DRROOOOOLLL worthy by Jamie Oliver) or this one – without a doubt this one was a winner.

I found out about Ravneet Gill’s recipes through IG during COVID and it was her famous chocolate chip cookies that got me hooked on her recipes. When she came out with her first cookbook after all those years of work in the kitchen it seemed wise to invest into it – as learning from a chef has a different aspect of precision that helps home bakers get better. Since then I have made this cake with apples, peaches, mixed berries and apricots. Basically I use what we have in season and work with it.

If you are a fan of crumble cake as much as I am then you will also love my sour cream coffee cake recipe, the salted caramel apple crumble cake, the cinnamon crunch banana bread is ELITE! And of course the cherry streusel muffins. Speaking of cherries, I was lucky to get 1 kg of cherries for pennies from a random grocery store near my house and they weren’t going to last longer than aa couple of days, hence it only seemed fitting to make this fruit crumble cake a cherry fruit crumble cake and honestly it was one of the best versions I have made of this recipe! Ravneet if you ever read this, I love you and you are a culinary mastermind.

What is a fruit crumble cake?

A fruit crumble cake is essential a pound cake batter that is topped with seasonal macerated fruit and baked half way through. A simple crumble is added on top and it is baked again for the remaining time. It is an elegant and simple teacake that is so pretty but delicious too. The cooled cake is glazed with a cherry icing – which is optional.

What is a pound cake?

Typically a pound cake is made up of a pound of butter, pound of flour, pound of sugar, pound of eggs. With time this recipe has been kept pretty much the same with ratios however there are additions like baking powder, soda and salt to create an even more tender tea cake recipe. It is buttery, light and fluffy – not to mention a classic recipe. Check out my go to pound cake recipe here.

What is a crumble?

A crumble is normally a topping made up of flour, sugar, butter, and sometimes can consist of nuts and oats. It can be used over fruit, cake batters, muffins or even open faced pies. It bakes into a golden brown colored crumble that is crunchy and crusty in texture.

What ingredients do you need to make this fruit crumble cake?

To make the cake we need butter, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, self raising flour. To make the fruit topping wee need fresh fruit, in this case cherries that have been pitted and cut into half – macerated with sugar and lemon. To make the crumble topping we need flour, castor sugar, almond flour, salt, butter. To make the glaze/icing on top we need cherry juice, icing sugar and lemon juice.

What substitutes can you use to make this fruit crumble cake?

Cake batter –

You can use a vegan butter here to keep this cake vegan. I have tried making it with vegetable shortening and it works well too. I would also suggest. If you do not have self raising flour you can use all purpose flour with the addition of 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda. To keep this cake gluten free you can use a gluten free all purpose flour mix but you will need to add 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda into the batter with the dry ingredients. I have made this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour mix. This cake also works with brown sugar but keep in mind it will affect the color oof the cake once baked.

Fruit –

I used cherries to make the fruit crumble cake but you can use any fruit you have in season. I would recommend using fresh fruit little lemon juice and zest. If you have only frozen fruit, allow it to defrost before using. This helps the cake and fruit bake at the same time.

Crumble –

You any nut flour you like if you have an almond allergy. Further more, you can use a vegan butter to make this crumble topping vegan. To keep it gluten free use an all purpose gluten free flour mix. I have made this crumble using Demerara sugar or sanding sugar that is crunchy which is also very yummy, making for an even more crunchy crumble topping.

What equipment do you need to make this fruit crumble cake?

To make this cake we need a mixing bowl, whisk, rubber spatula, and sifter. If you want your can use a stand mixer or electric beater to beat the butter, sugar and eggs but I like doing it by hand. Opposed to the recipe I baked this cake in a smaller tin so it would give me a taller cake once baked but because of this it affected the baking time. The tin can be a springform or just use large sheets of baking paper to line the tin so it can come out easily once baked. The crumble is made in a mixing bowl with your fingers but you can use a fork or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer.

How to make fruit crumble cake?

To make the fruit topping – Pit and half the cherries, transfer them to a bowl and top with lemon juice and sugar. Stir and set aside while we get on with the cake batter. To make the cake batter – Preheat the oven to 180℃, line an 7 inch round spirng form tin wit baking paper at the bottom or any normal round cake tin with baking paper. In a bowl add the butter and beat for 1-2 minutes until soft, creamy. Add the sugar and beat again for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well between each. Add the vanilla and beat again. Add the flour and whisk together until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level it out. Top it with the macerated fruit and bake for 55-60 minutes.

In this time let us make the crumble topping – in a bowl add the flour, sugar, almond flour, sat and stir together. Add the butter and using your fingers rub the butter into the flour to create damp sand and then clumps. You could do this with a fork or a paddle attachment on the stand mixer. Remove the cake out of the oven and it will still be raw in the center which is fine, top it with the crumble and bake for 20-25 minutes until baked through.

Serving fruit crumble cake?

Once the cake is baked allow it to cool in the tin for atleast an hour before decorating or slicing. It will break apart if you cut it steaming hot and the glaze will melt off. Drizzle the top with your cherry glaze/icing and allow it to set for a few minutes before slicing into triangles. I think this cake is yummy on its own but hey serve it warm with cold whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream to kill those summer heat blues.

Storing fruit crumble cake?

The leftover cake can be stored in an air tight container container or covered cake stand for 1 day. I would recommend storing the cake in the fridge after that for up to 1 week. If you are storing this cake longer, place it in the freezer and store it for up to 1 month. When ready to serve, warm in the microwave for 10-20 seconds until soft and warmed through.

What have I done differently from Ravneet Gill’s recipe from The Pastry Chef’s guide cookbook?

I halved the recipe, which led me too adjust the size of the cake tin and further made me just the bake time.
To make the crumble topping I used almonds which I ground coarsely instead of using almond flour for a nuttier crunch once baked.
I added a cherry icing on top of the cake (which is optional) but it looks so pretty, you could just do a dusting of icing sugar on top as well.
Her recipe suggests using a stand mixer but I used a whisk and bowl to make it super basic and easy for any one who wants to make it – it does require a bit more elbow grease in the process.
I let my fruit macerate for a good 20 minutes. This gives you a very juicy fruit topping so as it bakes into the cake the batter absorbs the moisture and makes the cake even more tender and soft.
For my fruit topping I reduced the amount of fruit a little since I was using a small tin. I also reduced the sugar.

Looking for more cookbook inspired recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this Fruit crumble cake by Ravneet Gill, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest & instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.

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