Good morning! I wanted to pop in with a brief photo essay today, of cake and strawberries and roses, because sometimes even words on a page can be overwhelming, and it’s nice to look at the beautiful things nature provides us to help us relax. So: Blooms. Berries. A very easy and totally vegan strawberry pistachio crumb cake. And: The link to join us for the Kale & Caramel Book Release Party here in Los Angeles! There are just a limited number of tickets available (a signed book is included!), so hop on over now if you’d like to join us on May 2. I can’t wait to meet you.
And for now, here is a colander of berries and white roses from my morning stroll.
This crumb cake is adapted from one of my favorite recipes by vegan chef Renee Loux—I’ve been making variations of it for over a decade now, and it never ceases to delight. It’s got a perfectly satisfying crumb, it accommodates any fruit you’d like to throw into it, and the nutty streusel topping makes it feel particularly decadent.
You can add any spices you like—I chose cardamom here, whose warmth and elevated spice highlights the earthy grain of pistachio.
Serve this up for a holiday brunch, or make it as a quick treat for any morning—you can bake it year-round with any fruit you have on hand. Free yourself to play with texture and flavor. Try different nuts in the crumble, add nuts or seeds to the batter, or add some whole nuts to the streusel for texture.
Notice how you feel when you can be totally free to make something your own, and then go deeper. Don’t be afraid to mess it up.
I wish you sweet weekends and even sweeter crumb cakes. And I hope to see some of you on May 2 at the Kale & Caramel Book Release Party here in LA!
VEGAN PISTACHIO STRAWBERRY CRUMB CAKE.
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil of choice like grapeseed or safflower
- 3/4 cup maple syrup agave, or liquid sweetener of choice
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon almond milk or liquid of choice
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/4 cups quartered strawberries
Pistachio Crumble
- 1/4 cup shelled roasted pistachios
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt omit if pistachios are salted
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil of choice like grapeseed or safflower
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup agave, or liquid sweetener of choice
- 3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Oil and flour a 9” cake pan or pie dish. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, maple syrup, almond milk, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar.
- Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet, and fold them in using a silicone spatula. Fold in the quartered strawberries. Pour into prepared cake pan or pie dish.
- In a high speed blender or food processor, grind the pistachios into a fine meal. Empty them into a medium bowl, and whisk with flour, and salt (only if nuts are not salted). Add oil, maple syrup, and lemon zest, and mix with a spatula until you’ve got a sand-like texture. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.
- Bake about 45 minutes, loosely covering the cake with foil after 25 minutes or when it's reached peak golden-brown status (so it doesn't burn). Bake until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
