Ground Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe By Chef Heather Earnhardt

To learn more about this recipe, see our related story, Ground Control, in our National edition. 

Recipe adapted from Heather Earnhardt, Volunteer Park Cafe, Seattle

Ground-Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake
No Ratings
Coffee cake is updated with ground cherries in this recipe from Volunteer Park Cafe in Seattle.
Prep Time
0
minutes
Cook Time
1.33
hours
Servings
9
cake
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 extra large egg, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups ground cherries, husks removed
  • 1 cup chopped pecan pieces
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter and flour a 9-inch-round cake pan and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter cubes and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to pinch the mixture together until the butter is the size of small peas. Remove one cup of the butter-flour mixture and reserve in a small bowl. Whisk the baking powder and baking soda into the original flour mixture.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Make a well in the middle of the original flour mixture and add the buttermilk mixture. Fold the mixture gently together until a batter forms. Pour into the reserved cake pan. Spread the ground cherries on top of the batter.
  4. Add the pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon to the remaining flour mixture and mix together. Spread this evenly on top of cake. Place the cake in the oven and bake until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.
Rate this recipe