Raspberry Lemon Crumb Cake (Paleo, GF, DF)
Recipe Key
This Raspberry Lemon Crumb Cake is a heavenly spring treat. It has a simple, moist crust filled with a creamy sweet, tart lemon curd and fresh raspberry sauce and topped with just the right amount of crumb topping. It tastes so good you won’t believe it’s paleo, gluten free, diary free and refined sugar free.
Now that it’s spring I’m spending more time outside. Scientific studies show that being in nature has a profound impact on our brains and our behavior, helping us to reduce anxiety and increase our clarity and creativity.
Connecting with nature can make a big difference in maintaining a healthy mind and body. It also connects us to Source energy, our true identity as a spiritual being which improves our ability to connect with others. Read my post on Nature Therapy for more information.
After the Nourishing Foods Spring Cleanse last week, I wanted a deeply satisfying dessert that was light and delicate.
I’ve been looking forward to making a lemon raspberry dessert that was rich and creamy and healthy at the same time. I finally did it. I am thrilled with the results.
There are a few steps to make this dessert but it’s worth the time and effort.
The first steps are to make the lemon curd and homemade raspberry sauce.
While they cool the simple crust and crumb topping are made together. They are the same mixture. Two thirds of it are pressed into a cake pan and baked. Then additional almond flour is added to the remaining dough to create the sweet crumb topping.
Once you have everything together… pour the lemon curd onto the pre-baked crust and then spread the raspberry sauce over the lemon curd.
Now, sprinkle with the crumb topping and bake.
I used parchment paper because I wanted to take the cake out the pan and serve it on a plate. But if you’re okay with serving it right from the pan, just grease your pan with coconut oil and skip the parchment paper.
Once baked, you get a golden crumb topping with a sweet/tart raspberry lemon filling. It’s so amazing. One of the best desserts you’ll ever eat.
It’s light and fresh, perfect for spring time.
If you’re planning to take it out of the pan, chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. But don’t put it right into the refrigerator while it’s still hot. Once chilled, pick the cake out of the pan by holding onto the overlapping parchment paper.
Slide the cake off the parchment onto a plate and let it come to room temperature for an even creamier texture.
If you’re serving directly from the pan you will still need to let it cool fully cool before you slice into it, 1 hour out of the refrigerator 1 hour in the refrigerator to let the filling set.
I like to put this dessert together the night before, chill overnight and serve the next day.
This is the perfect spring dessert, light, fresh, creamy and sweet. The moist crust and crumbly topping have just the right amount of crunch. It doesn’t get any better than this!
If you really want to be indulgent, have a piece with your morning coffee, like I did!
If you like this recipe, please let us know what you think! Leave a comment or rate it.
PrintRaspberry Lemon Crumb Cake
This cake has a simple, moist crust filled with a creamy sweet, tart lemon curd and fresh raspberry sauce, topped with just the right amount of crumb topping. It’s paleo, gluten-free, dairy free.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert, Breakfast, Snack
- Cuisine: Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- 3 pastured eggs
- 1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed (about 3 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (organic is best)
- 6 tablespoons raw honey (120 grams)
- 5 tablespoons refined coconut oil, ghee or grass fed butter (70 grams)
- Pinch Celtic sea salt
Raspberry Sauce
- 2 cups frozen or fresh raspberries
- 1/4 cup organic maple syrup or raw honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice or water
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
Crust and Crumb Topping
- 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (168 grams)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut flour (42 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 1/4 cup smooth almond butter (64 grams)
- 1/4 cup organic coconut oil refined, softened (52 grams)
- 1/3 cup raw honey or pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2 tablespoons blanched almond flour, more if needed
Instructions
Lemon Curd
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the eggs, lemon juice and zest, honey and salt using a wire whisk.
- Turn on the heat to medium and add the coconut oil.
- Continue to whisk while cooking for about 30 seconds, until the honey and coconut oil have melted, and all is combined. Keep whisking and turn the heat to med/low.
- Continue to cook and whisk until the mixture is creamy and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. (Don’t worry if there are a few lumps).
- Remove from heat, immediately pour the curd through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Since it’s thick use the back of a spoon to help things along through the strainer.
Set the curd aside to cool to room temp while you prepare the raspberry sauce.
Raspberry Sauce
- Place raspberries and maple syrup or honey in a small saucepan and turn heat to medium to bring to a boil, stirring.
- In a small bowl, dissolve the arrowroot in the lemon juice or water.
- Once raspberries have broken down, stir in the arrowroot/lemon mixture and continue to cook on med/low heat, simmering for 2-3 minutes or until thickened, set aside to cool.
While lemon curd and raspberry sauce cool, make the crust and crumb topping.
Crust and Crumb Topping
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift all the dry ingredients into a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the nut butter, coconut oil, honey or maple syrup, lemon juice, and extracts using an electric mixer on low speed.
- Use a spoon or rubber spatula to stir the dry mixture into the wet until a sticky dough forms.
- Line an 9” round cake pan with parchment paper along bottom and sides or grease with coconut oil.*
- Press 2/3 of the chilled dough into the bottom of the pan to form the crust.
- Add 2 tablespoons of almond flour to the remaining dough and mix to get a crumbly texture, add more if it’s not crumbly.
- Chill in the refrigerator while crust pre-bakes.
- Bake bottom crust in the preheated oven for 8-10 mins until set.
- Once done, pour the lemon curd over the crust, then top with raspberry mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining chilled crumble evenly over the filling.
- Return to the oven and bake 25-30 minutes or until the topping is lightly brown and filling is bubbly.
- Cool on wire rack completely, then chill for 1- 2 hours until set. Cut into slices with sharp knife.
- If you’re removing the cake from the pan: chill for 4 hours, pick the cake out of the pan by holding onto the overlapping parchment paper. Slide the cake off the parchment onto a plate.
- Cut into slices and serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
Use parchment paper to remove the cake from the pan onto a plate for a pretty presentation. Then cut into slices.
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”
— Margaret Atwood
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