Berry cake with shortcrust crumble

A German recipe that takes any berries — cherries and blackcurrants are especially good.

24 cm tin

Ingredients

For the batter

• berries — 500 g
• butter — 100 g
• sugar — 150 g
• eggs — 3
• flour — 150 g

For the crumble

• butter — 120 g
• sugar — 120 g
• flour — 250 g

Method

1. Beat room-temperature butter with the sugar until pale. Butter at room temperature whips more easily and gives a lighter, more tender batter.
2. Add the eggs one at a time and beat.
3. Add the flour and cinnamon. Beat until smooth.
4. Pick over the berries, halving any large ones.
5. For the crumble, combine all the ingredients and rub them together by hand.
6. Line the tin with baking paper or grease it with butter.
7. Spread the batter, add the berries in a single layer and cover with the crumble.
8. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 40 minutes. A golden crust is the sign that it is done.

Tips

• The quantities are for a 24 cm tin. The base layer of batter should be 1–2 cm.
• The amount of sugar can be varied.