Lemon Curd Crumb Cake

Prep: 30 mins
Bake 40 mins
Makes 9x9” cake, Serves 16

This might be the best lemon dessert I’ve created.  A sturdy vanilla cake base, topped with the perfect amount of smooth and tangy lemon curd, then all of it is covered with a crumbly sweet topping.  Don’t let 3 layers intimidate you, they all come together really fast with basic ingredients you probably have in the pantry.  Use organic lemons for the curd because you’ll need the zest of 3 big lemons and you don’t want wax or chemicals to spoil the most important layer.   Crumb cake is really popular in the north east but it is likely an adaptation of a German coffee cake called “streuselkuchen”.  The original sweet and crumbly streusel layer sat on top of a yeasted sweet bread. Over the years in the USA, we’ve changed the base to a more traditional, sturdy cake that gets its lift from baking soda and powder.  

A piece of this cake made with Grain-Free Flour has about 210 calories, 7 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein and only 4 slowly digesting net carbs.  Compare that with the same serving size of a regular crumb cake which carries 340 calories, only 3 grams of protein, 1 gram of fiber, 24g added sugar and 44 rapidly digesting net carbs to spike blood sugar and insulin.  All the butter used in the traditionally made crumb cake would also give an extra 20 mg of cholesterol per slice, detoxed desserts don’t contain any cholesterol.  I love this cake topped with high protein yogurt to make a perfectly balanced macros and nutritionally dense breakfast.

Cake Ingredients:
1 ½ cup Flour Swap
½ cup Sugar Swap
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder (double for Grain-Free)
½ tsp baking soda (double for Grain-Free)
1 Egg Swap
½ cup Butter Swap
⅔ cup plant milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Lemon Curd Ingredients:
½ cup lemon juice
Zest of 3 big lemons
1 Egg Swap
½ cup Sugar Swap
2 Tbsp Flour Swap
½ tsp baking powder (no need to double if using Grain-Free Flour)

Crumb Topping Ingredients:
1 cup Flour Swap
¾ cup Sugar Swap
½ tsp salt½ cup Butter Swap

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line an 9x9” baking pan with parchment paper.  

Mix dry cake ingredients together, then add wet ingredients and stir well.  Let the dough rest for a few minutes then mix the batter another 2-3 minutes.  Press evenly into the parchment lined baking tray.  

Mix the lemon curd ingredients together using a wire whisk until smooth.  Pour on top of the cake. 

Mix dry crumb topping ingredients together then add Butter Swap.  Use a fork to incorporate the Butter into the mixture until crumbly.  Don’t over-mix, it needs to stay crumbly!  Sprinkle the crumbs on top (no need to press down).  

Set a piece of foil on top, do not cover tightly.  The loose foil will prevent the crumb topping from burning while the cake fully bakes.  Bake for about 35-40 minutes (40-50 minutes Grain-Free).  Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.  Lift the cooled cake out of the pan and slice.  *For best taste, texture and health benefits, refrigerate all Detox Desserts overnight before indulging.  Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.