Nectarine Crumb Cake!

Where has the time gone? I swear it was a blink of an eye, but how did we get to the end of summer so quickly?! I was driving home the other day and ducks/geese were already starting to head south for the winter…what? I’m still caught up in the mist of summer.

Clearly I like to live in delusion….

Whatever the case, because it is near the end of summer, stone fruits are in full fled! We have a little “garden” at my work and its filled with all sorts of little treasures. Fruit trees hidden in the shrubs, one day I will gather enough caring souls to bring the garden to life! It’s truly a shame that that no one at work really knows about that little area. It’s filled with all sorts of fruits: pomegranates, peaches, apples, lemons, limes, tangerines, and today’s star: nectarines!

The tree is covered! I felt like a little kid all giddy picking the nectarines off the tree. What's better than using locally grown fruits (not to mention organic too!) to make your tasty desserts?! I cannot let those poor fruits just fall to the ground, they must be enjoyed and I will bring awareness!

Okay, now onto my experiment, nectarine crumb cake! After gathering my basket, which really was a plastic Safeway bag, of goodies, I set to work. Time to find a recipe worthy of these luscious fruits. Finally after filtering through a bunch of different nectarine related recipes, I settled for 2 and combined the elements I liked to create this one. I think it turned out more like a coffee cake more than anything but I like the name crumb cake better. Either way, its nothing short of delicious and its super easy! Another win for the inner lazy!

Nectarine Crumb Cake
Adapted from Nectarine Golden Cake and Nectarine Brown Butter Buckle

Ingredients:

For cake:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 stick butter
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3-4 nectarines, pitted and cut into ¼” slices

For streusel:

• 2-3 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• Pinch of salt

Procedures:

For streusel:

1. Brown butter by melting it at medium heat. Stir until butter turns golden brown. Remove from heat and let it cool before proceeding.
2. Once butter is cooled, add in all the other ingredients and mix until it begins to crumble. Set aside

For cake:

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt
2. Beat butter and sugar together with electric mixer until fluffy. Add in 1 egg at a time, mix and then add in extracts. At low speed, mix in flour until well combined
3. Layer on nectarines. Top with streusel and sliced almonds.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.