Perfectly moist and fluffy Grain-Free Strawberry Crumb Cake is amazing for sharing with friends and family for a special occasion. Dairy-free, refined sugar-free, loaded with fresh sweet strawberries and healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast!
We’ve been making the most of berry season in my household, between the Strawberry Oatmeal Bars on repeat and the occasional Belgian Waffle weekend breakfast.
In keeping the strawberry love alive, I wanted to make a cake recipe that is similar to my Strawberry Almond Breakfast Cake and my fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake yet even more packed with strawberries with an amazing crumble topping.
And so this paleo friendly grain-free Strawberry Crumb Cake was born!
It covers many dietary restrictions in addition to be completely delicious! It is..
- Gluten-free and grain-free
- Refined sugar-free
- Dairy-free
- Paleo friendly
- Easy to make vegan or egg-free
Fluffy, moist, perfectly sweet, the perfect dessert for entertaining guests and even health-conscious enough for breakfast or snack.
The way I see it, this easy recipe is perfect for sharing over any holiday and makes for a particularly marvelous 4th of July dessert! Whip it up for brunch as well!
What is A Crumb Cake?:
Similar to coffee cake, crumb cake features a crumb topping on top of a moist, decadent dense cake.
The difference between coffee cake and crumb cake is that a traditional crumb cake recipe is half cake and half crumble, whereas coffee cake has a thinner layer of cinnamon streusel topping.
I’m taking the creative liberty to add a thick jammy fresh strawberry filling to give it a strawberry pie vibe.
Ingredients for Strawberry Crumb Cake:
Almond Flour: Used as the gluten-free grain-free flour of choice here, almond flour makes for a lovely fluffy yet dense and rustic texture. Almond flour has a natural sweetness to it and its healthy fat content make it ideal for healthy desserts like this.
Strawberries: Fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries are stewed on the stove top with some pure maple syrup to make an amazing thick strawberry layer.
Avocado Oil: A portion of the liquid and the fat content of the cake recipe, avocado oil makes for a tender cake that is nice and rich. Because avocado oil has a neutral flavor, it is ideal in applications like this when you want the flavors of the other ingredients to shine through. If you aren’t dairy-free, feel free to use melted butter instead of avocado oil.
Eggs: In order to fluff up the cake and make it nice and airy, we use large egg! Because grain-free desserts made with almond flour don’t have a lot of starch to hold everything together, eggs play a pivotal role in getting the texture right. For this reason, I don’t recommend swapping them for an egg replacer like flax eggs, chia eggs or any other vegan egg option, unless you’re okay with a very dense cake.
Pure Maple Syrup: Used to sweeten the strawberry crumb cake, pure maple syrup brings delightful flavor and richness.
Almond Extract & Vanilla Extract: While both almond extract and vanilla extract are optional, both bring warmth and depth of flavor to the cake. You can use both, one or the other, or neither and the cake will still taste amazing.
Baking Powder: The leavening agent here, baking powder ensures the cake rises, bakes evenly, and stays held together nicely.
Sea Salt: Major flavor enhancer! A pinch of salt goes a long way in leveling up all of the individual flavors of the cake.
Tapioca Flour: Used to thicken the strawberry filling, a touch of tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, cornstarch, or gluten-free all-purpose flour goes a long way in making the strawberry mixture nice and thick and jammy. Without this addition, the strawberry mixture will have too watery of a consistency and may make the cake a bit messier than desired.
If you’d like, you can add lemon zest and lemon juice to the cake batter for a citrusy infusion. You can also add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon for small hints of cinnamon throughout the cake.
Let’s bake this delicious strawberry cake!
How to Make Strawberry Crumb Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 8-inch springform cake pan with parchment paper. I like to spray the sides of the springform pan with cooking oil to ensure the cake releases easily. If you don’t have a springform pan, you can easily use an 8-inch square pan.
Transfer the chopped strawberries and pure maple syrup to a saucepan and heat over medium-high. Bring the mixture to a full boil, then reduce the heat and use a fork to mash the strawberries to your desired consistency. Add in the tapioca flour and sea salt and stir well. Continue cooking until the strawberry filling is thick, about 3 to 5 minutes longer. Set aside until ready to use.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, almond extract and vanilla extract until well-combined. Note: you can also use a handheld electric mixer, food processor, or a stand mixer for this process and beat on medium speed.
Stir together the almond flour, baking powder, and sea salt in a separate bowl until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until a thick cake batter forms (it will be thicker than regular cake batter).
Measure out ¾ cup of the crumb mixture to reserve as the crumb topping. Transfer the rest of the cake batter to the cake pan and spread it into an even layer.
Pour the strawberry mixture on top of the cake batter and spread it into an even layer.
Use the ¾ cup of reserved cake batter to distribute on top of the strawberry layer – this doesn’t need to look perfect, as it is supposed to have a rustic vibe to it.
Bake the cake in the center of the oven for 40 to 55 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown with a crisp and the cake is cooked through.
Remove the strawberry crumb cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely before releasing it from the cake mold. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
If you’d like, serve the cake with homemade Coconut Whipped Cream or a scoop of Keto Vanilla Ice Cream!
Make a sweet vanilla glaze with 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of water and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract for some added sweetness if you like.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If there is still cake left after 5 days, you can transfer the remainder to a zip lock bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.
This perfect summer dessert is a lovely celebration of strawberry season! Enjoy this strawberry crumble cake for breakfast with a cup of coffee, or enjoy it for dessert.
If you love the idea of this strawberry cake, also try out my Paleo Blueberry Cake or my Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Cake.
Looking for more healthy dessert inspiration? Here are some reader favorites I know you’ll love!
More Healthy Desserts:
- Paleo Triple Chocolate Cake
- The BEST Paleo Cheesecake Recipe
- Blueberry Almond Flour Scones
- Strawberry Coconut Milk Popsicles
- The Best Giant Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Paleo Chocolate Banana Breakfast Cake
Enjoy this fresh strawberry cake all summer long!
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup avocado oil*
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract, optional
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
Strawberry Layer:
- 3 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 to 2 Tbsp tapioca flour**
- Pinch Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 8-inch springform cake pan with parchment paper. I like to spray the sides of the springform pan with cooking oil to ensure the cake releases easily. If you don't have a springform pan, you can easily use an 8-inch square pan.
- Transfer the chopped strawberries and pure maple syrup to a saucepan and heat over medium-high. Bring the mixture to a full boil, then reduce the heat and use a fork to mash the strawberries to your desired consistency. Add in the tapioca flour and sea salt and stir well. Continue cooking until the strawberry filling is thick, about 3 to 5 minutes longer. Set aside until ready to use.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, almond extract and vanilla extract until well-combined. Note: you can also use a handheld electric mixer, food processor, or a stand mixer for this process and beat on medium speed.
- Stir together the almond flour, baking powder, and sea salt in a separate bowl until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until a thick cake batter forms (it will be thicker than regular cake batter).
- Measure out ¾ cup of the crumb mixture to reserve as the crumb topping. Transfer the rest of the cake batter to the cake pan and spread it into an even layer.
- Pour the strawberry mixture on top of the cake batter and spread it into an even layer.
- Use the ¾ cup of reserved cake batter to distribute on top of the strawberry layer – this doesn’t need to look perfect, as it is supposed to have a rustic vibe to it.
- Bake the cake in the center of the oven for 40 to 55 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown with a crisp and the cake is cooked through.
- Remove the strawberry crumb cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely before releasing it from the cake mold. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
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