TwD: BLACKBERRY CRUMB CAKE

This pick from Sihan of Befuddlement couldn't have come at a better time. I have two wonderful house guests coming on Tuesday for Miami's Winter Music Festival. Yes, lots of dancing and good times to come in the next week. And we will need a little sugar and lots of caffeine to keep it all going.

The original recipe calls for blueberries although Dorie says you can use any berry except strawberries, which are too watery. I chose blackberries because I love them and love the tart and sweet combination of blackberry cobblers. This was equally a great combo. The recipe also calls for orange or lemon rind rubbed into sugar. I used orange, and it turned the sugar a most glorious saffron yellow! It also added a nice, subtle orange flavor to the cake. I was actually surprised that I could distinctly taste it after baking. Instead of using all walnuts for the topping, I used walnuts, cashews, and almonds; mainly because I had them on-hand. I decided to make muffins and filled 12 muffin tins almost to the top. There was still batter left over so I filled two ramekins. I really should have left more room for the muffins. They poofed and went flat on top instead of doming like regular muffins. The crumble didn't want to stay on very well and looks spotty. It seemed to be trying to escape the muffins. Both problems would have been solved if they had room to rise just to the top of the tin. Despite looking like a bunch of mutts, they taste delicious. The ramekins fared much better looks-wise and taste pretty much the same - yum!

I will definitely be making this again, and would love to try it with mixed berries.

Discoveries:

• Crumble will be crumble, and fall from even baked muffins. Containment.
• Move over cranberry, orange has a new friend.
• I don't know how to spell ramekin...ramikin...ramiken...ramakin...ramaken...very confusing word. Glad I only have to bake with it.