Fresh Raspberry-Sour Cream Crumb Cake

     Berries are my weakness.  This is the time of year when I really splurge, secretly hoarding cartons of them in my vegetable drawer.  Piling them on my cereal every morning with abandon makes me feel as though I'm living in the lap of luxury.  During the winter, when berries are expensive, I ration out my daily allotment and dream about the warm days of July when blueberries are cheap and plentiful.  This recipe from Williams Sonoma uses fresh raspberries in a streusel topped coffee cake.  This is a true coffee cake in every sense of the word, sweet and buttery on top with a dryish crumb, the perfect accompaniment to a steaming cup of coffee.
     It baked in my 10 inch dutch oven for 50 minutes with 10 coals in a ring around the base of the oven, 16 around the edge of the lid with 6 spaced evenly in the center.  With so much butter in the topping, you need to check it after 25 minutes or so to make sure it is not browning too quickly.  I loosely placed a 10 inch square of foil over the top during the last 10 minutes of baking time and it came out perfectly.  Let it cool a good half hour before lifting it out of your oven.  This would also be good with blueberries, just add some cinnamon to the topping to perk up the flavor.

Fresh Raspberry-Sour Cream Crumb Cake
For the crumb topping
1 cup flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
8 Tblsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
For the cake
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups fresh raspberries
For dusting
2 Tblsp confectioners' sugar

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven; line with parchment paper.
     To make crumb topping, in small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and lemon zest.
     Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture is crumbly; set aside.
     To make the cake, in large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
     In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until well blended.
     Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the sour cream mixture.
     Beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
     Spoon the batter into prepared dutch oven and spread evenly.
     Cover evenly with the raspberries.
     Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the berries.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, covering loosely with foil if necessary to prevent top from burning.
     Cake is done when top is golden brown and tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
     Allow cake to cool for 30 minutes before lifting from dutch oven with parchment paper.
     Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.

Top batter with layer of fresh raspberries then streusel topping

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until tester
comes out clean

Allow to cool for 30 minutes in dutch oven before removing and
 sprinkling with confectioners' sugar

The quintessential summer coffee cake