Cape Gooseberry Coffee Cake

Our CSA provides many wonderful fruits and vegetables throughout the year and sometimes we receive something unusual that stumps me. In last week's box, that "something" was a pint of cape gooseberries (aka ground cherries). They had appeared in a few boxes last fall and I tried making muffins and a chutney with them, to little success. This time around I stumbled on a coffee cake recipe featuring gooseberries and thought it was worth a try. The result? It was delicious! I altered the recipe found here. 

I made this cake on Sunday night and it is still fresh-tasting three days later. This is a great snack that will last through the work week and if we receive any more gooseberry pints I will definitely make it again.

Cape Gooseberry Coffee Cake

Yields: 1 - 9" Cake

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter, cubed
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup buttermilk (or regular milk soured with lemon juice or vinegar)
1 large egg
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (or 1 pint) cape gooseberries, husks removed
1 cup chopped nuts (I used a mix of sliced almonds and roasted pistachios, but pecans or walnuts would also be tasty)
½ cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour a 9" cake pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter with two table knives until butter is combined with flour and is the size of small peas. Remove 1 cup of flour & butter mixture into a second bowl and set aside (you'll use it for your topping later).

Add in baking powder and soda to base flour mixture and whisk gently (or sift before hand). Add buttermilk, egg and vanilla and stir until mixture is combined.

Pour flour mixture into prepared pan. Scatter gooseberries over the top. Next, add nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon to your small bowl of flour that is set aside. Stir and sprinkle over the top. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out crumby, but clean.