Skillet Strawberry Crumble
Make Skillet Strawberry Crumble: a warm, buttery strawberry skillet dessert ready in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (400 g) fresh strawberries, (washed, hulled, roughly chopped)
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar, (divided)
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) cold butter, (cut into small pieces)
- 1 large egg, (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup (64 g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk, (or more as needed)
- 1 drop freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the strawberries
Toss the roughly chopped, hulled strawberries with the cornstarch and half a cup of granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until the fruit is evenly coated and glossy; let them sit while you assemble the rest so they macerate and release some juice, building a syrupy, ruby-red filling that will thicken as it bakes.
Step 2: Ready the skillet and oven
Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 12-inch skillet with nonstick spray so it’s ready to receive the dough; set the skillet on the Luna Pearl surface while you finish the dough so everything is at hand and the workflow stays tidy.
Step 3: Combine the dry cake ingredients
Whisk together the flour, the full cup of granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and kosher salt in a large bowl until evenly distributed and aromatic, creating a lightly speckled, dry base that will cradle the butter pieces.
Step 4: Cut the butter into the dry mix
Add the cold diced butter to the flour mixture and work it in with your fingers or a fork until the butter pieces are pea-sized or smaller, leaving a mix that reads as coarse crumbs with tiny glossy butter pockets—a tactile, grainy texture primed for binding.
Step 5: Add the wet ingredients and form the dough
Stir in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract until the dough just comes together into a slightly shaggy, pliable mixture; reserve about half the dough. Press half of the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared skillet to form a compact base that will bake into a tender, lightly sweet cake layer.
Step 6: Assemble the skillet
Spread the macerated strawberry mixture evenly over the pressed base so juicy, ruby pools peek through the fruit, then crumble the remaining dough over the top in even, irregular clusters so the surface reads as a coarse, golden streusel ready to bake.
Step 7: Bake until golden and bubbling
Bake the assembled skillet for 30 to 35 minutes until the crumble topping is golden at the edges and the strawberry juices are bubbling and glossy through the gaps—look for a warm, bronzed surface with juicy red contrast at the seams.
Step 8: Whisk the glaze
Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, a tablespoon of milk, and a drop of fresh lemon juice until smooth and glossy, adjusting with more milk by the teaspoon for a thinner pourable glaze that will sit in thin ribbons on the warm topping.
Step 9: Glaze and serve
Drizzle the glaze in delicate, glossy lines over the hot or cooled crumble, letting it pool slightly on the peaks of the streusel; serve straight from the skillet so the golden, coarse crumbs and bright strawberry pockets contrast against the warm red enamel.
Notes
- Keep the butter very cold so the topping bakes up flaky and crisp.
- Taste the strawberries before adding extra sugar; sweetness varies by season.
- To crisp the topping after refrigeration, reheat in the oven and broil briefly while watching closely.