Skip to main content

Grape Cake With Hazelnut Streusel

5.0

(1)

Top view of grape cake topped with Thomcord grapes and streusel in a rectangular baking dish with a metal spatula.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce

Any kind or mix of seedless grapes will work for this crowd-ready snack cake. We prefer adding Thomcord grapes, which give you all the intense juicy punch of a Concord grape without the annoying seeds.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 hour 15 minutes

  • Yield

    20 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1" pieces, plus 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for pan
1 3/4 cups skin-on hazelnuts
3 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 cup plain, full-fat yogurt (not Greek)
1 1/2 lb. seedless grapes, such as Thomcord or Red Globe (or a mix), divided

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 13x9" pan. Lightly dust pan with flour, tapping out excess. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 10–12 minutes. Bundle nuts in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove skins. Spread out and let cool.

    Step 2

    Transfer 1 cup hazelnuts to a medium bowl (reserve remaining hazelnuts for the cake). Add brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt and mix to combine. Using a fork, mix in 6 Tbsp. melted butter until well combined; set streusel aside.

    Step 3

    Pulse reserved 3/4 cup hazelnuts and remaining 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely ground. Add lemon zest and remaining 1/2 cup room-temperature butter and pulse until combined, about 1 minute. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add vanilla and pulse just to combine.

    Step 4

    Whisk baking powder and remaining 2 cups flour and 3/4 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Pulse in half of dry ingredients to combine, then pulse in yogurt. Pulse in remaining dry ingredients until just combined.

    Step 5

    Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle with three-quarters of the grapes. Top with streusel, then sprinkle with remaining grapes. Bake cake on a rimmed baking sheet until a tester inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 50–60 minutes. Transfer cake to a wire rack and let cool.

Read More
This isn’t competing with a brownie. It’s in a class of its own.
This rustic no-knead loaf gets subtle sweetness and perfect-PBJ potential by trading the usual water for apple juice.
Fall dreams are made of this. Who are we to disagree?
Canned pumpkin, you shouldn’t have!
Crisp, buttery shell. Soft, flaky center. Cry!
A few clever changes take classic Rice Krispies Treats to soaring new heights.
Brussels sprouts are better with a crunchy Parmesan skirt.
Yes, you can use the pre-cut squash.