Leah’s Crumb Cake

This is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill coffee cake.  This coffee cake (and it is excellent with a cup of coffee!) is a cut above.  It has a wonderful texture because it’s made with cake flour instead of regular flour.  And the crumb topping is not your typical streusel, it’s something much more!  Part of the process in making this is taking the time to shape the topping into little balls of deliciousness!  It’s worth the effort and only adds a few minutes to the total time.  Leah has made this crumb cake several times, and she knows I love it!  It’s probably the recipe I request most often when she wants to bake and is asking for suggestions.  And I’m always ready to eat it once she gets it baked!

Ingredients:

Crumb Topping-

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter, melted and still warm

1 3/4 cups cake flour (comes in a box and can be found in the baking aisle with the other flours. Do not substitute regular flour)

Cake –

1 1/4 cups cake flour (do not substitute)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons butter, cut into little cubes.  Need to be softened but still cool

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup buttermilk

confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Directions-

For the topping- Stir together the sugars, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter together.

Add flour and stir until the dough  is completely combined.  It will appear lumpy.

Set aside to cool to room temperature while you make the coffee cake dough.

For the cake-  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cut a 16 inch piece of parchment or foil.  Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray and fit parchment or foil into the pan.  Push it down into the corners to fit, and leave excess extended up the sides.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Mix on low to combine.  With mixer still running, add butter, a few pieces at a time and continue to beat until mixture is well combined and butter is incorporated.

Butter should be fully incorporated and mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.  It will probably take about 2 minutes of mixing.

Add egg, yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 1 minute), scraping bowl if necessary.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly.

Break apart  and shape the crumb topping into large pea-sized pieces and sprinkle over the dough.

Coffee cake should be completely covered.  It may seem like too much but trust me, this is the best part!!

Bake at 325 degrees until crumb topping is golden and cake tests done in center.  It will need to bake about 35-40 minutes.

Remove from pan by lifting parchment, then slide off of parchment onto serving plate.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving if desired.