January 2, 2011

Crumb Cake Anyone?!

I have ALWAYS loved Crumb cake.  A simple, direct statement with a lot of truth behind it!
When I was 5 years old, my mom made it for me for the first time, for my Birthday breakfast.  Ever since that first bite of cinnamon, brown sugar goodness, I was hooked and it is now what I request for my special Birthday treat...by the way, I am 27 years old (that is a lot of crumb cake).  Now that you know my obsession for all things with cinnamon crumble, I thought that for a New Years treat, I would make some with my 3 year old.  Meet Bentley, 3 years old (he thinks he is 6), cute as a button, sweet as sugar, witty, smart, and he LOVES baking with his mom (me). You will read about him frequently in the kitchen with me, because we both have a passion for CREATING in the kitchen and we both love to EAT our decadent, and sometimes not so decadent concoctions.
Now for the Crumb cake.  I have tried a few recipes, and this one is awesome!  I love Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa on Food Network).  I used her Blueberry Crumb cake recipe, without the Blueberries (because I didn't have any at the time), but it was delicious and I will definitely be making the Blueberry version for myself on my Birthday.  Sad, but true, I do cook for myself on my Birthday because my husband doesn't even know how to butter toast (joking, sort of).


Ina Garten Blueberry Crumb Cake Recipe:

Ingredients

For the streusel:

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl,sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,
crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

Here is my piece of cake, after I devoured 1/2 of it in almost 30 seconds.  Enjoy!


1 comment:

Jami Asanovich said...

Sounds delish! I will have to give this one a try. ;)