Nothing but the crumb..

I have tasted New York style crumb cake before but I have never really thought to make one. I am not sure I succeeded tonight but I did make one. It is hot, really hot in my kitchen, so I am not convinced that baking was the right thing to do. Now, as I sit and type this plopped precisely in front of my very pathetic in-room air conditioner smelling the tempting aroma of vanilla and cinnamon wafting this way I think I made the right decision.

The final photo will have to be added tomorrow morning, you know the one, the glamor shot of the cut cake slice. It is a tricky cake and I can’t really tell if it is fully baked so said photo might never come and you will just have to assume I failed.

Cake Batter

• 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (you could use milk here, I think I should have added a tbsp or two more of the buttermilk to get the right consistency)

Crumb Topping

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

1.       Place rack in center of oven, and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour your pan (I used an 8 inch cake round)

2.       In a medium bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

3.       In a second bowl, whisk together egg, milk, canola oil, and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture.

4.       Spread batter evenly into prepared pan, and set aside.

5.      In a medium bowl, combine remaining 2 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour melted butter over flour mixture, and toss with a rubber spatula until large crumbs form. Sprinkle crumbs over batter.

6.      Transfer pan to oven, and bake, rotating pan after 10 minutes. Continue baking until a cake tester comes out clean, about 10 minutes more.

Transfer baking pan to a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners’ sugar. Using a serrated knife or bench scraper, cut into 3-inch squares. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.