Cinnamon Crumb Cake is a family favorite. We don’t have it often, usually just on vacation because as delicious as it is, it isn’t something we should eat every day. In her new cookbook Cake, I Love You by Jill O’Connor, she includes her Classic Diner Crumb Cake Recipe in the Spirits & Spices section of the book.
About Cake, I Love You
What better way to celebrate life’s big and small achievements than with cake? This love letter to a classic indulgence offers 60 divinely decadent recipes home bakers will want to make right away. Organized by flavor profile (banana, coconut, chocolate, caramel, spice, fruit) and level of difficulty, each chapter in this cookbook from baking master Jill O’Connor presents a wide range of sweet choices, from easy weeknight sheet cakes to showstoppers layered with frosting and ganache. With photos that will make readers want to reach out and swipe their fingers through the frosting, Cake, I Love You offers foolproof cake-making advice for beginning bakers and master mixers alike.
I like that this cookbook is organized by flavor profile and difficulty, it makes it easy to locate the recipe to suit your needs. The first 23 pages of the book are very informative filled with information about baker’s gear, the baker’s pantry, and how to build a better cake. I learned a few things in this section, most importantly that eggs should be at room temperature before you start baking. Did you know that? “If cold eggs are added to creamed butter and sugar, tiny little bits of the butter will seize and harden slightly, making it harder to smoothly incorporate the eggs, and inhibiting the batter’s ability to rise as well as it should.” (pg 19)
- 2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- Confectioners' sugar for garnish
- Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat a 9-by-1-in baking pan with nonstick cooking spray,
- In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until the butter is absorbed and the mixture is crumbly. To get big, chunky pieces grab handfuls of crumbs and compress them together, then break these larger nuggets into slightly smaller pieces to scatter over the batter before baking. Set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla and sour cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Using your hands, sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter, making sure some of the larger clumps remain as you go and covering the top completely.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the crumb topping is firm. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares and serve. The cake will keep, tightly covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.
For me, there is too much flour in the crumb topping, I can actually taste the flour, and that should never be the case. Next time I make this cake, I will try decreasing the flour in the topping and see how that does. I hope you enjoy this recipe and all of the easy recipes I share here on The Mom Maven. I hope you share them on your social networks. I just ask that you not copy and share the entire recipe with photos. Please use the sharing buttons below and share the link to this post. Thanks!
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