Mini pumpkin spice crumb muffins

I've been looking forward to this weekend for a few weeks, since my friend and I are hosting a baby shower for another friend of ours!  There were a thousand things I wanted to bake, but only a day or two to get things done (work schedule is packed and I work super long days three days a week now).  These muffins definitely made the list, though!

Now I've said it before and I'll (have to) say it again: I hate pumpkin spice.  Like ugh, gross, despise it.  But almost everyone else loves it, including the mom-to-be, who told me she was "bad" when she got a pumpkin spice latte (caffeine is OK when pregnant, so I'm not sure why she thinks she was "bad," but I digress....).  So when hosting a baby shower for 13 women, including at least one who has confirmed her love for pumpkin spice, these muffins were a given!  Plus, they have the most heavenly looking crumb topping.  [I debated making these pumpkin spice latte cupcakes, but wanted something more breakfast/brunch-y.  And again, remember, crumbs!]

I ended up making mini muffins, since they were being served before lunch.  I halved the recipe since I didn't want to have an insane amount of muffins, and as it was I got 27 mini muffins with a half recipe.  I didn't, however, half the crumb topping since I figured mini muffins = more surface area, and I'd probably need extra crumbs.  As it ended up, I had leftover crumb topping, but that's fine.  Better to have too much than not enough!

* Full disclosure, it took me a long time to post this blog post, despite having written it and staging the photos at the time I baked them.  When I went to put the final edits on the post and add the recipe, the original link I had was defunct.  When I searched the blog again, I came across this recipe, which from my recollection is the same * 

Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins

From Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup milk, at room temperature

For the crumb topping:

3/4 cup all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the (optional) maple icing:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Spray a 2 x 12 count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners.  This recipe makes 15 full sized muffins, so you'll need a second pan. (I made mini muffins, and used a 24-cavity mini muffin pan, but chose to use liners instead of spraying it; I halved the recipe and got 27 mini muffins, so you'd need do to this for at least 2 muffin pans).

Prepare the muffins.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together until combined.
Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, and milk together until combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry.

Fold everything together gentlyy, just until combined and no flour pockets remain.

Spoon batter into liners, until almost full.

Make the crumb topping.

Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice until combined.

Using a fork, lightly mix in the melted butter until crumbs form.

Do not over mix.

Spoon crumbs evenly on top of the batter and gently press them down into the batter.

Bake for 5 minutes at 425, then while the muffins are still in the oven, reduce the temperature to 350F.

Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
For my mini muffins, I baked at 425 for 5 minutes, then lowered the heat to 350F and baked for 8 more minutes.  The newer version of this recipe says to bake mini muffins for 11-13 minutes at 350F the entire time.

Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes as you make the icing.

To make the icing, whisk the milk, maple syrup, and confectioners' sugar together until combined and smooth.  

Drizzle over muffins and serve warm.

*These can be stored at room temp for 1-2 days, in the fridge for up to a week, and can be frozen (with or without the icing, though I generally recommend freezing without icing and icing them once they've thawed).

Momofuku Milk Bar's blueberries and cream cookies

A long time ago, before I had eaten at a Momofuku restaurant (hard to believe, right?!), I had seen these cookies via a foodie website that I followed.  I saved the recipe immediately, as I often do, and then it sat in a cyber folder on my computer.  I've since become obsessed with certain Momofuku restaurants and in particular that they serve a rotating variety of Momofuku Milk Bar cookies at one restaurant.  B and I loved these blueberries and cream cookies when we had them (our latest Momofuku Noodle Bar trip -- yesterday! -- wound up with a different but also delicious confetti cookie for dessert), and that started the wheels turning in my head.  We needed some blueberries and cream cookies STAT (and by "we," I mean I needed to send them to work with B).

Just an FYI, these cookies involve 2 steps -- 3 if you include the difficult-to-delay-gratification waiting time of 1 hour to SEVEN days-- but they are SO worth it!  The original recipe says it makes 12-17 cookies, but I got 20 (with just a little extra to make a mini tasting cookie ;-)).

Blueberry & Cream Cookies
Momofuku Milk Bar (you have to click on the link up top for the cookies...there's no direct link)

Ingredients:

For the milk crumbs:

1/2 cup milk powder
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt (I crust it between my fingers when I add it to the recipe)
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup milk powder
3 oz white chocolate, melted

For the cookies:

16 Tbsp butter, at room temp
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup glucose (I didn't have any....I used light corn syrup and they were great!)
2 eggs
2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp kosher salt (I like to crush it between my fingers as I add it in)
1/2 recipe milk crumbs
3/4 cup dried blueberries

Directions:

Make the milk crumbs:

Preheat the oven to 250F.

Combine the 1/2 cup milk powder, flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
Toss with your hands to mix.
Add the melted butter and toss, using a spatula, until the mixture starts to come together and form small clusters.

Spread the clusters on a parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pan.
Bake for 20 minutes.
The crumbs should be sandy at that point, and the kitchen should smell like buttery heaven.
Cool the crumbs completely.

Crumble any crumbs that are bigger than 1/2 inch in diameter.
Put the crumbs in a medium bowl.
Add the 1/4 cup of milk powder.
Toss together until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

Pour the white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until the clusters are enrobed.
The continue to toss them every 5 minutes until the white chocolate hardens and the clusters are no longer sticky.
Try not to eat them all.

[The crumbs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for up to 1 month.]

Make the cookies:

Combine the butter, sugars, and glucose/corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Cream on medium-high for 2-3 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the eggs.
Beat for 7-8 minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute.
Scrap down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

While still on low speed, add the milk crumbs and mix until they're incorporated, no more than 30 seconds.
Chase the milk crumbs with the dried blueberries, mixing them in for 30 seconds.

Using a 2 3/4 oz ice cream scoop (or a 1/3 cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.
Pat the tops of the cookie domes flat.
Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week.

Heat the oven to 350F.

Arrange chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on a parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pans.
Bake for 18 minutes (mine were ready after 15-16 minutes....watch them carefully).
The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread.
After 18 minutes they should be very faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center.

Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring them to a plate or to an airtight container for storage.
At room temp, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for up to 1 month.

Cinnamon apple crumb cake

Thanksgiving was a blur.  B's mom came in town so that we could all celebrate at my parent's, but my work schedule was such that I did a lot of running around.  I ended up leaving work early on Thanksgiving, and making it to my parent's without a hitch, but then working on Friday (and again on Sunday) meant that I was one tired lady come the end of the weekend!

But that's OK, because when I finally did get a chance to sit down and relax, albeit briefly, on Saturday morning, I got to partake in a (leftover) slice of this cinnamon apple crumb cake.  This heavenly cinnamon apple crumb cake.  Loaded with crumbs, there's barely any cake to hold it together...but that's just the way crumb cakes are supposed to be!  (I so wish you could see the delicious middle layer of this cake with cinnamon crumb and apple deliciousness and the tasty cider glaze drizzle in this picture.)

I didn't have an 8" springform pan, so I ended up using a regular 9" cake pan.  Not a worry at all, but it did make my cake layers ever so slightly thinner.  It did not affect the taste at all, but it did make for a not-as-pretty photo op of the cake.  Please, don't go by the look of my photos, this cake is totally a keeper.  And easy.  And delicious.  Well, you get the picture (no pun intended, I swear!)...

Cinnamon Apple Crumb Cake

Ingredients:

For the cinnamon streusel crumb:

1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (I pretty much use a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon in every recipe that calls for a tsp of cinnamon, so that's what I did here, as well....so good!)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup butter melted
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 large (or 2 small) tart apples -- peeled and chopped

For the cake:

4 Tbsp butter -- room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp alt
1/2 tsp baking powder

For the cider glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1.5-2 Tbsp apple cider

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Grease an 8" springform pan (or 8" or 9" cake pan) and line the bottom with the parchment paper.
Set aside.

Make cinnamon streusel crumb mixture.
Whisk together dry ingredients.
Add melted butter and vanilla.
Stir until the mixture if evenly moist.
Set aside.

Peel and dice apples.  
Cover loosely with saran wrap to avoid apple turning brown.
Set aside.

Make the cake.
Cream together 4 Tbsp butter with 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and beat well.
Add vanilla and sour cream.
Beat again.

In another bowl, stir together 1 cup flour, baking soda, alt, and baking powder.
Add to the butter mixture.
Stir until just combined.

Spread half of the cake mixture on the bottom of the pan (it will be a very thin layer).
Spread the apple chunks evenly over the batter.
Sprinkle 1 cup of the cinnamon streusel crumbs over the apples.
Spread the remaining batter over the crumbs.
Top with the remaining crumb mixture.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Before removing from the pan, run a knife around the cake.

Make the glaze.
Whisk together the powdered sugar with apple cider.
Drizzle over the cake.

Blueberry coffee crumb cake cookies

Over two years ago, I baked a New York Style Crumb Cake with blueberry jam that my youngest sister absolutely fell in love with!  My self-proclaimed lover-of-savory-foods and hater-of-almost-all-sweet-things sister.  The one that shocked me when she asked me when I was going to bake this for her again.

Once I picked my jaw up off the floor, and after we polished off the cake, I told myself I'd make it for her again.  But then, well, that just never happened.  She's been asking for it a lot again lately, namely for our non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year (can anyone say lamb?  That's the proposed protein for the meal....but I digress).

So when I made these Coffee Crumb Cake Cookies for break fast this year, I had the brilliant idea to add blueberry jam to them for my sister.  Because cookies are so much easier to transport than a cake, and plus, the cookies were met with such rave reviews, that I just had to try them with the addition of blueberry jam.  They came out deliciously!

P.S. Don't fret....my sister will still get her coffee cake soon!

Blueberry Coffee Crumb Cake Cookies
Adapted from Cookies & Cups

Ingredients:

For the crumb topping:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cup flour

For the cookie:

10 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 1/3 cup flour

Blueberry jam, about 1/2 cup

Optional:

powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon liner.
Set aside.

Make the crumb topping.
Mix all the crumb ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Cut together with a pastry cutter or a fork until evenly mixed.
Refrigerate while making the dough.

Make the cookies.
Mix together the butter, shortening, and both sugars for 1-2 minutes on medium speed, until combined and smooth.
Add in cinnamon, eggs, and vanilla.
Continue mixing until evenly combined.
Turn mixer to low and mix in baking powder, salt, and flour.
Mix until dough comes together evenly.

Scoop cookies out using a cookie scoop or spoon (about 3 Tbsp) and place on lined cookie sheets.  If using a spoon, roll dough into balls.
Make an indentation in the center of the cookie dough.
Place about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of jam into the indentation.
Scoop at least 1 Tbsp of the crumb topping into the center of the dough, pressing lightly to stick.  Don't be afraid to cram it in!
Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes, or until edges start to get golden.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes on cookie sheet.
Transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Dust cooled cookies with powdered sugar, if you'd like.

Coffee cake cookies

My family has all the holidays divvied up quite nicely and evenly.  Since as far back as I can remember, since my grandmother vacated her role of preparer of break fast (the meal after the fast of Yom Kippur, when I eat almost 300 times more calories in one meal than I typically eat in a day), my aunt has held the title.  And although the meal is chock full of delicious food (appetizing and bagels and cream cheese, oh my!) we feel the need for dessert.  Even though a typical breakfast doesn't have dessert, our break fast always does.

My grandmother still usually makes the coffee cake -- handed down to her from her mother, my great grandmother, and possibly (and likely) from generations before her -- but since she did some sort of acrobatics last month and ended up with a fractured shoulder (she's healing quite nicely and is quite the champ!), I graciously usurped the cake-baking responsibilities for her.  Here's the problem.  This recipe I talk of?  This heavenly coffee cake?  Well it's a family secret.  It's always referred to as "Nanny Rose's Coffee Cake," and even if you promised to call it "Julie's Great Grandmother Rose's Coffee Cake," I don't think my family would ever forgive me for sharing it with you.  I did bake it and talk about it on the blog almost 3 years ago (see here for that post and a fabulous picture of four generations of women on my mom's side -- me, my mother, my grandmother, and my two great grandmothers), but I figured it wasn't fair to have another post about the cake and leave you drooling with no recipe, so I decided it was only fair to also make some coffee cake cookies.  Because that recipe I can share with you!

My Great Grandmother's Coffee Cake

I saw this recipe for coffee cake cookies over 6 months ago and I emailed it to myself.  "I must make these," I thought to myself, but then I never did.  See, just about anything that is advertised as coffee cake gets my attention.  And if you say coffee crumb cake, well then I'm 1000% sold!  So imagine a coffee cake cookie topped with loads of crumb topping, in a portable snackable delicious cookie that's been dusted in a faint snowfall of powdered sugar?!  I can't believe it's taken me this long to make them!

Coffee Cake Cookies
From Cookies & Cups

Ingredients:

For the crumb topping:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cup flour

For the cookie:

10 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 1/3 cup flour

Optional:

powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon liner.
Set aside.

Make the crumb topping.
Mix all the crumb ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Cut together with a pastry cutter or a fork until evenly mixed.
Refrigerate while making the dough.

Make the cookies.
Mix together the butter, shortening, and both sugars for 1-2 minutes on medium speed, until combined and smooth.
Add in cinnamon, eggs, and vanilla.
Continue mixing until evenly combined.
Turn mixer to low and mix in baking powder, salt, and flour.
Mix until dough comes together evenly.

Scoop cookies out using a cookie scoop or spoon (about 3 Tbsp) and place on lined cookie sheets.  If using a spoon, roll dough into balls.
Make an indentation in the center of the cookie dough.
Scoop at least 1 Tbsp of the crumb topping into the center of the dough, pressing lightly to stick.  Don't be afraid to cram it in!
Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes, or until edges start to get golden.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes on cookie sheet.
Transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Dust cooled cookies with powdered sugar, if you'd like.

Banana bread crumb cake

Two years ago I walked into a bar with my friend E and sat down next to a handsome guy.  I'll spare you all the sappy stuff, but I'm sure you've figured out by now that that handsome guy I was sitting next to was B!

I have to say,

It's been an amazing two years!

Since this year the date falls on a Sunday -- and one that I'm not working on! -- I decided I'd bake up a nice treat for us to celebrate the occasion.  B never got to try the heavenly banana cake I made for Mother's Day, and recently he suggested I make some banana bread when I asked -- annoyingly, I'm sure (and not for the first time) -- "What should I bake?"  He also raves about the crumb cake muffins I made when he had a visitor in town this spring to just about anyone who will listen.

So when, scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw a post for this Banana Bread Crumb Cake, I knew I didn't have to look any further for what I was going to bake!!  And when I mentioned it to B a few days beforehand, he was overly ecstatic -- so then I knew for sure that I had chosen the right recipe!  Luckily I remembered to pick up bananas that night so that they had time to ripen before I planned to bake the cake.

Banana Bread Crumb Cake
From Cookies & Cups

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk

For the Crumb Filling and Topping:

1 cup cold butter, cubed
2 cups light brown sugar
2 cups flour

For the (optional) Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Set aside.

In a large bowl mash the bananas until they become liquified.
Mix in butter until combined.
Then stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla until mixed well.
Stir in milk and flour until combined.

Prepare crumb filling/topping.
Combine all the ingredients together, cutting them together with a fork or pastry cutter until a coarse crumb forms.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.
Top with 1/3 of the crumb mixture.
Cover the filling with the remaining batter.
Top with the remaining crumb mixture.

Bake for 50-55 minutes until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes.

* If desired, mix the powdered sugar and milk together.
Drizzle on top.

Cake can be served warm or at room temperature.

New York-style coffee cake crumb muffins

The red velvet bundt cake I made in honor of B's visitor was a huge hit.  It made for a delicious breakfast along with some espressos today and amped us up for a walking culinary tour of the city.  I left the boys and -- since I was nearby -- stopped at my baking store.  I had had in mind that I wanted to make these amazing sounding New York-Style Coffee Crumb Cake Muffins for a while (I even bought the cake flour and rest of the ingredients the other day), so while I was at the baking store, I picked up some mini panettone baking cups, since I thought they'd make the muffins* cuter.

* Why did I say muffins and not muffins?  Because frankly I'm pretty sure they're just mini coffee crumb cakes and not actually muffins.  But that's neither here nor there.

So this recipe?  EASY.  And taste-wise?  DELISH!  Because despite bringing them to B and his visitor for breakfast tomorrow, I had to make sure they were edible.  Clearly.  So I tasted one (just one, I was good, we were going out for dinner soon thereafter) to make sure I (a) wouldn't poison them, and (b) wouldn't ruin my new-found reputation as a great baker!

New York-Style Coffee Cake Crumb Muffins

Ingredients:

For the crumb topping:

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 cups cake flour

For the muffin (or as I say, mini cakes):

1 1/4 cup cake flour
1/2 granulated sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 6 1 Tbsp pieces
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup buttermilk (or 1/3 cup plain yogurt) -- I used the buttermilk, since I had leftovers in my fridge

Garnish:

Powdered sugar

Directions (adapted from the original recipe):

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Line a cupcake tin with paper cups - or if using pannettone baking cups, spray them lightly with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated and brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Pour the melted butter over the mixture and use a wooden spoon to mix them.
Add the cake flour and mix until it resembles a thick pasty dough.
Set the topping aside.

Put the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a stand mixer.
Mix with the paddle attachment, on low speed.
While on low, add the butter, 1 piece at a time.
Continue beating the mixture until it resembles moist crumbs (no visible butter chunks seen), 1-2 minutes.

Measure the buttercream in a 1-cup liquid measuring cup.
Add the egg and egg yolk, and the vanilla.
Add the liquid mixture to the dry.
Mix until all of the liquid has been incorporated and the batter is light and fluffy.
(Mine was light but not fluffy, so I increased the speed for a few minutes to make it fluffy.)

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop 1/4 cup into each muffin tin or panettone cup.
Mine barely had enough for that, so maybe I didn't make it quite fluffy enough or maybe I didn't measure it quite perfectly.
Sprinkle the crumb topping generously onto each muffin top.
Don't press the topping down into the batter, just let is rest on top.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until crumbs are golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
(Mine were seriously underbaked at 20 minutes, plus an additional 30 seconds under the broiler.  This was despite having tested them with a toothpick to make sure they were done.  Of course by then they were already out of the oven, so once I realized that upon tasting a muffin, I stored them in the fridge overnight and then baked them again the following morning, for about another 20 minutes.  I have to say, they're super delicious warm out of the oven!!)

Let muffins cool in tins for 5 minutes.
Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.....if they even last that long!!

When ready to serve, dust with some powdered sugar!

New York style crumb cake

When I told my coworker that I wanted to bake something for Yom Kippur, the comment was met with a quizzical look.  See, on Yom Kippur, we fast.  So saying that I was going to bake something on a day when one doesn't eat seemed, well, bizarre.  But what I meant to say was that I wanted to bake something for the break fast -- the meal that we eat when the fast is over.  What better treat to bake than a coffee or crumb cake?!

I pinned this recipe a while ago.  The original recipe called for jam, but I decided that I didn't want to use it.  Until I read a review that said it was better with jam.  So I went with the blueberry jam that it called for.  The reviewer said any jam would work, so I have a long list of flavors I'd like to try now (next up: raspberry).  But frankly, the blueberry is so good, that I may not ever stray from it.

New York Style Crumb Cake
From no other than Ms. Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

For the crumb topping:

3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)  

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

For the cake:

     

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Coarse salt

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 cup store-bought blueberry jam (optional)

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Make the crumb topping:

Mix together flour, sugars, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.

Pour warm melted butter over mixture, and mix using your hands until medium to large clumps form.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Make the cake:

Butter (I used Pam) a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in eggs and yolks, 1 at a time, then vanilla.

Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Continue to beat until well combined.

Spoon batter into pan, and spread evenly using an offset spatula.

Spread with jam, if using.

Sprinkle crumb-topping mixture evenly over top.

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Transfer pan to a wire rack.

Let cake cool slightly, about 15 minutes.

Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Serve warm or at room temperature.