have a crumby day!

so the other day one of my friends said to me that i must really love the people i work with, based on how much i bake for them. while i do like many of the people i work with, i had to admit to him that this is not the real reason that i bake. i suppose i should share this information with the rest of you, to be fair. so, without further ado, this is why i bake every week for work:

• let’s face it, mondays kinda suck… gotta do what you can to brighten them up
• i intend to start baking professionally, or at least start selling my baked goods at some point in the near future, so i have to have a test audience for all the new recipes i am trying out
• i get so excited when i think about new recipes that i just have to make them; unfortunately i can’t eat them all myself, so i might as well share!
• baking is my zen time, it is how i meditate; when i bake i am not thinking about work or my personal stresses, i am thinking about what i am baking and this is a welcome break  [o:
• they don’t sell most of the perishable ingredients in the same size that i need for a recipe, so i have to use up the remainder of the products before they expire

it was this last reason that drove me to do my third bake this week. i had purchased buttermilk for the red velvet cupcakes and they only sell it in a full carton rather than pints or quarts, at least at the stores by me. i had already used some of it for the aebleskiver, but still had plenty left over, so i began foraging for new recipes that use buttermilk. if all else failed i would make scones, but i have really been enjoying trying out new things, and i am sure my coworkers are enjoying the variety.

i asked around for suggestions, and although i got one or two, they would have required me buying even more things that i would have excess of and it would have been a vicious circle (granted, a tasty vicious circle). i scoured the baking blogs that i tend to go to for ideas and eventually found a recipe for crumb cake that sounded great and looked fantastic. i knew it right then and there: this was the one.

some recipes i pull off of websites are complete duds, or require a ton of tweaking, so i would like to thank browneyedbaker for posting a winner! there were no tricks, no hurdles, just a great recipe that worked. the only thing that wasn’t spot on was the cooking time for the double-batch, but everyone’s oven is different, so i certainly can’t hold this against anyone! i have to admit, i felt slightly “special” when i was doubling this recipe because i had to keep going back to make sure i doubled every ingredient and got all the fractions correct; this may have been because i am still completely exhausted (at least that is the excuse i am going with). i managed to get everything right except i :::gasp!::: forgot the cinnamon in the crumb topping, but luckily i realized it before it was placed on the cake and i managed to mix it in. however, the attempt to stir it in broke up the consistency a bit, so i ended up with a lot more small crumblies than was intended… which thankfully does not affect the taste  [o:

this is definitely a keeper and will be going in my recipe binder (not just anything makes the cut to go in there).

Recipe:

New York-Style Crumb Cake
(Source: Cook’s Illustrated, May 2007)

Serves 8 to 10

This recipe can be easily doubled and baked in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. If doubling, increase the baking time to about 45 minutes. Cooled leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Crumb Topping
1/3 cup granulated sugar (2 2/3 ounces)
1/3 cup dark brown sugar (2 2/3 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and still warm
1 3/4 cups cake flour (7 ounces)

Cake
1 1/4 cups cake flour (5 ounces)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 6 pieces, softened but still cool
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Whisk sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter in medium bowl to combine. Add flour and stir with rubber spatula or wooden spoon until mixture resembles thick, cohesive dough; set aside to cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 16-inch length parchment paper or aluminum foil and fold lengthwise to 7-inch width. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and fit parchment into dish, pushing it into corners and up sides; allow excess to overhang edges of dish.

3. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt on low speed to combine. With mixer running at low speed, add butter one piece at a time; continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no visible butter chunks remaining, 1 to 2 minutes. Add egg, yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk; beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping once if necessary.

4. Transfer batter to baking pan; using rubber spatula, spread batter into even layer. Following photos below, break apart crumb topping into large pea-sized pieces and spread in even layer over batter, beginning with edges and then working toward center. Bake until crumbs are golden and wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan by lifting parchment overhang. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.