Coffee Crumble

We didn't always have dessert after dinner when I was growing up, but occasionally my mom would whip up some apple crisp or a quick cinnamon coffee cake. The cake was a kind of inverted coffee cake in that the sugary-cinnamony yumminess was on the bottom of the cake rather than on the top. Most of the time I would eat that part and throw the rest of my piece away (like the people who throw out their pizza crust).



I still prefer the crumble topping to the cake part of any coffee cake, so I tried to make up a recipe with an ample amount of crumble topping. I'm beginning to think that I should have doubled my crumble topping. Seriously! I think I was way too conservative when this recipe was originally published in The Ski House Cookbook. I thought I was really making SO MUCH topping. I mean, I think the ratio is still good in general, but it could be great. I find myself cutting a piece in half horizontally and then throwing away the bottom half of the piece, just so that I have MORE crumble topping than actual cake. Is that so wrong? Well, see for yourself.



Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Cake:
Unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter an 8 x 8 inch pan and set aside.

2. To prepare the topping: In a small bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or fork, mix the ingredients until crumbly.

3. To make the cake: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl whisk together the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter.

4. Bake for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 9 servings.