Pantry Crumb Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For the crumb: Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the butter and mix with a fork until just combined. Add the flour and mix with the fork until it has been evenly distributed and small to medium clumps have formed. Do not overmix or it will turn into a paste.
• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream in 2 batches, starting and ending with the flour. Beat until just incorporated.
• Spoon the cake batter (it will be very thick) into the prepared baking sheet and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle on the crumb topping and press gently into the batter to adhere.
• Bake until the cake and topping are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely in the baking sheet, about 1 hour. Slice and serve from the baking sheet.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square pan.
• Preparing the topping: Add all the topping ingredients to a medium bowl. Use a rubber spatula until they all start to clump together. Squish or roll the mixture into mostly large crumbs with some smaller ones.
• Prepare the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla extract. Add half of the flour mixture, then beat in the sour cream. Add the remaining flour, and mix, just until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Fold in the zest and fruit, if using.
• Pour the batter into the baking pan and top evenly with the crumbs. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan. It'll be gone before you know it.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 7x11 inch baking pan or casserole dish.
• Combine sugar, flour and butter. Use a fork to cut butter in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 1/2 cup of this mixture to use as topping.
• To the remaining flour mixture, add cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt. Lightly stir in the buttermilk and egg. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle cake with reserved topping.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean.

Steps:

• Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x8-inch pan (Pyrex is great for this) and put it on a lined baking sheet.
• To make the crumbs: Put all the ingredients except the nuts in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms clumps and curds and holds together when pressed. Scrape the topping into a bowl, stir in the nuts and press a piece of plastic against the surface. Refrigerate until needed. (Covered well, the crumb mix can be refrigerated for about 3 days.)
• To make the cake batter: Using your fingertips, toss the blueberries and 2 teaspoons of the flour together just to coat the berries; set aside. Whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, the baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter and, with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the butter at medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Don't be concerned if the batter looks curdled - it will soon smooth out. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, the flour in 3 parts, the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients). You will have a thick, creamy batter. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the berries.
• Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. Pull the crumb mix from the refrigerator and, working with your fingertips, break it into pieces. There's no need to try to get even pieces - these are crumbs and they're supposed to be lumpy and bumpy and every shape and size. Scatter the crumbs over the batter, pressing them down ever so slightly.
• Slide the sheet into the oven and bake 55 to 65 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool just until it is warm or until it reaches room temperature.