Jam Crumb Cake

I made this the other day for breakfast while Al and Cathy were here - I really, really had low expectations when I tried to cut into it and literally had to stab my knife thru the top! I thought it was going to be beyond tough and dry - and while I have posted flops before this is not one, it's the opposite of tough and dry. It's surprisingly good!  I say surprisingly because I followed the recipe against my better judgement - it calls for 3 1/2 cups flour and 2 1/2 sticks of butter in the crumb topping alone - I almost made less of the topping because seriously, that's A LOT of crumb. But I stuck to the recipe and the topping is what makes this cake - do not use less! The one thing I'll do next time is to add more jam, I did 1 cup as stated but more would have made this already delicious, flavorful cake even better. Oh, and 5 days later it still tastes good and is only just starting to be dried out, a few seconds in the microwave and it was delicious all over again. It got rave reviews!

For the crumb topping:

• 3 1/2 cups cake flour (see note)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup packed 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
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• coarse salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 2 large eggs yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk (see note)
• 1 cup store-bought blueberry jam (see note)
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. 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 lumps form. 

2. Preheat oven to 325'. Make the cake: spray a 13x9" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.

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

4. Spoon batter into pan and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Spread 1 cup jam on top of batter, the sprinkle crumb-topping mixture evenly over batter.

5. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour (see note). Transfer pan to a wire rack. Let cake cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Store at room temp for up to 5 days. Serves 10-12

NOTES:

-I posted yesterday about different types of flours, click here to read if you're curious or to learn how to make cake flour from all-purpose.

-You can make buttermilk by adding a teaspoon of white vinegar to milk, let it sit for a couple minutes until it curdles. 

-I used boysenberry jam, it would taste good with whatever flavor you want, but I'd use more like 1.5 cups instead of one. The jam and crumb topping layers are so good together! 

recipe from an old Martha Stewart magazine, I have no idea which issue.


1.22.19: kale salad
1.22.18: skillet chicken and veggie pot pie
1.22.17: reserved signs