Cake for breakfast?  Why the heck not!
Is anyone else reminded of that old Bill Cosby stand up routine?  The one where he is left alone in the morning with his children, and one of them asks for chocolate cake for breakfast. 

Yeah, cake for breakfast.  Just do it.

Prior to making this lovely New York style crumb cake, my favorite cake-ish treat for breakfast was Nutmeg Coffee Cake.  Now I'm lost and unsure about it's status as favorite.  I might just love this one more, just a little more.  I'll always be very fond of my Nutmeg Coffee Cake.  This crumb cake is really good though.  So good, tender cake and a mountain of buttery crumbs good.  Good, yum, good!  I really am at a loss for better vocabulary today.  So sorry.




New York Style Crumb Cake
Source:  Cooks' Illustrated
Print the Recipe!

For the Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
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

For the cake:
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
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

To make 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.
To make the cake: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8 inch baking dish and line with parchment paper, leaving about a 2 inch overhang on the sides.  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.
Transfer batter to baking pan; using rubber spatula, spread batter into even layer.  Break apart crumb topping into large pea-sized pieces between your thumb, pointer, and middle fingers 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.



This post is linked to:  Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Totally Tasty Tuesdays
Tasty Tuesday
Mouthwatering Monday
These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
Recipe Sharing Monday
What's Cooking Wednesday
Sweets for a Saturday