Jam Crumb Cake
Does anyone watch The Shield? Kramer and I have breezed through the first four seasons in a very short period of time. I'm not sure what's so addicting about it, but I really like the show! I'm surprised, too, because I'm usually not a fan of cop dramas. FX does it again! We also found out today that LOST starts on February 2, 2010. The countdown begins!
I needed to bake something quickly the other day, and I have had this jam cake recipe in my bookmarks for years, but for some reason, I had never gotten around to making it. I don't know why I waited so long, because this cake took about an hour from start to finish and it was absolutely delicious! You can use any kind of jam that you like (I used strawberry), and its simplicity is what makes it so good. It's a light, buttery cake with a crunchy, cinnamon-y topping, gushing with sweet, sticky strawberry jam. Perfect for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert! I highly recommend this cake, especially because all of its ingredients are pretty typical and are probably already in your home right now! Recipe on my blog at The Crepes of Wrath or after the cut.
Your ingredients.
Combine your flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
Beat together your melted butter, milk, and egg.
Beat in the flour and make sure to scrape down the side of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly combined.
Pour the cake into a greased cake pan (if you can line the pan with a circular cut-out of parchment paper, then spray that with Pam, that's the best way to do it because you can just plop the cake right out of the pan).
Drop spoonfuls of the jam on top of the cake.
Swirl a butter knife through the jam and batter to create a swirly pattern.
To make the crumb topping, combine the butter, sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
Add in the flour and with a fork or your hands, cut the flour in until the mixture forms solid clumps/crumbs (it doesn't have to be perfect).
Top your cake with the crumbs (I found that this recipe made a bit too much topping, so use about 3/4 of it and you can save the rest - it freezes well).
Bake at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes, until set and golden. Allow to cool completely.
When cooled, top with powdered sugar, if you like.
I garnished mine with some berries that I had in the fridge.
Slice and enjoy!
Jam Crumb Cake
from Epicurious
For the cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
1 large egg
1/2 cup jam (your choice - I used strawberry)
For crumb topping
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (either light or dark is fine)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with the rack in the middle. Line and/or grease a 9-inch square or round cake pan.
2. Make the cake batter first. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Beat together the butter, milk, and egg in a large bowl, then gradually mix in the flour mixture until just combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Dollop spoonfuls of the jam all over surface, then swirl into batter with butter knife.
3. To make the crumb topping, combine the butter, sugars, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Stir in the flour, then blend with your fingertips or a fork until incorporated and crumbs have formed. Sprinkle the crumbs in large clumps over top of cake (I used about 3/4 of the topping and froze the rest).
4. Bake the cake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides begin to pull away from pan, about 25 minutes. It should be just lightly golden. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
from The Crepes of Wrath