The first thing I remember learning how to make/bake is the recipe for hot fudge pudding in "Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls."
The second thing I remember learning how to bake is Kuchen, also known as crumb cake.
The faded recipe in my file is in "Mother's'' handwriting ("Mother" is what we called my Grandmother Heenan), though my mother says the recipe actually came from her good friend Marian Hayes (an excellent baker, now departed). I came across it recently, and it seemed like just the thing to make for Mother's Day brunch.
It seemed like we had this dessert a lot growing up, probably because it doesn't call for fancy ingredients, it's a snap to make and feeds a crowd. The texture -- moist yellow cake on the bottom and buttery, crumbly top -- is wonderful. Leftovers, if there are any, are excellent with coffee for breakfast.
The original recipe calls for a pound of margarine. I use two sticks of butter and two sticks of margarine, and some freshly grated nutmeg as well as cinnamon in the topping.
Kuchen (Crumb Cake)
Crumb topping:
2 sticks butter and 2 sticks margarine for baking (like Imperial), melted and cooled
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
Blend sugar, salt and cinnamon with melted margarine and butter. Add flour and mix well. Let stand for an hour or so, stirring to re-blend on occasion.
The topping is very dense and buttery.
Cake:
1 and a half cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon margarine, melted
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine flour, sugar and baking powder then blend in melted margarine, egg, milk and vanilla. Stir well.
Spread cake batter in a well greased half-sheet pan or other rimmed baking sheet (13 by 18 inches). Put crumb mixture on top, using your hands and crumbling into small pieces.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until topping looks set and edges are brown and pulled slightly away from pan.
I cut the Kuchen with a silicone pastry scraper to protect the pan.
Cool cake completely then cut into squares.
The recipe makes about 36 servings. So don't feel so guilty about all that butter!
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