Mom's Recipes: Dutch Crumb Cake

 So I realized the other day that we have gotten into an eating rut, where we just keep eating the same things over and over again, which ends up meaning that we just eat more.  I knew I needed to change something, so I started going back to the farmer's market.  Yes, I pay more for veggies, but they're fresh and I can get a variety.

But that wasn't enough.  I have this 'sweet tooth', and I use quotes because it's less like an "OMG FEED ME SUGAR" tooth, and more of an "I need something buttery and dessert-like" tooth.  That typically lends itself to home-baked cakes and cookies and the like.

So, I found my mom's old recipe box.  It's a precious moments box with all the recipes written on index cards that are now a solid shade of brown and smell like they've been forgotten for over a century.  I started looking through them to see if any caught my eye, and I realized that my mom never made any of these.  I recognized one or two from the whole bin and that was about it.  Even then it was "lemon chicken" and that was a recipe from our neighbors when I was growing up!

So I have decided I am setting out to "cook / bake my way" through the box.  I will re-write and keep the recipes I like, and I will graciously discard the ones that I do not.

And first on the list?  Dutch Crumb Cake

Two things I noted:

1. All these recipes used shortening, and I don't. So I had to look up a conversion chart for shortening-to-butter ratios.  It's basically "1-1 plus a little extra".  So in this recipe, when it called for 3 Tbsp of shortening, I used 4 Tbsp of butter.
2. The directions were awful.  The whole thing said:  "Mix like a cake."  I had no idea what that meant, so I mixed like ai was making cookies (in that order) and looked up how long to bake what I decided were going to bake cupcakes, and I crossed my fingers.

Luckily, they were AMAZING!  Pictures on pinterest: @sdcaprini.  Recipe below:

Ingredients: Cake

• 2 c flour (I used gluten free flour - like Cup4Cup or the like)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (or about 4-5 turns of the salt grinder, if that's all you have)
• 3/4 c milk (I used oatmilk)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c sugar
• 4 Tbsp (=1/4 c =1/2 stick) butter - softened

Ingredients:  Crumble Top

• 4 Tbsp (=1/4 c =1/2 stick) butter - softened
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/4-1/2 c flour (depending on how much crumble you will need.  I also used gluten free flour here, too)
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (i have a convection oven, so cooking times may vary slightly)
2. Make cake
1. mix butter and sugar
2. add egg until well-mixed
3. add milk SLOWLY, stirring as you pour
4. add salt
5. pour in flour and baking soda and mix slowly (fold) until completely mixed together
3. Pour in preferred pan and make sure it is evenly distributed
1. I used a 12-cupcake tin, lining the cupcakes with paper
2. You can also use two cake tins or a 9x13 pan, but be sure to spray it before adding batter
4. Make Crumble
1. mix butter and sugar together
2. add cinnamon
3. add flour
5. Evenly distribute crumble over cake
6. Bake for ~30-35 min 
1. Again, I used cupcake tins.  This time may change if you use cake pans or one 9x13 pan.
2. Remove when a toothpick comes out clean after being stuck in the middle

I highly recommend eating it warm, but it is completely delicious after being cooled fully.

YUM!  Onto the next one!