Quickie Apple Pie

A friend of mine introduced me to a fun blog (The A to B of Cooking) that had the most awesome looking apple pie on it. The recipe was simple, and easy to adjust to your own tastes. So naturally, I did just that...

Mmmmm..... you want one now, don't you? Confession: So do I!

Why do I call this the Quickie Apple Pie? This cooka in the oven anywhere from 30-40 minutes, so you won't have instant results. But, putting it together is a snap, hence the 'quickie' part of this recipe. I personally love apple pie, but I don't like all the effort I have to put into it. This dish solved that problem for me. Plus, you can make one of these at a time or you can make a dozen. That means I won't make a whole pie and then feel obligated to eat it!

Ready to make your own? I thought so.

Ingredients

Let's start this with the most important ingredient, the apples. Not all apples are good for cooking, so choose well. I prefer the Granny Smith variety. They may be tart when raw, but they cook down to yummy, sweet goodness.

Peel and core your apples (two of them), then slice into thin wedges.

Set the apple wedges aside for now. In a small ramekin, combine 2 tablespoons of white sugar with 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg.

Next, prepare your baking sheet. Line it with parchment paper, because you don't want these babies to stick! No one wants to waste all the apple goodness. Divide a sheet of puff pastry into 6 rectangles and lay them on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

It's pretty easy to evenly cut your puff pastry, because of the way it is folded in the box. See:

Simply unfold your sheet of pastry and cut where the natural lines are, then cut each piece in half. Viola!

Now all you have to do is layer your apple slices down the center of each piece, sprinkle with your sugar mixture, and dot with a bit of butter (4 tablespoons). Like so:

Make sure you leave enough gap around your apples so the puff pastry can rise around them. I needed a bit more room on my edges, so don't be like me!

Pop these into a 350 degree oven for about 30 - 40 minutes. Pull them out when the pastry is puffy and a light, golden brown. Drizzle immediately with a bit of homemade caramel, then top with vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream.

Go ahead... sit back, enjoy, and make those yummy noises. You've earned it!

I especially like these on holidays when it's me and the Hubs on our own. Or, you know, on Wednesdays. That's an apple pie kind of day, right?

As always my friends, the standard recipe is below. Until next time, happy cooking!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife
or on Instagram @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

The Standard Form:

Quickie Apple Pie

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry, cut into 6 pieces

2 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and sliced into thin wedges

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Dash cinnamon

Dash nutmeg

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks

6 tablespoons caramel sauce, more or less to taste

Ice cream, for serving

Whipped cream, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the pieces of puff pastry on the parchment-lined baking sheet, about an inch apart. Fan the apple slice in the center of the puff pastry, making sure to leave a border around the edges.

Mix together the sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle each ‘pie’ with the sugar mix, then dot evenly with the butter.

Bake 30-40 minutes, or until the edges of the pastry are lightly brown and golden. Remove from oven and immediately drizzle the pies with caramel sauce. Top with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream if desired.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

I adore caramel! I like it in sauce, as a chewy candy, as a hard candy... you name it, I love it. Of course, many of the commercial products contain all sorts of chemicals and preservatives that I don't particularly want to eat. So I thought, why not make my own?

I knew the basics, like what was in caramel sauce (mostly sugar and cream), and how to cook it (until boiling and a light amber color). This is a quick process. So one lazy day, I figured I'd take 20 minutes and test it out.

I've made this recipe several times now, and I've learned a few things. No worries, I plan to share all those tips with you. And I plan to continue making this, with some new variations (salted caramel, anyone?), and of course I'll share that when the time comes too!

Ready to try for yourself? Here's what you need to get started:

Ignore that lemon! In my first batch, I tried adding a bit of lemon juice to help prevent crystallization, but I decided it wasn't worth the odd flavor it added to the caramel. In addition to the items above, you need a large stainless steel pot. Mine is 5 liters, a good soup pot size. You'll understand why you need such a large pot soon. 

The first rule of this recipe is to have all your ingredients measured and prepped before you begin. This sauce goes fast, so you need to be ready. Gather together:

1 cup of white granulated sugar

¼ cup of water 

1 cup of heavy cream, warmed on the stove over very low heat 

2 tablespoons of salted butter, cut into pieces

A pinch of salt

Optional: ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

You also need a wooden spoon, your large cooking pot, a pastry brush, and a small ramekin of extra water.

Let's get busy!

Add your sugar and ¼ cup of water to the pot. Turn your heat to medium/medium-high (I leave my stove around 6 out of 10). As the mixture warms, the sugar will first dissolve into the water and then it will begin to boil. DO NO STIR!! Instead, gently swirl the pan occasionally, and then use your pastry brush (and the extra water) to wet down the sides of the pan where any sugar crystals may gather. Boiling sugar is extremely hot so be careful not to get any fingers in there.

Once the sugar is boiling, the color will slowly begin to change and brown. This is the sugar caramelizing. The darker your color, the more caramel-y and bitter the flavor will become. However, sugar also burns quite easily, so don't let it get too dark! A light to medium amber color is best.

Stages of sugar boiling

Again, NO STIRRING! If "hot" spots develop (an area where the sugar is darker than others), then gently swirl your pot to distribute.

When you've reached the desired color, pull your pot off the heat and stir in your cream. The mixture will bubble fairly violently... this is why you need such a large pot for such a small amount of caramel. See:

I know, that's a terrible picture! But you get the idea.

As soon as you add your cream, start stirring immediately with your wooden spoon. Yay, you can stir now!! Also add in the two tablespoons of butter and the salt (and vanilla, if you like). Keep stirring! The mixture will be thin at first, but it thickens as it cools.

And that's it, seriously. Easy, right?? However...

I've learned from some of my mistakes, and I want to share that with you:

1. Knowing when to pull the sugar from the heat is a bit tricky. The first time I cooked too long, and the second time I cooked too little. On my stove, it takes about 6 minutes from the time the sugar begins to boil to when it is the perfect color. But that could be different for you. This is a quick recipe with basic ingredients, so if you mess up the first time just toss it and start again. You'll figure the timing out, no worries.

2. Make sure you use full fat heavy cream, none of this wimpy half-n-half stuff. The less fat, the less rich. Also, your sauce will be thinner.

3. Make sure your vanilla hasn't gone bad, or your caramel will taste like yucky alcohol (yes, this happened to me). I like the caramel both with and without vanilla, so you don't even need to use it. I'm going to test some real vanilla beans soon, and also a sea salt caramel. I'll let you know how it goes!

4. If your sugar seizes up a bit when you add the cream, don't worry! Just place your pot back over medium heat and keep stirring until it all dissolves again. This also works if your caramel is a bit too thin after adding the cream. Warm it up a little more and it will thicken. Don't forget though... this sauce thickens as it cools, so play around with it a bit first. If your sauce is too thick, you can re-warm the mix with some additional cream to thin it out.

5. Always use a wooden spoon or spatula, no plastic or metal for stirring! I do this because the cooking gods of the internet say that I should. And so far it has worked at preventing the crystallization of my sugar.

6. Cool your caramel at room temperature before covering and placing in your fridge. You don't want any condensation in your caramel. The sauce will keep in your fridge for several weeks. 

I know caramel can be a bit intimidating, but try it just once and you'll be hooked by how easy it really is! And I bet you won't be buying anymore of those chemical-laden sauces from the store anymore either. Not when you can make your own in just a few minutes. And have it taste ten times as good! I've already converted one of my friends, now I'm out to convert the world, mwahahaha.

Stay tuned this week for an awesome, quickie "apple pie" recipe that uses this caramel. It's a great recipe for Thanksgiving, especially if you like simple recipes. You're going to love it! Until then, happy cooking!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife
or on Instagram @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

The Standard Form: 

Homemade Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup white, granulated sugar

¼ cup water

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into pieces

Pinch salt

Optional: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Other equipment: A wooden spoon, a large stainless steel pot (5 liters), a pastry brush, and a small ramekin of water

Directions:

Have all your ingredients ready before beginning the cooking process. This goes quickly, so you need to be ready.

Add the sugar and ¼ cup of water to your pot. Cook over medium to medium-high heat until the sugar begins to boil. DO NOT STIR! Let the sugar boil and change color. Gently swirl your pan to “stir”, occasionally. One the sugar turns a golden amber color, remove from heat.

Immediately stir in your cream with a wooden spoon. The mixture will bubble violently, so be careful! (This is also why we use a large pot). Stir in the butter, salt, and vanilla next.

The caramel will be a little thin, but thickens upon standing. If the sugar seized at all when the cream is added, you can return the pot to medium heat and continue stirring until all the sugar dissolves. Cool the caramel sauce to room temperature, and then refrigerate up to two weeks.

Pinterest Tested: Piñata Cake

If you've been keeping up with me this week, then you know I always make the Hubs a special birthday cake each year. He's kinda spoiled…

This year, I decided to make him a piñata cake that I found on Pinterest. This is the original link I followed, if you want to check it out: A Subtle Revelry: Piñata Cake.

I didn't change much about the cake, but I only used 1 box of cake mix instead of the two suggested. Since we've been traveling a lot, I didn't want the cake to go bad. This was the perfect size for 4 people to each have a slice, and then to have two pieces left over.

To start, bake your cakes! You can do this in oven-safe bowls, like me. Or, you can bake any shape you want too. Whatever floats your boat.

Cake batter about to go in the oven

I followed the directions on my box of mix, but the cake took a bit longer in the oven. I suggest keeping an eye on it, testing occasionally for doneness. Once done, I let the cakes cool and then turned them out onto a plate.

Scooping out the inside of each cake was fun! Be careful not to cut through your cake though. If you do go too deep, you can repair the tear with a little bit of icing.

Hollow out the inside of each cake

If you're super thrifty (like me!), you can save the cake filling for cake pops. These are very basic to make: mix together your cake filling with a bit of icing, then roll into ball shapes. Place on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet and freeze until hard. Then, one at a time, dip the cake balls into some melted chocolate and return to the freezer until hardened. See, easy peasy!

So, back to the piñata cake. After you're done scooping out the inside, ice the edge you've left and fill the hole with your favorite candy. I chose Snickers bars and peanut M&Ms for the Hubs.

Next, put the other half of your cake on top and ice it all. I like to do a thin layer of icing first, then refrigerate it, and then do the final icing. You can do it however you want. Oh, and I totally added some sprinkles to the top!

The Hubs looked a little disappointed when he first saw the cake… he's used to getting a more elaborate looking cake for his birthday. But then, he started to cut the first piece and he was totally surprised by what he found inside!

This piñata cake was fairly simple to make, and was a big hit at our house. Definitely a Pinterest success!

Have you tried any cool Pinterest cakes that you'd like to share? Comment below, peeps! And until next time, happy baking!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

Fun Birthday Cakes

I really don't know how this tradition started, but a few years ago I began making The Hubs some unusual cakes. These weren't your basic, standard birthday cakes. They had to be special. Last year, I almost didn't bake him a cake because we were in the midst of packing up our household goods for our PCS to Germany. But The Hubs pouted, and begged, so I gave in and made him a cake.

See? SPOILED. 

This year, I decided to get him good. I made a cake that looks perfectly ordinary on the outside… BUT once you cut into it, all these goodies come spilling out like a piñata. His face was priceless! I'm writing an additional post later this week about how to make your own piñata cake, so stay tuned for that. 

In the meantime, I thought we'd take a look at The Hubs' cakes through the years:

33rd birthday - my first attempt at a "cool" cake

34th birthday, the 3ft long Snickers cake

The 35th birthday… we'd just taken our first trip to the Caribbean 

Birthday #36: The Orange Monster
(Hubs' favorite color)

And last, but not least, this year's cake:

The surprise Piñata Cake… he looks surprised, doesn't he?! 

Now, I know my cake making skills are not exactly professional or anything. But I love making these cakes every year for the Hubs. It's become our silly little tradition. Plus, he's spoiled. 

What are your birthday traditions?

I'll be back soon with the instructions to make your own piñata cake. Until next time, happy baking! 

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

"Piggy" Cake

I've got to be completely honest with you, and say… I have no idea why this cake is called "Piggy Cake". All I do know is that it's delicious, and I am forced to hide it from the Hubs or I won't get any.

True story. 

Normally I'm not a fan of using too many processed ingredients. But I've been eating this cake since I was a kid (mostly at various potluck dinners), and old habits die hard. Someday I may restructure this recipe to use more natural ingredients, but for now I'm sticking with what works. Since this is only a once in a while treat, I don't feel too guilty.  

Piggy Cake

I love this recipe in the summertime because it's light and refreshing without being too sweet. It's also excellent for a crowd, and can be made in advance (in fact, it's better when made the day before!). Are you ready to make your own? I thought so. 

The ingredients

Now that we're living in Germany, I've had a hard time finding some of my preferred brands. I had to make a few substitutions, but it worked out ok. 

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine 1 box of yellow cake mix (I prefer Pillsbury, but Betty Crocker did ok), 1 stick of softened butter, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ cup mandarin orange juice (reserved from a 14 oz. can of mandarin oranges). Beat on medium speed for 4 minutes, until well combined. Then, add in the mandarin oranges and beat until the pieces are broken up and small. 

Mixing the batter

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and set. Cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. 

While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Drain the juice from a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple. Blend the juice together with 1 package (4 ounces) of instant vanilla pudding mix. To that, add ½ cup powdered sugar and blend. Fold in 6 ounces of Cool Whip, then stir in the crushed pineapple. 

Folding in the whipped topping

Once your cake is completely cool, remove it from the pan and spread the icing over the top, allowing it to drip down the edges of the cake. Refrigerate for at least several hours. When I'm making this cake, I prefer to make it the night before. The icing sets up better after an evening in the fridge. 

When you're ready to serve, use some extra mandarin oranges to garnish each slice of cake. Be prepared to accept compliments! 

Pay no attention to the missing piece of cake from that top picture!! The Hubs did it, I swear. Ahem. 

ANYWAY. 

I hope you enjoy this cake. I like eating the leftovers, if there are any, for breakfast. Hey, it's got fruit in it! As always, the standard recipe is below. Until next peeps, happy cooking…  

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

The Standard Form:

Piggy Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 box yellow cake mix (I prefer Pillsbury)

1 stick butter, softened

1 can (14 oz) mandarin oranges, drained with the juice reserved

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

1 package (4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved

½ cups powdered sugar

6 ounces frozen whipped topping, softened in the fridge

Extra mandarin oranges, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, ½ cup of the reserved mandarin orange juice, eggs, and vanilla. Beat 4 minutes on medium-high speed, then add the drained oranges and beat again, until the pieces are broken up and small. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and set. Remove cake from the oven and cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Turn the cake onto a serving plate before icing.

Once the cake is cool, blend the juice from the drained pineapples with the vanilla pudding mix. Add the powdered sugar and blend, then fold in the whipped cream topping. Stir in the drained pineapple. Spread this mix onto the cooled cake and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Once ready to serve, garnish each piece with a mandarin orange slice. Store leftovers in the fridge.

Girls Night In!

Have you ever seen the movie Last Holiday, starring Queen Latifah? If the answer is no, you should probably watch it. Especially if you like fluffy girl movies. Which I do.

Anyway! I thought this was a cute movie. I was watching it one night shortly after we moved to Germany, when I suddenly realized… 

… much of this movie takes place, and was filmed, only a few short hours away from where I'm currently living!! Do you know what this means???

I can go visit there! And I totally did. Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it soon. 

You probably think I'm nuts, but little things like this excite me. I got my friends all stirred up about it too, so they came with me. Before the trip, we decided to have a girls night in with food and wine, and a showing of the movie. 

Fun, yes? 

Meat and veggie platters

Cheese tray from around the world

Chocolate fondue and dippers! 

We piled our plates high, poured ourselves some wine, and snuggled down with fuzzy blankets to watch the show. Much of the movie takes place in Karlovy Vary, a spa town in the Czech Republic. We loved exploring this town, and I'm excited to share all the stories and pics with you! 

In the meantime, I'm passing along my chocolate fondue recipe to you, in case you'd like to host a Girls Night In yourself...

This recipe is super simple. In your electric fondue pot (if you're using a sterno candle, then do this in a double boiler first and transfer to your fondue pot), combine the following: 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, 12 ounces milk chocolate chips, 2 cups heavy cream, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons butter. Warm over low heat until melted and smooth. Then dip your favorite stuff into the chocolate, and enjoy! 

As always peeps, the standard recipe is below. And I've included a list of "dipper" suggestions too. Until next time, happy cooking! I'll be back soon with the details from our trip, so stay tuned.  

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

The Standard Form:

Basic Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients:

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

12 ounces milk chocolate chips

16 ounces (2 cups) heavy cream

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

If you’re using an electric fondue pot, turn the heat on low. Add all ingredients to the pot and stir until melted and smooth. Serve with your favorite dippers.

If you’re not using an electric fondue pot, melt the ingredients together in a double boiler. Once smooth, transfer to your fondue pot and keep warm with a sterno.

Dipper Suggestions: Marshmallows, pound cake, strawberries, bananas, graham crackers, pretzels, salty potato chips, cooked bacon, brownie bites, maraschino cherries, apple slices, pineapple, biscotti, soft caramels, meringue cookies

New York Style Crumb Cake

One of my absolute favorite things ever is Entenmann's crumb cake. I was completely devastated when Hubs and I moved to Fort Bliss, and no one there sold it! 

Depression quickly ensued. Not only did no one sell it, but Entenmann's doesn't deliver. What's a girl to do???

Each time we move to a new duty station, there are things I'm glad are gone and there are so many things I miss. At least when it comes to food, I have options. Rather than pout about the unfairness of army life, I have learned to make so many things for myself. Remember my Zuppa Toscana imitation? It's so good, better than the original even. I was absolutely positive I could re-create my favorite coffee cake too.

And I did.

NY Crumb Cake

This crumb cake is genius, if I do say so myself. And I do!

The recipe has been through several incarnations, but I've finally got it just right. Now I can share it with you. If you've never tried crumb cake, let me tell ya…. it is buttery, yummy, delicious goodness. Especially served with a cup of coffee or tea.

Ready for the recipe? Here goes:

You'll start by making the crumb topping.

Ingredients for crumb topping

Mix together ⅓ cup of white sugar, ⅓ cup of dark brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon  salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.  To this, add 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of melted, unsalted butter. You want the butter to still be a bit warm. Mix until combined, then stir in 1 ¾ cups of cake flour.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, PEEPS!!!! 

Please don't use regular, all-purpose flour. I promise your cake will not taste the same. It won't even be close! Cake flour has a much finer consistency that improves the texture and crumb-factor of your cake. It also doesn't rise as much as all-purpose, which is a bonus in this case. Listen to ArmyLife.

Back to the recipe, mix until your dough is thick and cohesive. Set the bowl aside to cool to room temperature. The crumb will be ready once you've finished mixing the batter.

Process for making crumb topping,
from upper left to lower right 

Next, preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9x9 baking pan with a spray that includes flour, OR butter and flour the pan. Start your batter by mixing together 1 ¼ cups cake flour, ½ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Ingredients for batter

To this, add 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter which has been softened and cut into chunks. Cut this into your mixture using a pastry cutter. Once blended, there should be no visible chunks of butter and your batter will resemble coarse, pea-sized crumbs.

Butter cut into the flour mix

Blend in 1 whole egg and 1 egg white, along with 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, and ⅓ cup buttermilk. I use my hand mixer for this, I think it makes the cake light and fluffy. (Side note: For a different flavor, try using almond extract instead!)

Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan and smooth into a nice, even layer. Now, return to the crumb topping you mixed earlier. You have two choices for crumbling the batter:

           1. Use a fork to break up the pieces, then pour on top of the cake batter. OR…
           2. Use your hands to smoosh the dough into a solid piece, then break off both larger and smaller chunks to top the batter with.

I generally go for option two. I like getting my hands in there and I love the size combination of chunks, from tiny to gigantic. Totally up to you, peeps. Pick your favorite.

Top: Batter
Bottom: Crumb topping

There's no need to press the crumb into the batter. As the cake cooks, it will rise around the crumb, so no smooshing, ok?

Bake around 30-40 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for another 30-40 minutes.

THEN (this is the best part), cover the WHOLE THING with as much powdered sugar as you can stand. I like a lot. Don't skimp here, I promise you'll regret it.

And there you have it, NY Crumb Cake!

Slice the cake into good sized pieces, brew a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy. This is a great way to start your Saturday morning.

I'll be back again soon, my friends. But until then, happy cooking! As always, the standard recipe is below.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

The Standard Form:

NY Style Crumb Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

For the crumb topping:

⅓ cup sugar

⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and still warm

1 ¾ cup cake flour (do NOT use all-purpose)

For the cake batter:

1 ¼ cups cake flour (no substitutes!)

½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 egg white

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

⅓ cup buttermilk (can substitute plain yogurt, but buttermilk is best!)

Powdered sugar

Directions:

Make the topping first. Combine the sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter. Stir in the cake flour, until the dough is thick and cohesive. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. It should be ready by the time you are done mixing the cake batter.

Make the cake batter next. Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees, Spray a 9×9 baking pan with baking spray (or grease and flour the pan) and set aside. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter, until it resembles coarse peas with no visible chunks of butter remaining. Add the egg, egg white, vanilla, and the buttermilk. Beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until the batter if light and fluffy. Pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth into a nice, even layer.

Go back to the crumb topping. Use a fork to help crumble it into pea-sized pieces, if desired. I like to use my hands to smoosh it together and break off larger chunks. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the cake batter, covering it completely.

Bake cake until golden, about 30-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted in center should come out clean, indicating doneness.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Generously dust the cake with powdered sugar before slicing and serving.