Blueberry Crumb Cake

When we lived in the Northeast, I couldn't help but fall in love with New York Crumb Cake; it was like the streusel cakes my mother had made, only better.  The ratio of crumb to cake was 50:50 and that made the difference.

Streusel is made with cold butter cut into the dry ingredients, with the flour measurement being much less than the sugar (either granulated, brown sugar, or both).  Crumb topping is made from melting the butter (almost twice as much used in streusel) and pouring it over the dry ingredients (with the ratio of flour almost doubled to sugar) to create large crumbs.  Typically, both streusel and crumb have cinnamon, but that's where the likeness ends.

I added blueberries to my Crumb Cake this morning to remind me that Spring is just 39 days away and in spite of this harsh weather, "...no Spring skips it's turn!"

Blueberry Crumb Cake
Preheat oven to 325F-degrees.  Lightly brush Vegetable or Canola oil on a 9" x 12 1/2" baking sheet, then, sprinkle with flour to coat.  Set aside.

Cake:
1 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together.

1 large egg
1/2 cup milk (do not use nonfat)
2 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 T Vegetable oil

In a small bowl, whisk all the wet ingredients together.

Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients.

Use a rubber spatula to combine the dry and wet until you have a smooth batter. Spoon batter onto the prepared baking sheet and spread with an off set spatula.  Dot the top of the batter with 1 cup frozen (or fresh) blueberries, pressing lighting and sinking the the blueberries slightly into the batter.

Crumb Topping:
2 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cool slightly

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, using your hands.  Pour the melted butter over and use a fork to mix together.  You just want to make sure you incorporate all the dry ingredients, but don't over mix!

Use your hand to drop the crumbs on top of the batter.

Bake 10 minutes in the preheated over, then rotate the pan and continue baking another 10 minutes.  Test the center with a toothpick to check that it's done.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 15 minutes.  

Finally, heavily dust the top with confectioners' sugar to give it that actual New York style!

 Yum! Nothing is better than fresh Crumb Cake and the blueberries make it even more special. Enjoy!