spicy crumb cake.

Lately I have been waking up in the morning wanting something sweet right out of bed. Perhaps it is because I am used to Alice and I frequently walking to Stumptown early in the day for a chocolate chip cookie and a cup of coffee, or maybe it is due to the fact that desserts have been sneaking into my dreams at night. All I know is that I think about baking something before I even think about breakfast.

This morning I woke up with the craving for something spicy and sweet. I decided to go for a search through one of my favorite estate sale finds: a Better Homes and Gardens binder cookbook that is stuffed to the brim with the previous owners handwritten and cut-out recipes from the 1930's. I came across a "Cut Out and Save" recipe from an unknown source for Spicy Crumb Cake, which sounded just perfect. So I cleared a spot in my messy kitchen and set to work on this easy recipe.

It turned out delicious, even in my broken sixties oven that needs to be replaced. The strong mixture of nutmeg and brown sugar was just what I wanted.







Spicy Crumb Cake: Adapted from an unknown source

Ingredients:

2 cups brown sugar (not packed)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine (I used Earth Balance, which worked just dandy)
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 beaten egg
2/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk (just mix 1 teaspoon of white or apple cider vinegar into regular or even soy milk)
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" round baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, butter or margarine, nutmeg and cinnamon with your fingers or with two knives until the whole mixture is crumbly, not lumpy. Put aside 1/2 cup of this mixture for the top of the cake.
To the rest add the egg, buttermilk or sour milk and baking soda. Pour batter (it will be a bit thick) into baking pan, sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Serve warm or at room temperature.