Cardamom Crumb Cake

By AndreaO

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, at room temperature
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup strong coffee, cooled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from food52.com

Preparation

Step 1

Makes 8 servings

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

To make the crumbs: Put all the ingredients except the butter in a bowl and toss them together with a spatula just to blend. Add the butter and, using your fingers or the spatula, mix everything together until you’ve got crumbs of different sizes. It’s nice to have a few big pieces, so don’t overdo it. Set the crumbs aside. (The crumbs can be made up to 3 days ahead, covered and refrigerated.)

To make the cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and espresso powder in a large bowl. Turn the dry ingredients out onto a sheet of wax paper, and put the sugar and zest in the bowl. Rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange strong, then return the dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk to blend.

Put the remaining ingredients in another bowl and whisk them to blend. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir – don’t beat – to mix. Stir only until you’ve got an evenly moistened batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and top with a thick, even layer of the crumbs. Pat the crumbs ever so gently into the batter.

Playing Around: I often make just the crumbs and use them to top ice cream and desserts like Chocolate Pudding (page 383), Coffee Caramel Pots de Crème (page 389) or Lemon Cup Custard (page 387). Make the crumbs as directed and refrigerate them for 2 hours. Crumble up the mixture, spread the crumbs out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat and bake in a 350-degree-F oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden and baked through. Let cool. The crumbs can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.