Pennsylvania Dutch Crumb Cake

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"This is a classic crumb cake, or 'streuselkuchen,' with a lot of streusel."

"He found them in cabs, elevators, through friends of acquaintances and by word of mouth. He traveled all over America and even to China and Portugal.

Greg Patent was looking for bakers, but not just any bakers. He wanted to find home cooks preparing recipes that reflect and preserve their heritage - dishes such as Strufoli from Italy, Crumpets from South Africa and Pumpkin Empanadas from Mexico.

When he found them, he baked with them. Baking is in the blood of this award-winning cookbook author. At the age of 19, Patent was one of the first males ever to win the Pillsbury Bake-off with his Apricot Dessert Bars. In 2002, he won the prestigious James Beard award for his book, 'Baking in America,' in which he painstakingly traced the origins and evolution of classic baked goods such as Boston Cream Pie and Parker House Rolls. In his latest book, 'A Baker's Odyssey,' he turned his attention to America's immigrants and the recipes handed down through the ages. His odyssey lasted three years and took him to the home kitchens of more than five dozen cooks.

One baker was Cindy Klotz, who learned to bake Rugalach by her Russian grandmother's side. Another was Betty Groff, a 10th-generation Pennsyvlania Dutch descendant, restaurateur and cookbook author. The child of a Russian father and an Iraqi mother, Patent moved with his family to Shanghai, where his parents met and married, to San Francisco in 1950. An immigrant himself, he shares his own favorite recipes he learned from his mother and grandmothers. Counting his own ethnic background, Patent uncovers the baking secrets of more than 30 cultures - from Austria, Norway and Italy to Mexico, India and Nigeria and presents the best of each culture's baking heritage."

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  • 12

Ingredients

  • Crumb base:
  • Cooking spray
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Topping and Cake:
  • 6 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a 12-by-8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

To prepare crumb base, stir together flour and salt. Add butter and cut into flour with a pastry blender or two knives until the consistency of medium-fine meal. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon; stir well.

To prepare topping, transfer 4 cups crumb base to a medium bowl. Add melted butter; stir only until blended. Fluff mixture with fingers to make coarse, buttery crumbs.

Add ginger, nutmeg, cloves and baking soda to remaining crumb base; stir well. Add buttermilk, egg and vanilla; beat to make a smooth, thick batter.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until topping is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Dust top of cake with powdered sugar, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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