Nashville Crumb Cake

Nashville Crumb Cake is the easy southern version of New York-style crumb cake that’s made with southern self-rising flour. It is absolutely exceptional with a good cup of hot coffee or tea and should top your list for brunch entertaining.  But, don’t confine it to coffee. Who wouldn’t like a dense cinnamon crumb cake with sweetened fresh fruits like peaches or strawberries?

I’ve been trying for years to perfect my New York crumb topping and this is by far my best attempt yet.  It is definitely all about the crumbs.  They’ve got to be sandy, yet hold together, and they’ve got to be plentiful.  I mean the crumb topping alone in this recipe uses 1 1/2 cups of flour and a stick of butter.  That’s almost the cake itself.

Warning:  The cake is HUGE  in many ways.  It weighs a ton, has a dense moist texture, feeds an army and is loaded with butter.  So you pretty much can’t go wrong.

Maybe this is the recipe that will convince more folks to keep a bag of wonderfully convenient self-rising flour in the pantry.  Remember, self-rising flour has baking powder and salt already mixed in.  It was one of the South’s first convenient products making life easier back when folks were making biscuits every day.  It can still do that for you.  Beyond biscuits, I wouldn’t dream of using anything else for all kinds of quick breads like pancakes, muffins and banana bread.  You definitely don’t need biscuit or pancake mix. EVER.

Nashville Crumb Cake

minmerrell Nashville Crumb Cake is super-easy to make with southern self-rising flour. Desserts Southern Crumb Cake European Print This

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• Crumb Topping:
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted and cooled slightly
• Cake:
• 1 stick (1/2 cup butter)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

For the cake:
Heat the oven to 350º F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat just until creamy. Add the flour, buttermilk, and vanilla.
Blend until smooth. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Combine all the crumb ingredients in a medium bowl and blend with your fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle the crumbs all over the cake batter.
Bake about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool slightly before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 16 servings.