Grandma Fishman’s Streusel Kuchen (Crumb Coffee Cake)

Growing up we were lucky enough to have my mom’s mother, fondly known as Grandma live very near our home and she would usually come over from Thursday through Sunday morning, helping us in the kitchen with the cooking for Shabbat. Without question, I got my love of cooking and baking from my Grandma who would show me techniques and share recipes with me (not with my mom who she felt wouldn’t “appreciate it”. Since mom is a food is fuel kinda person and Grandma saw food as art, you get why I got the recipes). This streusel cake was a special treat she made for us and I had to reconstruct it since unfortunately, in those days you wrote a recipe on a piece of paper and who knows whence that paper went. I just remember she only used butter in the recipe and the scent of the crumb cake baking in the oven drove us all crazy.

So I searched and searched both in cookbooks and on the internet and cobbled a few recipes together and finally came up with a recipe I feel is true to Grandma’s. So my cuz Debbie F. can finally make it if she chooses! This is a yeast cake and takes a little time and love but it’s worth it. I use a cheat here and it hastens the process somewhat but yeast doughs need time to rise, just factor that in.

First and foremost, make sure your yeast is fresh. My own yeast was getting a little slow and for my next dough I’ll need new but it valiantly rose to the occasion (ha) this time. Now I do NOT use fresh yeast (i.e. those cakes of yeast in the fridge department) since they don’t keep long or well. I use instant dry yeast, a few professional bakers told me that’s the best to use and once opened, store in the fridge to give longer life. Even so, check it’s potency from time to time to avoid disappointment.

So gather your ingredients together.

and make sure you have a microwaveable bowl to hand. Take half the butter and melt in the bowl together with the milk in the dough part of the recipe. (Alternatively, melt together in a small saucepan on the stovetop). Now it’s important to heat the milk even though you will then cool it since milk contains an enzyme which if not heated can retard or slow the rising of the dough which you sure don’t want. So heat till hot enough to melt the butter but not boiling and let cool. Be patient about the cooling or you will kill the yeast so make sure it’s really lukewarm. Once the butter and milk are luke, you can add the yeast to proof or if you know for sure your yeast is alive and kicking, put right into the flour. For more yeast proofing info check out this recipe with pics Sweet Challah Recipe – Two Ways

and melt it together

Stir it up.

Take your flour, sugar, salt and place in a food processor and give it a whirl. Yup, that’s the cheat.

Add the milk/butter mixture and the egg. Now you pulse it on/off, on/off till a dough starts to form.

Let it sit a minute and pulse on/off again a coupla times.

The dough is smoother. Good. Now scoop the lot out and using the same bowl you melted the butter in (which should be a bit greasy, yes, we want that) knead the dough a coupla times till all in a smooth ball. Really, just a coupla times.

Good job. Now cover with plastic wrap to rise merrily in a warm corner or place in unheated oven with the light on (the light is enough to help it rise). On a warm day, I place it right on the porch to do its thing. Since this takes at least an hour, you can tidy up and make the streusel – those glorious crumbs – for the top of the cake.

Take the other half of your butter and melt in micro and add the flour and sugar from the topping to it with a bit of vanilla extract.

Stir with a fork or spoon and at the end, I like to use my hands to get the crumbs to the right size.

Pop the crumbs into the fridge while the dough rises.

After about an hour the dough should be doubled in size. Gently deflate and either put the whole dough into a lightly greased 9 x 13 rectangular pan, patting into place, or as I prefer, separate into 2 9 inch round cake tins or pie plates, as you wish.

Remove the crumbs from the fridge and divide evenly between the two cake tins sprinkling all about and lightly pressing into the dough. Place tins back into warm environment and let rise till about halfway up the tins.

Once the kuchen look risen, preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Once it comes to temp, bake the cakes for approximately 25-30 minutes or till the cake under the crumbs (some peeks through) is golden brown and the crumbs are a lovely golden shade.

Let cool at least 45 minutes on wire rack before cutting (if you don’t it causes the inside of the cake to get a sticky mark, let it cool, really). Serve for breakfast, brunch, dessert or any excuse you can find. You will find yourself chasing people away till it’s cool enough to cut.

Grandma Fishman’s Streusel Kuchen (Crumb Coffee Cake)

Makes 2 9 inch round cake pans or 1 9 x 13 inch pan

Dough:

3 1/3 cups (400 grams) AP flour
1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (100 grams) white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
.634 cups or 5 fluid ounces (150 ml) milk
1 large egg, bring to room temp
1/2 cup (100 grams) butter

Crumb topping:

1.6 cups (200 grams) AP flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) white sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place butter and milk in microwaveable bowl and zap till butter melts. Stir together and make sure to cool to lukewarm or you’ll kill your yeast (test with a finger all the way down in the bowl to be sure). In the bowl of a food processor, mix the flour, salt and sugar. If yeast is definitely alive, add it in and give it a whirl. If not sure, proof yeast (follow instructions for proofing Sweet Challah Recipe – Two Ways). Add luke butter/milk mixture and egg and slowly pulse on/off, on/off till a rough dough is formed. Let sit a minute and again pulse on/off till ball is smoother. Place in same bowl you melted butter in and knead a few times till dough is smooth. Cover and place in warm environment to rise till doubled, approximately an hour or so.

While the dough is rising, make the crumb topping by melting the second part of butter (in your topping ingredients) and add the flour, sugar and vanilla. Stir with fork or spoon till rough crumbs form and for better crumbs, get in there with your hands. Cover and pop into the fridge till dough finishes rising.

Gently deflate and divide into two greased round cake tins or pie plates, patting into circles. Take crumbs out of fridge and evenly distribute and sprinkle over the two cakes. Press down lightly. Let rise again till about halfway up the pan about 30-45 minutes depending on your liveliness of the dough.

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C and bake 25-30 minutes or till cake is golden brown and crumbs are golden. Let cool on wire rack before cutting.